Wentwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wentwood |
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Wentwood reservoir and hills seen from Gray Hill
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 309 m (1,014 ft) |
| Prominence | 243 m (797 ft) |
| Listing | Marilyn, council top (Newport) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Newport / Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom |
| OS grid | ST411942 |
Wentwood (which means Coed Gwent in Welsh) is a beautiful forested area in Monmouthshire, South Wales. It's a place with rolling hills that reach up to 309 meters (1,014 feet) above sea level. You can find Wentwood to the northeast of the city of Newport, and some of it is even inside the city's boundaries. It's a great spot for nature and history!
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What is Wentwood Made Of?
Wentwood sits on top of sandstone rocks. These rocks are part of something called the Old Red Sandstone, which formed a very long time ago during the Devonian period. Imagine layers of sand and mud that hardened into rock over millions of years! These layers tilt gently towards the southeast. The strong sandstone forms a line of hills that stretch north through eastern Monmouthshire, and these hills are often covered in trees.
The Small Village of Wentwood
There's a small group of houses in Wentwood called Wentwood hamlet. It's a quiet place where people live. You can also find Gilgal Chapel there, which is a church that has been carefully restored.
Wentwood Village
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 Wentwood Village
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| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWPORT |
| Postcode district | NP18 2 |
| Dialling code | 01633 Llanwern and Penhow exchanges |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament |
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An Ancient Forest
Wentwood is super important because it's the largest ancient woodland in Wales and the ninth largest in the entire United Kingdom! An ancient woodland is a forest that has been around for a very, very long time, usually since at least the year 1600.
This wooded area is what's left of a much bigger forest that used to stretch between two rivers, the Usk and the Wye. This huge forest actually divided an old kingdom called Gwent into two parts: Gwent Uwchcoed (meaning "above the wood") and Iscoed (meaning "below the wood").
History of Wentwood
Wentwood has a long and interesting history, from ancient times to more recent years.
Prehistoric Discoveries
Long, long ago, people lived in this area. We know this because there are Bronze Age burial mounds here. These are ancient hills where people were buried. You can also find a stone circle and a line of large stones, called a megalithic alignment, on Gray Hill, Monmouthshire. These structures give us clues about the people who lived here thousands of years ago.
Life in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, Wentwood was part of the lordship of Chepstow. It was a valuable place for hunting animals like deer, and it provided wood for building and fuel for fires. Local people who lived nearby could also let their animals graze in the forest.
The Royal Forest of Wentwood had its own special rules, called forest laws. Courts were held twice a year at a place called Forester's Oaks. These courts dealt with people who broke the forest rules, like stealing sheep or hunting deer without permission. Breaking these rules had very serious consequences.
Changes Over Time
Over the centuries, farmers slowly cleared parts of the forest for their fields. In the late 1600s, some people protested when a powerful landowner, Henry Somerset, tried to take over parts of the forest and cut down many trees for his ironworks. The local people believed they had ancient rights to use the forest.
Later, in the 1800s, many large oak trees were cut down. Their strong wood was needed to build big ships for the Royal Navy, like HMS Victory, during the time of Napoleonic wars. However, the center of the forest was kept for making charcoal, which was important for the iron industry.
In the early 1900s, the first conifer trees were planted. During World War I, most of the native trees were cut down to provide wood for the war effort. When the area was replanted in the 1950s and 1960s by the Forestry Commission, many non-native conifer trees were used instead of the original broadleaved trees. This changed the forest habitat. Luckily, more recently, broadleaved trees have been allowed to grow back.
Fun and Nature at Wentwood
Today, Wentwood is a popular place for outdoor activities and is home to lots of wildlife.
Outdoor Activities
If you love being outdoors, Wentwood is a great place for hillwalking and mountain biking. There's also the Wentwood Reservoir, which opened in 1904. It used to be a popular spot for trout fishing. The reservoir was drained in 2019 for important repair work by Welsh Water, but it has been slowly refilling naturally since then.
Amazing Wildlife
Wentwood is bursting with life! It's home to thousands of different kinds of plants and animals. You might spot 75 different types of birds, including turtle doves, nightjars, and spotted flycatchers. There are also tiny dormice, playful Eurasian otters, and pipistrelle bats flying around.
The ancient woodland also has special plants like wild daffodils, wood sorrel, and yellow pimpernel.
Protecting Wentwood
In 2006, the Woodland Trust, a charity that protects forests, bought a large part of Wentwood (nearly 900 acres). They have big plans to look after the forest and help it grow even healthier.
To protect the ancient sites in Wentwood, vehicles are not allowed in many areas. However, sometimes off-road vehicles cause damage, like to one of the prehistoric burial mounds in late 2019. It's important to respect these special places.
Images for kids
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Wentwood reservoir and hills seen from Gray Hill
