River Gavenny facts for kids
The River Gavenny (called Afon Gafenni in Welsh) is a small river in Monmouthshire, south Wales. It starts from springs near a village called Llanvihangel Crucorney. The river flows south for about 4 miles (6.4 km). It then joins the River Usk in a town called Abergavenny. The name Abergavenny comes from the Welsh word 'aber', which means 'mouth of a river' or 'confluence' (where two rivers meet). So, Abergavenny means where the Gavenny meets the Usk.
One special building along the river is St Teilo's Church, Llantilio Pertholey. This church has a beautiful old style and parts of it were built in the 1200s. Near the river's start is Blaengavenny Farm. Its name means 'head of the Gavenny', and it is a farmhouse from the 1500s.
The Gavenny River is quite small for its wide valley. This is because a huge pile of rocks and dirt, called a terminal moraine, was left behind by a glacier near Llanvihangel Crucorney. This moraine pushed the Gavenny's old upper parts east. These parts now flow into the River Wye. Experts believe that the River Honddu (Monmouthshire) and maybe even the upper River Monnow once flowed into the Gavenny valley to join the Usk.
River Crossings: Bridges and Paths
The Gavenny River has many bridges that cross it. North of Mardy, you can find road bridges at Triley Mill and St Teilo's Church. East of Mardy, there are bridges for Nantgavenny Lane, Hereford Road (B4521), and Tredilion Road. The Nantgavenny Lane bridge is special. It carries both National Cycle Network route 42 and the Beacons Way walking path over the river.
Closer to Abergavenny town, there are bridges at Lower Monk Street (B4233), Monmouth Road (A40), and Mill Street. An old tramroad, the Llanvihangel Railway, used to follow the river closely. Later, the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was built in the 1850s. This railway line, now part of the Welsh Marches Line, still crosses the river at Triley. Another railway bridge was built in the 1800s for the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway. This old railway bridge has now been turned into a road for new houses.
Corn Mills: How the Gavenny Powered Them
For a long time, people used the Gavenny River's power to run corn mills. These mills ground grain into flour. At least seven old mills are known to have been on the river.
Triley Mill is the highest one up the river. Today, it sits between the railway and the A465 road. At Llantilio Pertholey, there was Brooklands Mill. Near Mardy, where the Mynachdy Brook joins, was Cwm Mill. This mill used water from ponds in Mardy Park. By 1901, Cwm Mill was no longer used.
Little Mill was a corn mill on Ross Road, dating back to at least 1707. It still has its original sandstone building and some machinery. Priory Mill, northeast of Abergavenny, was also used in the late 1800s but stopped working by 1901. You can still see parts of the long channel (called a leat) that brought water to this mill. This area is now a public woodland.
Another old corn mill was on Mill Street in Abergavenny. Water for this mill came from a small dam (weir) further down the river. The very last mill on the river was Philpotts Mill. It was working in the late 1800s but closed down by 1920.
Afon Cibi: A Small Tributary
The last small stream that joins the Gavenny before it meets the Usk is called the Afon Cibi. Even though it's called 'Afon' (which means river), it's more like a stream. The Cibi starts on the side of Sugar Loaf mountain.
Chapel Mill was a corn mill on the Cibi, still working in the early 1880s. It had a short channel and ponds fed by the stream. By 1901, this mill was also no longer in use. Much of the Cibi stream now flows underground through Abergavenny. However, you can still see parts of it in Bailey Park and east of Market Street.
