Great Bulmoor Farm caerleon
The oldest farm in Monmouthshire
Of all the dozens of farms in our family, the only one we recall visiting as children was Great Bulmoor, less than ten minutes by car from our home in Langstone. It was home to Uncle Phil and Auntie Irene – Phillip Phillips, to give him his full name – who was from our grandmother Catherine Phillips’ side of the family. Born at Great Bulmoor, he spent his entire life there until his passing in 1983.
The farm held a special magic for us, nestled beside the legendary Bulmoor Lido, a place of endless summer fun. We remember it as a large and fascinating place, complete with a cider press, orchard, and farm animals. However, as children, we were unaware of its deeper history. We had no idea that a Roman graveyard lay hidden within the orchard or that Uncle Phil unearthed Roman artifacts with almost every dig of his fields. Researching this page has been an enlightening journey into the farm’s rich past. We have opted to use the spelling Bulmoor but many variations exist including Bull More, Bullmore and Bullmoor.
A Historic Farm
Great Bulmoor has a storied history. In 1921, the South Wales Argus recorded it as the oldest farm in Monmouthshire, and some of its buildings date back to the 16th century. The name “Great Bulmoor” refers not to the substantial farmhouse that fronts Bulmoor Road but to the modest whitewashed cottage and stone outbuildings between the road and the River Usk – the farmhouse came later. One of these stone barns housed a famous horse-powered cider press. Apples were placed in a trough, and a horse would walk in circles, hauling a heavy roller to crush them. The juice was then transferred to a cellar beneath a lower outhouse.
Great Bulmoor is also renowned for its Roman discoveries. The first recorded excavation took place in 1815, uncovering a Roman building. Further excavations in 1975 revealed structures dating from the 2nd or 3rd century AD. A Roman cemetery once stood in the farm’s orchard. The historian Arthur Machen suggested that a retired officer of the 2nd Augustan Legion had a villa at Bulmoor, possibly with a private cemetery. The farm’s Roman connections are further supported by the existence of a steep path leading from the farm to St Alban’s, where a Roman martyr was buried.
19th Century at the Farm
The site of the Roman cemetary at Bulmore was first identified in 1815 when a large masonry building was discovered, containing eight tombstones that has been laid face down on the floor. One notable inscription read: “Hail, Julia, dearest wife: For ever farewell.” Later excavations in 1975 uncovered a substantial multi-phase masonry building also containing reused tombstones.
Census records reveal that in the 19th century, Great Bulmoor had a high turnover of occupants. In 1881, an auctioneer named Mr. Jones lived there, followed in 1891 by Evan Thomas, a 60-year-old farmer from Wenvoe, who resided at the farm with his wife and a servant. By the turn of the century, 33-year-old Alfred G. Moxham from Chew Magna was the resident farmer. He had been living at Kemeys House with his parents but after marrying Ann, he moved to Bulmoor, where they had two children before emigrating to Canada to start a new life.
The Phillips Family at Bulmoor
Our family’s connection to Great Bulmoor began in 1908 when our great-grand-uncle, Ebenezer ‘Lewis’ Phillips, married Maud Morgan from St Brides, Wentloog. Lewis was the son of the late Ebenezer Phillips of Bryngwyn Farm, and Maud was the daughter of William Morgan, a grocer. The couple purchased and settled at Great Bulmoor Farm and cider house, where they became close neighbours of the Skinners at Abernant Farm.
Their only son, Phillip Frederick Lewis Phillips, was born in 1909. The 1911 Census records a busy farm, with Lewis as master farmer and two permanent workers living in the outbuildings: Charles Hallett from Somerset, employed as a carter, and John Walters from Nash, listed as a farmer. Lewis bred horses and entered them in local agricultural shows. By 1921, Charles Hallett had become a wagoner, joined by his brother John, a cowman. The land at Bulmoor, along with surrounding farms, was regularly used by the Llangibby Hunt.
Bulmoor Lido
In 1934, part of Bulmoor was sold to a private company to build an open-air swimming pool, café, and restaurant. Bulmoor Lido, as it became known, opened to the public in July, attracting visitors in the hundreds, arriving by omnibuses, on foot, or by bicycle. The 8.5-acre complex, featuring a large adult pool, a smaller children’s pool, and adjoining lawns, became Newport’s favourite out-of-town resort.
Bulmoor Lido remained popular for over five decades, but changing leisure trends eventually led to its decline.
A Visit from Mr. Hando
In 1955, renowned local historian Fred J. Hando visited Great Bulmoor. He described 76-year-old Lewis Phillips as a cheerful pipe smoker and spent time with Phillip, who gave him a tour of the cider house. Hando recalled watching the cider press in operation as a boy and was delighted that the Phillips family had plans to restore it.
He also documented the Roman graves found in the orchard and the many artifacts Phillip uncovered while working the land. Fred’s account of Bulmoor was published in one of his books and appeared in the South Wales Argus, accompanied by Fred’s drawings of the farm.
Mysteries of the Farm
Great Bulmoor’s history holds many intriguing questions. An Austrian bishop once visited the Phillips family, claiming that his records indicated a German church once stood near the cider house. Archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler also visited, believing that a Roman suburb once occupied the site. He urged Phillip to document all his discoveries.
One of Phillip’s most enduring tales was of ghostly apparitions. A rational farmer, he reported seeing a legion of Roman soldiers marching through his home at night – visible only from the knees up. As children, we dismissed this as a ghost story, but knowing now about the Roman graves on the site, it seems more plausible. A 2024 episode of the BBC show Uncanny discussed a similar phenomenon, attributing the missing lower limbs to rising ground levels over centuries. Perhaps Uncle Phil truly did have Roman visitors!
The End of an Era
Lewis Phillips passed away at Bulmoor in 1961, followed by Maud in 1967. Phillip inherited the farm, living there with Irene until her passing in 1977. They had no children. Phillip remained at the farm until his death in 1983. Our eldest sister Cathy attended his funeral with our mother and grandmother at St Illtyd’s Church in Mamhilad, where he was buried with Irene.
Following Phillip’s passing, his estate was auctioned at the Celtic Manor on July 15, 1983. Great Bulmoor was divided into two lots: Lot One included the farmhouse, outbuildings, orchard, and four acres of land, while Lot Two comprised 91 acres of farmland. The new owner of Lot One extensively renovated the farmhouse, later selling it as an executive home in 1988.
Shortly after Phillip’s death, Mr. Richardson, a neighbouring farmer, excavated topsoil to build a new farmhouse and barn. His work uncovered a network of Roman walls. Archaeologist David Zienkiewicz led an emergency dig, confirming Phillip’s long-held belief that a civilian Roman settlement once stood on the land.
Today, Bulmoor consists of three separate residential properties: Bulmoor Farmhouse, The Great Bulmoor Farm Cottages, and The Cider House. While the views of Caerleon and the River Usk remain, they now include the backdrop of a golf course. The legacy of Great Bulmoor lives on, not only in our memories but in its rich, historic past.
Something to add to the story of Great Bulmoor Farm? Please email us: [email protected]