Pen-y-dre Farm Holidays

A working farm incorporating a converted 17th Century  Coach House in Llanfihangel Crucourney near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, South Wales

An ideal holiday location especially for families or groups keen to visit The Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons, or walk the Offa`s Dyke Path. The village has The Skirrid Mountain Inn, which is the oldest pub in Wales and was used as Judge Jeffrey`s Court. The scenery is superb with The Skirrid Mountain behind and The Black Mountains just beyond the village. Ideally situated to explore the Wye Valley, Welsh Border Country, Forest of Dean, The Brecon Beacons National Park & South Wales.

This was once the home farm of Llanvihangel Court, the mansion to the east. It still has a corn barn built in the 17th century. If you’ve just scanned the QR codes at the farm entrance, walk a little to the south along the road to see the barn. It’s the building with walls of stone (bottom) and timber (upper part). Much of the timber framework is original.

Take a close look at the southern gable wall, the only wall entirely of stone. At the top there’s a hole for owls to enter. Owls eat mice, which eat corn!

When the Court’s owners sought new farm tenants in 1834, the farm was described as featuring 237 acres of “very productive land”, including arable, meadow and pasture, “the whole of which is in a high state of cultivation”.

A later tenant, Henry Silver, won prizes for his sheep at the Abergavenny Horse and Cattle Show in the 1870s. In 1880 he was elected to the Board of Guardians, beating the vicar by 68 votes to 19. The Guardians oversaw the local workhouse, where paupers were given a home.

In 1916 Russell James of Penydre Farm was summoned to appear before magistrates for allowing six pigs to stray onto the road. Worse still, the pigs had found their way to the Vicarage lawn (a little north of the farm) and “grubbed up the flowers”.

The farm was sold, freehold, in 1918 to Mr T Richards of Blaengavenny for £4,600. It has remained in the same family ever since. The village post office was at Pen-y-Dre, and members of the family delivered telegrams by bicycle as required – sometimes as far away as the top of the Llanthony valley. They also delivered milk, which was bottled at the farm.

Cattle, sheep and pigs are still farmed at Pen-y-Dre, which now also provides holiday accommodation.

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