Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Pontypool (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Pontypool Park, Torfaen Museum, and Shell Grotto. Also, be sure to include Persondy in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Pontypool (Wales).
Table of Contents
Pontypool Park
Park in Pontypool, Wales. Pontypool Park is a 150-acre park in Pontypool, Torfaen, Wales. The park was formerly the grounds of Pontypool House and was laid out in the closing years of the 17th century for John Hanbury, an ironmaster, who is closely associated with Japanware. The grounds were purchased by the local authority in 1920, while the estate house was leased, and later sold, to the Sisters of the Holy Ghost to become St. Alban's RC High School. The former stables now house the Torfaen Museum. The grounds contain a number of structures including a double ice house, the Folly Tower and the Shell Grotto. The park is entered through the Pontymoile Gates. The gates, the grotto and the stables are all Grade II* listed structures, while the former hall and the ice house are listed Grade II.[1]
Address: Trosnant Street, Pontypool
Torfaen Museum
Museum in Pontypool, Wales. Torfaen Museum – formerly the Valley Inheritance Museum and Amgueddfa Pontypool Museum – is an accredited museum located in Pontypool, Torfaen, South Wales. It is managed by the Torfaen Museum Trust. The museum is situated within the Georgian stable block that once formed part of residence of the Hanbury family – local ironmasters during the 18th and 19th centuries.[2]
Address: Park Buildings Park Road, NP4 6JH Pontypool
Shell Grotto
The Shell Grotto - - is a Grade II* listed late-18th-century stone built, cylindrical, slate roofed shell grotto decorated with shells and animal bones on the interior. It stands on a prominent ridge 700 ft above sea level, within the boundary of Pontypool Park, Torfaen in south Wales. It is considered to be the best surviving grotto in Wales. It is an important local landmark commanding views south towards the Severn Estuary. A little further along the same ridge can be found the Folly Tower.[3]
Persondy
Persondy, Mamhilad, Monmouthshire is a former parsonage dating from the late 16th century. It is a Grade II* listed building. The adjacent barn, now a separate residence called Ysguborwen, has its own Grade II listing.[4]
Ty-Cooke Farmhouse
Ty-Cooke Farmhouse, Mamhilad, Monmouthshire is a large farmhouse dating from 1710. The farmhouse forms a group with an earlier farmhouse, dating from circa 1600. The main farmhouse was constructed for Thomas Cooke, the manager of the Hanbury ironworks at Pontypool. The farmhouse is Grade II* listed, while the old farm, and the wall and gate to the property have their own Grade II Listings.[5]
Panteg cemetery
Cemetery in New Inn, Wales. Panteg Cemetery is one of the four main cemeteries in the Borough of Torfaen in Wales The cemetery covers an area of approximately 20 acres. The first interment took place on July 23, 1906. There is a Garden of Remembrance located within the cemetery.[6]
Pontymoile Basin
Nature preserve in Wales. Pontymoile Basin is a mooring point and canal junction on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.[7]