Cleddon Hall

Cleddon Hall is a Victorian country house set on elevated grounds with stone walls, multiple chimneys, and large windows that look out over the Monmouthshire landscape. The building sits roughly 6 miles south of Monmouth, positioned between Trellech village and the A466 road toward Llandogo.

Originally named Ravenscroft, the property became well-known when philosopher Bertrand Russell was born there in 1872 while under the ownership of Lord Amberley. This connection to an important thinker of the era established the house as a notable place in 19th-century intellectual circles.

The house became a meeting place for progressive thinkers in the 1870s, where conversations about women's rights and secular education challenged the ideas of the time.

The residence is privately owned and not open for regular visits, though you can view the exterior from the roadside. Reaching the location by car is most practical since it sits in a rural area with limited public transportation options.

Douglas Spalding, a tutor at the house, conducted experiments on animal behavior there and pioneered early methods of studying how animals act. His work inside these walls contributed to the foundations of modern behavioral science.