Monnow Bridge and Gateway

Built of coursed red sandstone rubble with some patching in buff sandstone, stone slate roof to gateway. Stone arched gate tower built on the eastern pier of the three arched bridge. The bridge has three pointed arches, with cutwaters on both sides of the piers, but the arches are segmental where the outer faces were added in the C19. The gate tower is elliptical in shape with two distinct elevations. The west elevation has a tall recessed slightly pointed arch with foot arches on either side, the north one with a pointed head and the south one with a Caernarvon head and flat concrete ceiling. Above the main arch there is an overhang with three arches on brackets under a wide relieving arch. There are murder holes, while within the main arch there are grooves for a portcullis. There are slit windows on either side of the arch and another window above the centre of the relieving arch. Projecting garderobe on the north-west side. The east face is plainer and shows signs of more considerable rebuilding, with patching round the arch. Round headed window above the centre of the arch. The inner faces of the main arch have an oak access door on the south side and the blocked original access on the north side which once gave entry to a spiral stair. but this was lost when the north foot-arch was built. The roof has projecting eaves on corbel brackets and is in the form of two half cones joined by a central ridge.

The interior shows much more clearly how the stonework was repaired and raised in the C19, including a number of courses of red brick at the eaves. The roof structure has principal rafters with ties, all machine cut, and numerous light secondary rafters and purlins. The garderobe survives internally. There is no stair or surviving second floor.