Undy ( cy, Gwndy) is a village in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

, south east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, adjoining the village of

Magor Magor may refer to the following: ;Places * Magor, Monmouthshire, a village in Wales, United Kingdom * Magor with Undy, a community in Wales, United Kingdom * Magor Farm, a Romano-British villa near Illogan in Cornwall * Breton name for Magoar * C ...

with which it forms the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

and parish of

Magor with Undy Magor with Undy is a community on the coast of the Severn Estuary in Monmouthshire, Wales. It includes the villages of Magor and Undy. The Magor with Undy community was formed in 1986 from the pre-existing communities of Undy and Magor. It ha ...

. It is located about west of Caldicot and east of Newport, close to the junction of the M4 and M48 motorways, and adjoins the Caldicot Levels on the north bank of the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

History

The area was first settled in

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

times. In 1996 a stone

coffin A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...

dating from the 3rd or 4th century was found during building work, containing the skeleton of a young woman. The village name is of uncertain origin. Previous spellings include Wondy, as noted by

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Annal ...

in 1610. The manor was an early seat of the

Seymour family Seymour, Semel or St. Maur, is the name of an English family in which several titles of nobility have from time to time been created, and of which the Duke of Somerset is the head. Origins The family was settled in Monmouthshire in the 13th cen ...

. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

contains a 13th-century west window and font, and an archway and porch from the same period or slightly later.John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', 2000, It was substantially rebuilt around 1880.

Joseph Bradney Colonel Sir Joseph Alfred Bradney, (11 January 1859 – 21 July 1933) was a British soldier, historian and archaeologist, best known for his multivolume ''A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present T ...

, ''A History of Monmouthshire: The Hundred of Caldicot'', 1933 The village underwent major expansion in the late 20th century, following the development of nearby Caldicot and Magor as suburban housing areas for those working in Newport,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

and

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Amenities

Undy (along with Magor) supports a village community with a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

and an athletic club to the eastern side of the village. It has a clubhouse and dedicated pitches alongside the railway line and is the focal point for many sporting and social activities

Railway

The main railway line between

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and London passes through Undy, although there is no station now. Between 11 September 1933 and November 1964 there was a small halt (at ), although this was only half a mile to the east of the existing Magor railway station. This halt, like Caldicot, consisted of little more than two wooden platforms made from old sleepers and a footbridge. From 1941 the main line was doubled to four running lines, with the outer two lines as slow goods-only lines to serve the increasing wartime coal traffic, without delaying fast trains on the central main lines. The main lines also included a pair of

water trough A water trough (British terminology), or track pan (American terminology) is a device to enable a steam locomotive to replenish its water supply while in motion. It consists of a long trough filled with water, lying between the rails. When a ste ...

s and their large supply tank. Although these troughs were removed by the end of steam services in the 1960s, their location is still used to water the occasional steam-hauled special services on this line.

References

External links

Monumental Inscriptions for UndyUndy on Vision Of BritainA Roman age burial at UndyOld photos of Undy Geograph photos of the Undy area
* {{authority control Villages in Monmouthshire