MONMOUTHSHIRE

Words and images by Greg Mansfield

From mist-shrouded river valleys to rolling hills, Monmouthshire’s gorgeous landscape provides a perfect backdrop for tales of supernatural encounters and ghostly legends. I’ve spent much time in this lovely county, and here are my recommendations of the haunted places in Monmouthshire you should visit.

Haunted Places in Monmouthshire

Caldicot Castle

Location: Church Rd, Caldicot
Open: Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00am – 4:00pm
Admission: Free, except on certain event days
Website: visitwales.com/attraction/castle/caldicot-castle-and-country-park-1866908

In the southeast corner of Wales stands Caldicot Castle, one of Wales’ most magnificent medieval strongholds. The Norman conquerors built this fortress in 1086, near the site of a former Saxon castle.

The castle’s stones hold dark intrigue. In 1391, the halls witnessed a tragedy when King Richard II’s agents murdered Thomas of Woodstock within its walls. Woodstock was the castle’s owner and son of King Edward III of England. This brutal act led to the Crown seizing the castle.

Time took its toll on this magnificent structure until the Cobb family breathed new life into its stones in 1885. They restored the crumbling fortress into an elegant residence, preserving its medieval charm for future generations.

Today, Caldicot Castle attracts visitors seeking both history and mystery. The medieval towers don’t just showcase reconstructions of ancient life – they harbour ghostly inhabitants who refuse to leave their beloved home.

Brown-robed monks glide silently through centuries-old corridors, their spectral forms disappearing around corners. Mysterious grey ladies materialize before stunned onlookers, their presence acknowledged by many witness accounts.

Listen carefully and you might hear the gentle footsteps of a ghostly beggar boy echoing through the castle’s halls. Above the battlements, the spirit of Lady Alianore de Bohun continues her eternal watch over the castle she once called home.

Current visitors and staff members regularly encounter inexplicable phenomena. Objects move on their own, defying explanation, while sudden cold spots catch unsuspecting guests off guard. Perhaps most intriguing, dogs visiting the castle often react strangely in certain locations.

Today, the local authority maintains this remarkable piece of Welsh heritage, allowing visitors to step back in time while perhaps encountering something supernatural. Each tower, hall, and courtyard tells a story – both historical and paranormal.

Will you dare to explore the haunted halls of Caldicot Castle? Go and discover why this medieval monument continues to captivate historians and ghost hunters alike.

Chepstow Castle

Location: Bridge St, Chepstow
Open: Daily
Admission: Some charge, with pay parking
Website: cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/chepstow-castle

Chepstow Castle perches majestically on a steep cliff above the River Wye. This Norman stronghold doesn’t just boast Britain’s oldest surviving great hall – it also guards Europe’s oldest castle doors.

The castle’s construction began in 1067, but its most fascinating stories go far beyond its impressive architecture. Today, Chepstow Castle attracts both paranormal enthusiasts and history buffs, who come to experience its historical charm and unexplained phenomena firsthand.

Henry Marten, perhaps the castle’s most famous spectral inhabitant, still roams the grounds where Charles II imprisoned him in 1668. Visitors regularly spot his figure walking the castle paths, continuing his imprisonment long after death. The castle’s dark history as a prison during the 1640s seems to fuel its supernatural energy.

The castle’s halls echo with much mysterious phenomena, including:

• Phantom knocks resound from the historic wooden doors when no living soul stands nearby
• The castle shop, formerly the kitchen, fills with the ghostly scent of cooking onions, as if medieval chefs are still preparing feasts
• A seemingly possessed chess set captivates visitors with its self-moving pieces, hinting at invisible players locked in eternal games.

Deep beneath the fortress, local legends tell of an extraordinary encounter. An explorer reportedly stumbled upon none other than King Arthur and his knights in the castle’s underground caves. According to the tale, their ghostly presence so terrified the man that he fled in panic.

Throughout the castle, visitors regularly encounter unexplained cold spots – a classic sign of paranormal activity. These mysterious temperature changes, combined with the castle’s history of sieges, imprisonments, and executions, create an eerie atmosphere.

Shire Hall, Monmouth

Location: Agincourt Square, Monmouth
Open: Monday – Friday 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM; closed Wednesday & Sunday
Admission: Free
Website: monlife.co.uk/heritage/the-shire-hall/

In the bustling heart of Monmouth stands the magnificent Shire Hall, a Grade I listed building that commands attention with its striking Georgian architecture. From 1724 to 1997, this remarkable structure served justice beneath its classical columns, continuing a legacy of law that traces back to an earlier courthouse built in 1571.

Today, Monmouthshire County Council keeps the building alive and functioning as both a tourist-information centre and the Monmouth Town Council offices. Yet behind its elegant façade, the Shire Hall harbours strange tales that draw paranormal enthusiasts.

The Shire Hall resonates with supernatural energy, particularly from those who faced harsh historical justice within its walls. Among its ghostly residents are the spirits of a desperate family executed for stealing food – a chilling reminder of British justice’s cruel past. And the spectral forms of three young girls, once accused of witchcraft in these courtrooms, continue to roam the halls.

Perhaps the most striking supernatural resident is the ghostly judge who refuses to leave his post. Still wearing his traditional wig and robes, his apparition maintains an eternal vigil in the courtroom where he once presided. Modern visitors report seeing his dignified form moving through the corridors with purpose.

Staff members frequently encounter a particularly intriguing spirit – a mysterious lady who appears so solid that witnesses often mistake her for a living person. They follow her graceful form through the halls and into certain rooms, only to find them empty. The lingering scent of her perfume remains.

In 2006, former caretaker Tony Mambert experienced some of the building’s most compelling paranormal activity. Working alone, he witnessed a startling sight near Courtroom 2: a black cloak and disembodied legs vanishing behind a pillar. His other experiences included:

• The distinct feeling of being watched in empty courtrooms
• Doors closing mysteriously in the vacant building
• An overwhelming sense of unseen presences.

A visiting psychic later validated Mambert’s experiences, confirming the presence of at least one spectral judge among the building’s supernatural inhabitants. This verification adds another layer of intrigue to the Shire Hall’s already fascinating history.

The Queen’s Head

Location: 1 St James St, Monmouth
Open: Currently closed for business.
Admission: N/A
Website: N/A

The Queen’s Head on Monmouth’s eastern edge is where centuries of history merge with supernatural mystery. This Grade II listed building has some of Wales’ most compelling ghost stories attached to it.

Dating to the 16th century, The Queen’s Head is ranked as Wales’ third most haunted inn, surpassed only by the Prince of Wales Inn and The Skirrid Inn. The pub preserves its authentic charm with original 17th-century plasterwork adorning the bar area. Beneath its ancient floorboards and behind its walls, secret passages and removable sections tell tales of turbulent times in British history.

Oliver Cromwell himself frequented the inn during the English Civil War. During one fateful visit, a Royalist Cavalier attempted to murder the military leader. The assassination failed, and the Cavalier was shot dead in the bar. But many say he never truly left. Staff members have seen his ghostly figure, dressed in period military attire, sitting pensively by the fireplace. Curiously, witnesses have only seen him from the knees up – a detail that aligns perfectly with historic changes in the floor level.

Former Queen’s Head owner, Neil Bell, had healthy skepticism about the supernatural tales, yet he couldn’t ignore that some employees refused to work in the pub after midnight. The unexplained phenomena proved too unsettling for many of them.

Bell’s daughter, Kirsten Weller, brought more compelling evidence to the ghost stories with her own experiences that included:

• Multiple encounters with a four-year-old girl in a dress roaming the premises
• Sightings of an elderly man wandering the upstairs corridors
• A mysterious patron who vanished into thin air near the fireplace.

Weller’s accounts gained credibility when an overnight guest reported waking to find a small blonde girl in a floral dress standing at the foot of their bed – matching previous descriptions perfectly.

After closing time, the paranormal activity at the Queen’s Head used to intensify:

• Electrical equipment behaved erratically
• Objects moved mysteriously behind the bar
• Female staff members reported being pinched by unseen hands.

Unfortunately, the Queen’s Head closed for business in late 2023. Hopefully it will reopen in the near future to again welcome brave souls who want to pop in for a pint or stay the night to experience its supernatural phenomena firsthand.

Raglan Castle

Location: Off the A40 between Abergavenny and Monmouth, Monmouthshire
Open: Daily 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (winter) or 5:00 pm (summer)
Admission: Small fee; free for Cadw members
Website: cadw.gov.wales/visit/places/raglan-castle

Raglan Castle commands attention from its place in the Welsh countryside. Among Monmouthshire’s haunted treasures, this magnificent fortress stands out as the most impressive.

Between 1435 and 1525, Raglan transformed from a mighty stronghold into an elegant Tudor mansion. At its heart stands the Great Tower of Gwent, a unique hexagonal keep that showcases both military innovation and aristocratic ambition. The Blue Knight of Gwent, Sir William ap Thomas, began this architectural masterpiece, leaving the Great Tower as his enduring legacy.

Thomas’ son, William Herbert, elevated Raglan to new heights of sophistication, creating one of Wales’ finest medieval residences. Elaborate fountains danced in the courtyard, while formal gardens and state apartments rivaled the grandest European palaces.

Deep within Raglan’s history lies a tale of sacrifice and mystery. In 1646, as Parliamentary forces approached during the English Civil War, a dedicated librarian made a decision that would echo through the centuries. To protect the castle’s precious literary collection, he secreted away countless valuable books and manuscripts in underground tunnels. Though the main library fell to destruction, these hidden artifacts remain undiscovered to this day.

This vigilant librarian’s spirit haunts the castle’s ruins. Visitors encounter his ghostly figure, dressed in 17th-century attire, near the former library’s location. He appears to beckon to guests, perhaps hoping to share his centuries-old secret.

In 2001, the ghostly librarian made his presence known when a young schoolgirl fled the castle in terror. She reported seeing a strange man in period clothing gesturing for her to follow him.

Beneath Raglan’s visible grandeur lies a network of tunnels and cellars that might still guard the lost library’s treasures. Visitors exploring these underground passages report:

• Sudden, inexplicable temperature drops
• An overwhelming sense of being watched
• Strange atmospheric changes
• Unexplained sounds echoing through the corridors.

During a visit to Raglan Castle with my father in December 2019, the long winter shadows stretched across the ancient courtyard and the walls seemed to whisper centuries-old secrets. Though the ghostly librarian eluded us, the powerful atmosphere and sense of history proved to be unforgettable.

Tintern Abbey

Location: Tintern
Open: Daily, 10:00am to 4:00pm
Admission: Some charge
Website: visitwales.com/attraction/historic-site/tintern-abbey-cadw-527989

The Wye Valley is home a medieval masterpiece that draws visitors from all over the world – the majestic ruins of Tintern Abbey. Located alongside charming Welsh cottages and scenic riverside paths, these ancient walls tell tales of devotion, tragedy, and supernatural encounters.

Cistercian monks first occupied these grounds in 1131, building a spiritual community that would house 400 residents at its peak. The Gothic architecture soared heavenward, while monks pursued their divine calling in the peaceful valley setting.

Fate struck harshly in the mid-1300s when the Black Death ravaged the abbey’s population. The few surviving monks struggled to maintain their vast estate. Then came the final blow – Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 forced the remaining brothers to abandon their beloved home.

Time may have claimed the abbey’s mortal residents, but many say their spirits never left. Visitors sometimes encounter:

• Spectral monks continuing their ancient prayers
• A solitary brother kneeling beneath weathered arches
• Mysterious figures moving through morning mist
• Unexplained chants echoing among empty chambers.

One chilling tale stands out among the abbey’s ghost stories. Antiquity hunters, disturbing ancient graves near the ruins, faced an otherworldly warning: an armoured knight materialized before them, his piercing gaze accompanied by a procession of ghostly monks and abbots emerging from the mist.

Visit Tintern Abbey and walk in the footsteps of monks who never left their sacred home.

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