IPublic · listed 1952Abergavenny CastleOn the list as Abergavenny Castle (ruins)Photo: Jeremy Bolwell · CC BY-SA 2.0
Burton · Photo: Jeremai · CC BY-SA 4.0A+History Grade
History of Abergavenny · Cadw
241 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I
On the Cadw list, all of them stand inside Abergavenny’s built-up area, 176 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 3 scheduled monuments. 27% of its homes were built before 1919. We have photos of 13 of its listed buildings and 8 old views of the town. Abergavenny grades A+ for history: #1 of 38 in Gwent.
Listed buildings
241
176 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
2
exceptional interest
Grade II*
8
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
3
4 registered parks & gardens
Homes built before 1919
27%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Abergavenny in 23 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Abergavenny Castle (ruins)Grade I listed
Church of St MaryGrade I listed
Trinity AlmshousesGrade II listed
The Angel HotelGrade II listed
Abergavenny Methodist ChurchGrade II listed+18See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Abergavenny from 1750 to 1890
8 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
18th century
c. 1826
c. 1850
c. 1875
c. 1890
c. 1890
c. 1890
c. 1890Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Abergavenny’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monumentPark or garden
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
1 of 10neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 69% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
241 listed buildings by grade
2 Grade I8 Grade II*231 Grade II
Cadw lists buildings of special architectural or historic interest in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest, Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest, and Grade II for buildings of special interest. Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on Cadw’s register of listed buildings whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The 2 Grade I listed buildings in Abergavenny
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 1.6% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
IChurch · listed 1952Priory Church of St MaryOn the list as Church of St MaryPhoto: Acomax · CC BY-SA 3.0
Grade II*
The 8 Grade II* listed buildings in Abergavenny
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed.
II*Inns & shops · listed 1994BurtonPhoto: Jeremai · CC BY-SA 4.0
II*Church · listed 1974Church of Our Lady and St MichaelOn the list as Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Michael, including attached PresbyteryPhoto: No Swan So Fine · CC BY-SA 4.0
II*Walls & gates · listed 2022Laburnum Cottage, including front railings, wall and gatePhoto: No Swan So Fine · CC BY-SA 4.0
II*Church · listed 1952St John's ChurchOn the list as St John's Masonic LodgePhoto: Pauline Eccles · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*House · listed 1952Tithe BarnOn the list as The Tithe BarnPhoto: Colin Cheesman · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Inns & shops · listed 195237 Cross StreetPhoto: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Inns & shops · listed 195238 Cross StreetPhoto: Roy Parkhouse · CC BY-SA 2.0
House · listed 195239 Cross StreetPhoto: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0
Historic streets
Cross Street has the most listed buildings
Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.
Cross Street29 listed · 3 II*
Nevill Street17 listed
Frogmore Street12 listed
Market Street7 listed
Brecon Road5 listed
Castle Street5 listed
Lion Street4 listed
Monmouth Road4 listed
Lower Castle Street3 listed
Merthyr Road3 listed
Victoria Street3 listed
Of the 241 entries, 101 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.
What’s protected
Most of Abergavenny’s listed buildings are homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas129
Inns, shops & warehouses40
Public & civic buildings22
Churches, chapels & priories19
Walls, gates & bridges16
Street furniture14
Memorials, crosses & tombs1
129 entries (54%) are houses, terraces and villas. 19 are churches, chapels and priories, including 1 of the 2 Grade I buildings.
Buildings are sorted by Cadw’s broad class for each building, else by words in its name; an entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
231 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
The first 150 of 231 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Abergavenny Baptist ChurchAbergavenny Methodist ChurchAbergavenny MuseumAbergavenny Public LibraryAbergavenny Railway Station, including down platform building and footbridgeAbergavenny United Reformed ChurchAlandale, including attached wall and railingsAsthal House, including garden steps, gates and walls with terracotta dressingsBank HouseBarclaysBella Vista, including garden walls, gatepiers and railingsBoundary Wall and Entrance Gateway of St John's Masonic LodgeBrookfieldChapel of former Pen-y-fal HospitalChurch of ChristchurchChurch of the Holy TrinityClaremont HouseCrossbase in garden of Church of St MaryEntrance Gates and Screen Fence at Trinity AlmshousesEntrance Gates of No. 11Entrance Gates, Boundary Wall and Railings at Whitefield Chapel.Entrance Gates, Boundary Wall and railings to former Bethany ChapelFairleaFormer Bethany ChapelFront Garden Walls, Gatepiers & Gates to Nos. 22, 24 & 26Gate and Railings of The Drama CentreGatepiers, Gates and Fence of The WillowsGates and Railings of No. 4Great Western HotelHarold Road Junior SchoolHen and Chickens PH including attached No. 10 facing St John's StreetHill CourtHoly Trinity VicarageHouse, including attached gates and railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railingsHouse, including attached railings and gatesHouse, including forecourt walls and railingsHouse, including forecourt walls and railingsHouse, including garden walls and railingsHouse, including garden walls with terracotta dressings and ball finialsHouse, including garden walls with terracotta dressings and ball finialsHouse, including garden walls with terracotta dressings and pinecone finialsHouse, including garden walls with terracotta dressings and pinecone finialsIngleside, including garden walls, gatepiers and railingsKings Arms PHKings Head HotelLloyds TSBLodge of Abergavenny CastleLodge of Pen-y-falLulworth House, including attached railingsMill HouseNevill Hall LodgeOctagonal Shelter 1 in the grounds to south-west of Pen-y-falOctagonal Shelter 2 in the grounds to south of Pen-y-falOctagonal Shelter 3 in the grounds to south of Pen-y-falOctagonal Shelter 4 in the grounds to north of Pen-y-falOctagonal Shelter 5 in the grounds to north of Pen-y-falOctagonal Shelter 6 in the grounds of Pen-y-falOld CourtOld Nevill Hall (Conference Centre)Outer Wall of Abergavenny CastleParc Pen-y-fal (former main hospital building)Pegasus Court, 3Pegasus Court, 5Pembroke Lodge, including garden walls and gothic railingsPembroke Villa, including garden walls and railingsPentre HousePriory CloseRectangular Shelter in the grounds of Pen-y-falRedbarn FarmhouseRetaining Wall between Castle Street Car-park and the Garden of Old CourtRoyal British LegionRoyal British LegionSaxonbury Nursing Home (formerly Haverang House)St Teilo's HouseStructure of gates, gatepiers and attached walls with railings to main entrance to Bailey ParkSwan HotelTelephone Call-box at junction with Chapel RoadTelephone Call-box close to entrance to Linda Vista GardensTelephone Call-box near junction with Regent StreetTelephone Call-box opposite entrance to Abergavenny Railway StationTelephone Call-box outside the old Drill HallThe Abergavenny BookshopThe Angel HotelThe Britannia Public HouseThe ChapelThe Cloisters, including garden wall and door to roadThe Coach and Horses PHThe Drama Centre (former King Henry VIII Grammar School)The Great George PHThe KnollThe Old Bank (NatWest)The Old Workhouse StudioThe Salvation Army CitadelThe School Room (formerly of Abergavenny Congregational Church)The Trading PostThe Tythe BarnThe Tythe BarnThe Tythe BarnThe Tythe BarnThe WestgateThe WillowsToll Gate HouseTown HallTown Walls (remains of) behind Nevill StreetTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTrinity AlmshousesTy'r Morwydd (St Michael's Convent), residence onlyTyler's Residence at the Masonic LodgeWall, Gatepiers and Gates beside Lodge at entrance to Abergavenny CastleWall, Gates and Railings of Harold Road Junior SchoolWar MemorialWestern Villa, including attached railingsWestgate CottageWhitefield Chapel (Presbyterian)1 Cibi Walk1 Monk Street1 Nevill Street1 Regent Street10 Cross Street11 Cross Street11 Frogmore Street11 Market Street11 Nevill Street11A Cross Street12 Frogmore Street13 Cross Street13 Frogmore Street13 Market Street13 Nevill Street14 Cross Street14B Nevill Street15 Market Street16 Cross Street
Conservation areas
2 conservation areas cover 30% of Abergavenny
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Abergavenny 1970120 ha
Abergavenny Pen-y-Fal Conservation Area 19709 ha
129 hain conservation areas, of 428 ha inside the built-up area.
The first, Abergavenny and Abergavenny Pen-y-Fal Conservation Area, were designated in 1970; the newest, Abergavenny Pen-y-Fal Conservation Area, in 1970. 227 of the 241 listed buildings stand in one.
Cadw’s conservation areas via DataMapWales. Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
93 of Abergavenny’s 241 listed buildings were added in 1974
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1974 · 932005 · 591952 · 27
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 27 entries were listed in 1952, 2 of the 2 Grade I buildings among them. 93 came in 1974. Only 1 has been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
3 scheduled monuments
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Welsh Government (Cadw).
Abergavenny CastleMedieval; Castle
RomanAbergavenny Roman FortRoman; Fort
Area of Conventual Buildings, St Mary's PrioryMedieval; Priory
4 registered parks and gardens
Abergavenny CastleGrade II · Picturesque walk and landscaping at medieval castle ruins
Bailey ParkGrade II · Urban Public Park
Linda Vista GardensGrade II · Small urban public park, formerly a private garden
The HillGrade II · Formal and informal gardens and walled garden set in informal woodland grounds and a small area of relict parkland
History Grade
Abergavenny grades A+ for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (263 points, 192 per 10,000 residents)More than 91% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (27%)More than 77% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
27% of Abergavenny’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
23%
Before 1900
3.4%
1900–18
1.4%
1919–29
4.6%
1930s
9%
1945–54
17%
1955–64
7.4%
1965–72
6.9%
1973–82
7.5%
1983–92
5.5%
1993–99
5.7%
2000–08
2.1%
2009–15
7%
2016–25
AbergavennyEngland & Wales
23% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1955–64, which added 17% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (0 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Born here
20 notable people born in Abergavenny before 1900
Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
David Lewis
Augustine Baker
Thomas James
David Lewis
William Bradshaw
William Jones
Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover
Thomas Monaghan
John Williams
Leonard Watkins
Richard Powell
Joseph Booth
Vulcana
Ethel Lina White
Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge
Pat McCarthy
Madoline Thomas
John Wheatley
Harold Day
Peveril William-Powlett
1500165018001950
EW
Ethel Lina White1876–1944 · British writer (1876–1944)
David Lewis1616–1679 · English Jesuit Catholic priest and martyr
Thomas James1593–1635 · Explorer, ship captain
Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover1802–1896 · British noble (1802–1896)
Vulcana1874–1946 · Welsh strongwoman (1875-1946)
PM
Pat McCarthy1888– · Welsh footballer
DL
David Lewis1520–1584 · Welsh lawyer and judge, born 1520
John Williams1857–1932 · Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross (1857–1932)
Everyone born in Abergavenny → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Abergavenny has the 56th most Grade I buildings of 576 towns its size
Places of 8,000–22,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Abergavenny2
#42 of 576for listed buildings per resident (176 per 10,000). Brecon, Ludlow and Bridport lead.
55 have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Abergavenny
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abergavenny | 13,689 | 241 | 2 | A+ |
| Llanfoist | 2,007 | 8 | 0 | C+ |
| Govilon | 1,342 | 13 | 0 | B |
| Gilwern | 2,184 | 3 | 0 | C− |
| Blaenavon | 5,637 | 31 | 3 | A |
| Crickhowell | 2,108 | 119 | 2 | A+ |
| Penperlleni | 1,396 | 0 | 0 | D |
| Abersychan | 7,495 | 7 | 0 | C+ |
In brief
Abergavenny in brief
Few towns are as rich in listed heritage as Abergavenny: per resident it has more than 91% of UK towns. All told, the list holds 241 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I, including Abergavenny Castle. Its housing is old: 27% of homes date from before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. Only 55 of the 576 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings.
On Cross Street alone there are 29 listed buildings. Its older streets lie in 2 conservation areas, the first designated in 1970. Of the whole list, 54% are houses, terraces and villas. The rest is about typical: it also has 3 scheduled monuments.
Questions about Abergavenny’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Abergavenny?
Cadw lists 241 buildings inside Abergavenny’s built-up area: 2 Grade I, 8 Grade II* and 231 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Abergavenny?
2, including Abergavenny Castle (ruins) and Church of St Mary.
Which street in Abergavenny has the most listed buildings?
Cross Street (29), Nevill Street (17) and Frogmore Street (12) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.
Are there scheduled monuments in Abergavenny?
Yes, 3 scheduled monuments, including Abergavenny Castle, Abergavenny Roman Fort and Area of Conventual Buildings, St Mary's Priory.
How many conservation areas are there in Abergavenny?
2, covering about 129 hectares of the town. The largest are Abergavenny and Abergavenny Pen-y-Fal Conservation Area.
When were Abergavenny’s buildings listed?
The first in 1952; the most, 93, in 1974.
Are there old photos of Abergavenny?
Yes: 8 public-domain photos and postcards from 1750 to 1890, all on this page.
Who was born in Abergavenny?
Among people born before 1900: Ethel Lina White (1876), David Lewis (1616), Thomas James (1593), Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover (1802) and Vulcana (1874).
How old are the homes in Abergavenny?
27% of homes were built before 1919 and 33% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
Listed buildings, scheduled monuments and historic parks and gardens: Cadw, © Crown copyright, via DataMapWales.
Sources: Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Cadw conservation areas via DataMapWales (October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.