Category: Agincourt Square, Monmouth

Agincourt Square, Monmouth

Taken from an old postcard, this view of the King’s Head Hotel in Agincourt Square in Monmouth was taken in (I assume) the 1920s. The hotel stands opposite the Shire Hall (to the left of the photograph) and dates from the middle of the 17th century. According to legend, the hotel was visited by Charles I in 1645. It was an important posting inn in the late 17th century, with space for the stabling of visitors’ horses. During the 18th and 19th centuries, stagecoaches for London left from here. It is now a Grade II listed building.
As mentioned above, Charles I was reported to have visited the hotel in 1645 during a stay at nearby Raglan Castle. There is a plaster bas-relief of the King (erected in 1673) above the fireplace in one of the bars.  Whether it is meant to be Charles I, or a generic ‘king’ is disputed.
Image: Photographer unknown
took this photograph in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdown started.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
A merged version of the two photographs. Use the slider in the centre.