Llanvihangel Crucorney


Llanvihangel Crucorney is a small village in the community of Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located north of Abergavenny and south-west of Hereford, England on the A465 road.

Setting

Llanvihangel Crucorney lies on the eastern edge of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The village sits at the entrance to the Vale of Ewyas. The sweeping hill the village sits on is a terminal moraine, deposited during the last Ice Age, that marks the maximum advance of a glacier that once flowed down the valley. The Skirrid is located just to the south; its distinctive peak forms an imposing local landmark. The village is surrounded by farmland with a mix of pasture, for sheep and dairy cattle grazing, and arable crops. The area is popular with hill walkers and the long distance trails the Beacons Way and Offa's Dyke Path pass close by.

History, amenities and architecture

Amenities

In the centre of the village is a church, village shop and garage as well as The Skirrid Mountain Inn which is reputed to be one of the oldest public houses in Wales. There is a primary school and village hall located in nearby Pandy. The nearest railway station is Abergavenny.

Architecture

The village is characterised by its stone built architecture, with many historic properties interspersed with more recently built homes. Notable buildings include:
The gauge Llanvihangel Railway opened in 1814 between Govilon on the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal and Llanvihangel Crucorney. Here it joined with the Grosmont Railway, thence via the Hereford Railway to Hereford. The railway was abandoned in 1846.
The Grosmont Railway was constructed as an extension of the Llanvihangel Railway from its terminus at Llanvihangel Crucorney to Monmouth Cap on the border with Herefordshire. With a length of approximately seven miles, it was engineered by John Hodgkinson as a gauge plateway, and was horse drawn throughout.
The Act of Parliament for the railway received the Royal Assent on 20 May 1812, and the line opened in 1819.
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway opened the standard gauge Llanvihangel railway station in 1854. It closed in 1958.

Governance

The village falls in the 'Crucorney' electoral ward. This ward includes Grosmont in addition to this village. The total ward population taken at the 2011 census was 2,121. The has 11 seats over 5 wards. The Llanvihangel Crucorney Ward has 6 seats, Forest and Ffwddog Ward has 2 seats, and there is one seat each in Bwlch, Trewyn and Oldcastle Ward, Lower Cwmyoy Ward and Upper Cwmyoy Ward.

Notable people