A pub landlady died in a late-night accident at her plush riverside inn while carrying the day’s takings upstairs for safety, an inquest has heard.
Judith Ramsden, 65, was carrying the cash register and day’s taking when she tumbled down the stairs.
An inquest heard Judith was found lying at the bottom of the stairs by her husband Phillip, 67.
Landlord Philip found her with the cash register under her body and money strewn over the floor.
Philip said they shared three bottles of wine before retired nurse Judith made her way to bed at around 12.30pm.
In a statement he said: "We had both had a reasonable drink. We were nicely merry."
Gwent Coroner’s Court heard an ambulance was called to the pub at around 4.10am on February 9, 2019, and Judith was pronounced dead at 4.32am having suffered a broken neck.
A toxicology report found she was one and half times the legal drink drive limit.
The hearing was told the couple had been married since 1995 and had run the Georgian-fronted pub on the English/Welsh border for more than 20 years.
Caroline Saunders said: "Judith was a retired nurse in good health, but she had been complaining for quite a while about her back playing up."
She added: "On Friday, February 8, 2019, Judith had been conducting her normal duties through the pub.
"There was nothing unusual about the events of that evening but Judith was drinking throughout the evening.
"Although she consumed a significant amount of alcohol the effects cannot be ascertained.
"The stairs were poorly maintained, steep and ill lit. The reasons for her fall are unclear."
A post mortem examination revealed that she suffered a blunt trauma injury her face, and bruising to the left side of her scalp.
She had also sustained a fracture to the C6-C7 vertebrae, consistent with hyper-extension of the neck, the latter injury being the primary cause of her death.
Ms Saunders recorded a conclusion of accidental death.