"Gwent/Monmouthshire, call it what you will, is both an integral part of Wales and greatly influenced by its nearness to England. Though small in scale, it is also a great natural beauty, where many fine and fascinating buildings can be found." "Roman occupation has left remarkable evidence in two outstanding well-preserved sites, the legionary fortress at Caerleon and the town of Venta Silurum (Caerwent). The series of medieval castles includes Chepstow and Raglan, two of the most magnificent in the whole of Britain, and also such evocative but little known examples as Caldicot and Usk. Among monasteries Tintern Abbey is celebrated for its poetic ruins, while Llanthony Priory is unforgettable in its lonely valley. All these, and many other medieval buildings, including numerous fine parish churches, are fully described and analyzed in this book. The farmhouses of the county have been made famous by the three volumes which Sir Cyril Fox and Lord Raglan devoted to them half a century ago. Here will be found up-to-date discussions of many of these houses as they survive today."--Jacket.