Down on the river meadow, at the end of the 18th and through most of the 19th centuries, specially constructed boats were regularly departing, carrying visitors to the Wye Valley on a two day tour to Chepstow. Now you can see one of those boats once more along with other nineteenth century river traffic.
Background to the Wye Tour
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries it was fashionable to take a boat tour down the Wye Valley, to view its romantic sites and picturesque landscape. ‘Tourists’ dined at specific locations, took walks to particular viewpoints and visited specific romantic ruins, making the ‘Wye Tour’ one of the first package holidays
Dr John Egerton, became Rector of Ross in 1745. He was very well connected and soon began taking his wealthy guests on excursions down the Wye in a specially constructed boat.
The idea soon caught on and developed into a commercial enterprise. By the late eighteenth century there were several boats operating on the Wye from Ross to Chepstow, in direct response to growing demand from tourists.
For much more on The Wye Tour please visit the Gilpin 2020+ site.
The artwork for this exhibit was created by Jaime Etherington
