When you stand on the Chepstow (Wales) bank of the River Wye and look across at the Gloucestershire (England) bank, you notice, in the limestone cliffs, an unnatural looking square hole with sides of about five and a half feet. It is accessible only from a boat at high tide. This hole leads into a large chamber whose origin isn't entirely clear. It is said to have been an enlarged natural feature that may have been a store for tea or explosives, though a more likely purpose was as a transhipment site for goods brought by sea-going ships that would be put into smaller boats for carriage up the Wye to Monmouth, Hereford and other destinations.
The painted Union flag nearby originated in connection with the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935. It has been repainted periodically.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Nikon D5300
