Volume 2

An historical tour in Monmouthshire / Illustrated with views by Sir R.C. Hoare, bart., a new map of the county, and other engravings: by William Coxe.

  • Coxe, William, 1747-1828.
Date:
1801
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An historical tour in Monmouthshire / Illustrated with views by Sir R.C. Hoare, bart., a new map of the county, and other engravings: by William Coxe. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    210 CHAPTER 22. glen, at the foot of hills overfpread with wood and fprinkled with white cot- tages, we proceeded along a hollow way, which deepened as we advanced, and was fcarcely broad enough to admit the carriage. In this road, which with more propriety might be termed a ditch, we heard the roar of the torrent beneath,, ^but feldom enjoyed a view of the circumjacent fcenery.. We palTed under a bridge, thrown acrofs the chafm, to preferve the communication, between the fields on each fide j this bridge was framed of the trunks of trees, and fecured. with fide rails, to prevent the tottering paffenger from falling into the abyfs be- neath. It brought to my recolleftion feveral bridges of a fimilar conftruftion,, which I had obferved in Norway, and which are likewife occafionally ufed as aquedudts, for the purpofes of irrigation. Emerging from this gloomy way, we were ftruck with the romantic village of Cwmyoy, on the oppofite bank of the Honddy, hanging on the fides of abrupt clifts,. under a perpendicular rock broken into enormous fiffures. We continued for fome way between the torrent and the Gaer, and again plunged into a hollow road where we \vere inc.lofed, and faw nothing but the overhanging hedge-rows.. I would not recommend' timid perfons to pafs this way in a carriage, for in the whole courfe of my travels, I feldom met with one more inconvenient and un- fafe. Excepting in very few places, there is not room for a fingle horfe to pafs by a chaife j and fliould two carriages meet, neither could proceed, until one was drawn backwards to a confiderable diftancc; The foil is boggy in wet, and rough in dry weather j. the ruts worn by the fmall Welfh cars are extremely deep, and oftentimes we were prevented from being overturned only by the narrownefs of the road, and the fleepnefs of the. fides, which would not allow the carriage to fall obliquely. Having at length reached the Vale of Ewias, we defeended from our carriage, and crofting the Honddy, approached the ruins, which occupy a folitary fpot in the wild recetfes of the Black mountains.. The abbey was built like a cathedral, in the fliape of a Roman crofs, and though of fmall dlmenfions, is well proportioned.. The length from the weftern door to the eatlern extremity is 212 feet, and the breadtli, including the two aides,