Llanvihangel Court in Llanvihangel Crucorney is a Tudor country house. The origins of the house are medieval, with a traditional date of construction of 1471. The building was given its present appearance by a substantial enlargement and re-casing of circa 1600 by Rhys Morgan, of the family of the original owners. In the very early 17th century it was owned briefly by Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester.
In 1627 it was purchased by Nicholas Arnold and was further extended by him and by his heir John. Nicholas Arnold was a noted horse-breeder as well as Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire and was responsible for the construction of the Stable Block at Llanvihangel. His son was a notorious anti-Papist and Llanvihangel became a centre of the campaign against Monmouthshire recusants.
The court had a number of owners in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including the Earls of Oxford and Earls Mortimer. It remains a private house that is occasionally opened to the public and is a Grade I listed building. The stable block has its own Grade I listing, and the garden house, originally one of two on the site of a former walled garden, is listed Grade II.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.