Skip to content
Caerleon
EntityQ1009261· pop 31· linked from 755 articles

Also known as Caerllion, Caerlleon-upon-Usk, Caerlleon upon Usk

Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hillfort. Close to the remains of Isca Augusta are the National Roman Legion Museum and the Roman Baths Museum. The town also has strong historical and literary associations: Geoffrey of Monmouth elevated the significance of Caerleon as a major centre of British history in his Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136), and Al

Weather now

cached 476h ago
24°broken clouds
67% 6.1 m/s OpenWeatherMap

7-day forecast

via Open-Meteo

Place details

Locality
Caerleon
Region
Cymru / Wales
Country
United Kingdom
Population
8,061
Timezone
Europe/London

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

UK place.static_image_alt
A photograph taken from a house window on Caerleon Road in St Julians. The view crosses the river Usk and in the distance is the Caerleon Golf Club, and behind it, the settlement of Caerleon, on the hill with rows of houses visible. At the far right are the visible buildings of Caerleon Comprehensive School and its sports facilities.
UK place.static_image_caption
Caerleon from St Julians
UK place.area_total_sq_mi
9.03
UK place.area_total_km2
14.53
UK place.population
8,061
UK place.population_density
893/sq mi (345/km2)
UK place.population_demonym
Caerleonite
UK place.os_grid_reference
ST336909
UK place.map_type
Wales Newport
UK place.map_alt
A map of Newport, Wales, showing the location of the town of Caerleon as a red dot
UK place.post_town
NEWPORT
UK place.postcode_area
NP
UK place.postcode_district
NP18
UK place.dial_code
01633
UK place.constituency_westminster
Newport East
UK place.london_distance_mi
122
UK place.london_distance_km
196
UK place.london_direction
eastwards

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official name
Caerllion
Population
8061
Area
1453
Official website
www.caerleon.net
Image
Aerial view of Caerleon Roman amphitheatre.jpg
Dialing code
01633
Show 5 more facts
Commons category
Caerleon
OS grid reference
ST336909
postal code
NP18
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~28 min read

Article

38 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Pre-Roman history
  • Roman era
  • Middle Ages
  • Norman era
  • Glyndŵr Rising
  • English Civil War
  • 18th and 19th centuries
  • Modern histories
  • In Welsh mythology and literature
  • Welsh mythology
  • Arthurian legend
  • Modern Caerleon
  • Overview
  • Governance
  • Geography
  • Transportation
  • Road
  • Rail
  • Education
  • Higher education
  • Housing
  • Historic public houses
  • Sport
  • Newport Half Marathon
  • Tour de Gwent
  • Tour of Britain 2017–2018
  • 2010 Ryder Cup
  • Other sports
  • Culture and community
  • Caerleon Festival
  • Mari Lwyd
  • Notable people
  • In popular culture
  • See also
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hillfort. Close to the remains of Isca Augusta are the National Roman Legion Museum and the Roman Baths Museum. The town also has strong historical and literary associations: Geoffrey of Monmouth elevated the significance of Caerleon as a major centre of British history in his Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136), and Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote Idylls of the King (1859–1885) while staying in Caerleon.

==History== ===Pre-Roman history=== The area around Caerleon is of considerable archaeological interest, with a number of important Neolithic sites. By the Iron Age, the area was home to the powerful Silures tribe and appears to have been the centre of a wealthy trading network, both manufacturing and importing La Tène style goods. From the 5th century BC, the town was the location of a great Iron Age hillfort crowning a hill overlooking the River Usk and what would become the Roman port. The hillfort at Lodge Wood Camp is defended by three lines of massive ramparts and ditches, and is the largest fortified enclosure in South Wales.

Gallery (28)

On the map

Connections

Categories