Sudbrook hill fort Sudbrook was of early historic importance in guarding the
Severn estuary at an ancient ferry crossing place. An
Iron Age hillfort is located on the coast, probably built and occupied by the
Silures from the 2nd century BC and occupied by the
Romans from the 1st century AD until the 4th century. The hillfort was originally much bigger than now having been eroded over the centuries. Finds of
Roman coins at Black Rock,
Portskewett, show that the ferry crossing was in use in Roman times, on the route between the Roman stations of
Aquae Sulis (
Bath) and
Venta Silurum (
Caerwent). According to tradition,
Caradog Freichfras, the
Welsh ruler of
Gwent in the 5th century or 6th century AD, moved his court from Caerwent to the Portskewett area, possibly to the fort.
Holy Trinity Church The ruined Holy Trinity
church stands near the Severn cliff. It has mostly fallen into the sea over the centuries. The
nave walls date from the 12th century; the
chancel was added in the 14th century and the south porch in the 15th century. The
preaching cross which is now inside the church was originally outside and was probably moved to prevent it falling into the sea as the cliff eroded. The area around the church was probably the site of the original
medieval village. A
manor house and other village buildings stood nearby but later moved inland, probably when climate changes in the 14th and 15th centuries led to the widening of the
estuary and the erosion of the cliff. By 1720 the church had fallen down and much of the churchyard had fallen into the river with human bones from the graves often being found on the shore. for workers on the
Severn Tunnel below, which began construction in 1873. The first cottages were built by contractor
Thomas A. Walker in 1877, and rapid development took place over the next decade, including a school,
post office, mission hall and infirmary. Some of the houses - originally known as Concrete Row - are believed to be the first
concrete houses built in Britain. Also built was a large pumping station, required to pump water from the tunnel, including three large brick engine houses housing six steam engines, and ventilation towers. A branch line was built from the nearby
Gloucester-Newport line to supply the pumping station with coal and engineering equipment, but fell into disuse in the early 2000s, and has now been disconnected from the main line. The steam engines were replaced by electric motors in 1962, and the chimney stacks taking smoke from the furnaces were demolished in 1968. This continued in operation, building steamers of up to 700 tonnes, until 1922. Between 1958 and 2006, local employment in the village was provided by a large paper mill, which made use of water from the tunnel. It was demolished in 2009. ==Sudbrook Cricket Club==