MM281

The Cold Bath: Piercefield  

25/08/2000  

Designated  

Monmouthshire  

St. Arvans  

352486  

196817  

Health and Welfare  

Bath House  

Post Medieval/Modern  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument consists of a bath-house, dating to the 18th century. It is a small rectangular stone and brick building constructed to house a cold water plunge bath and a small dressing area heated by a small corner hearth. The tile-lined pool within was fed by water from a stream via a stone-lined and capped culvert. To the south-west of the Cold Bath are the remains of a dry-stone building of uncertain function, possibly used as a changing room. The Cold Bath was one of the principal structural features of the famous 18th century Piercefield Walks. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of post-medieval settlement organisation. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques, together with a strong probability of environmental evidence. A bath-house may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.