- Shirenewton
infobox UK place
country = Wales
welsh_name=Drenewydd Gelli-farch
constituency_welsh_assembly=Monmouth
map_type=
official_name= Shirenewton
unitary_wales=Monmouthshire
lieutenancy_wales=Gwent
constituency_westminster= Monmouth
post_town= CHEPSTOW
postcode_district = NP16
postcode_area= NP
dial_code= 01291
os_grid_reference= ST478936
population= n/aShirenewton ( _cy. Drenewydd Gelli-farch) is a small
village inMonmouthshire , south eastWales in theUK .Location
Shirenewton is three miles due west of
Chepstow , 5 miles (8km) by road. The village stands around 500 feet (154 m) above sea level, and has views of theSevern Estuary and theBristol Channel .History & Amenities
The name Shirenewton has had several variations over the years, such as Sheref Newton, Neweton Nether Went, and Nova Villa.
The present name derives from the creation of the village in a forest clearing by the Sheriff of
Gloucester ,Walter de Gloucester , around AD 1100. It means "Sheriff's New Tun". Tun is the old word for a homestead.There has recently been some controversy over the
Welsh language name for the village, but this has been confirmed by the Place Names Standardisation Committee of theWelsh Language Board to be "Drenewydd Gelli-farch", which is normally translated to "new settlement at the stallion's grove". Although, one of the roads leading in to Shirenewton still has the Welsh name as 'Trenewydd Gelli Farch'.The 1892 "Chepstow Directory" has an entry for Shirenewton, showing that it had a population of around 650 people at that time. The current population is unknown, but the number of houses in the village has increased markedly in recent years. Many attempts have been made to extend the village, to add small
housing estate s, but most have come up short due to the village boundaries, and the desire of the locals to keep the village as it is.Shirenewton, although relatively small, has a collection of four
pub s:
*The Tan House [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/300784]
*The Carpenters Arms [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/301145]
*The Tredegar Arms [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/300778]
*The Huntsman Hotel [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/301150]Until recently it sported a small village shop (
SPAR ) which closed in January 2007 and is currently for sale. This took the place of the original 5 Bells shop which shut in the early 1990s, and Ostlers Garage and Shop which closed in the late 1990s. Shirenewton also sported a small villagePost Office that unfortunately shut down several years ago. The village also has a modernprimary school calledShirenewton Primary that was built in 1985. This lies between the villages of Shirenewton and Mynddbach, and is situated in large open playing fields. The school hosts eight classes, four infant classes, and four junior.Until recently Shirenewton had a large
golf course , which closed down on the31 May 2005 . This has now been turned into luxury houses. The golf course is now being kept as a conservation area. The golf course also houses the abandoned village of Dinham, which also had a smallcastle , all now left in unrecognisable ruins.“The Grondra”, also located in the village, is considered to be one of the finest
18th century country house s in Gwent. The owner was recently fined £40,000, however, after major structural changes were carried out without local authority consent. It is estimated that remedial work, to return the Grade IIlisted building to its former condition, will cost more than £450,000. [ [http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/swanews/3644533.Footballers__Wives_house_fine Footballers' Wives house fine – South Wales Argus] ]The village of Shirenewton proves itself as an ideal place to live, as it has easy links to the
M48 motorway at Chepstow, making access toNewport andCardiff quick and easy.External links
* [http://www.shirenewton.org Shirenewton's Official Website]
* [http://www.shirenewtonprimary.ik.org/ Shirenewton School's Website]
* [http://www.shirenewton-history.co.uk Shirenewton Local History Society website]
* [http://www.roughwood.net/ChurchAlbum/Monmouthshire/Shirenewton/ShirenewtonStThomas2004.htm St. Thomas A Becket church] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/156659]
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~familyalbum/ksnewton.htm Kelly's 1901 Directory of Monmouthshire on Shirenewton]
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