Goodbye my friends. I'm only waiting for my last payment.
Goodbye my friends. I'm only waiting for my last payment.
Member since:05.01.2004
Reviews:257
Croeso yr Casnewydd, or Welcome to Newport, my hometown.
While I was thinking of this review, I felt an introduction to the historic city of Newport was in order. History shapes a town, Newport has only recently been granted city status, and so I will call it a town. All around this part of South Wales is steeped in history, but I immediately came upon a stumbling block. I thought I knew my town well, but it’s only authentic history starts less than 1000 years ago. Whether from indifference or lost documentation, little is known of the town’s origins. Abergavenny, some twenty miles from Newport, once housed a huge library in its castle, but sieges left the castle and it’s contents burnt down, around the time of Oliver Cromwell. Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100 to 1154) was the main chronicler off the age, but his written works were interspersed by fables and legends, so how little of the truth remains, is in doubt.
Newport, in ancient times, would have been little more than a crossing point for the river Usk. It’s present location is built on a flood plain, where much of the low-lying areas are reclaimed marshland. Shortly nearby, is the opening of the Severn Estuary, the River Severn is the largest river in Britain, at over 300 miles long and the meeting of rivers leads out into the Bristol Channel to the open sea. Such is the nature of this estuary, that it gives rise to the famous “Severn Bore”, a wonder of nature in itself. In ancient days, this would have made a town too waterlogged to be of any importance. Far more likely a settlement of the Celts would have used the strategic place of Caerleon to build a town. A race of fierce warriors called the Silures covered most of the South east part of Wales, a battle at Caerleon was fought in 50BC nearly a century after Julius Caesar first stepped on the shores of Britain. The Roman army built a garrison
Pictures of Newport in General
Welcome to Newport
at Caerleon, complete with an amphitheatre, baths and fortifications. The Amphitheatre still remains and the baths are a major tourist attraction.It was to be a long time before Newport started to feature in history books. The Normans built most of the Welsh castles; the ruins of Newport Castle still stand today. The small town changed hands frequently until the last major family, the Morgan’s, settled at Tredegar House in the 15th century, up until 1951, the Morgan family still kept ownership of the house.
Another landmark of Newport is St Woolas Cathedral. Rumour would have it that there had been a church of some kind on this high point of the town. The original building made by St Gwnllyw , a fifth-century warrior saint, would have been built on many times until we see it as it stands today. Basically a 12th century church, Jasper Tudor, uncle of Henry V11, constructed a bastion around the church, which dominates the landscape of the town. St Woolas is a corruption of St Gwnllyw, through centuries of language changes.
It wasn’t until the late 1790’s that the town started to thrive. With the expansion of the docks and a growing trade in coal and iron, a canal was made to carry the trade from the valley’s pits to the loading bays at Pill in Newport. Although the canal has long ceased to function, it remains in the hands of the National Heritage Site and is a popular area to learn about the history of the canal and barges, whilst remaining a lovely place for a leisurely stroll.
The main body of history that I’m leaving out concerns the Chartist Riots, which are well documented. After all, this is not a history review.
The last feat of engineering was the building of the Transporter Bridge, only one of the three such bridges to remain in working order in the world. It was a very much-needed link between the East and West banks of Newport. On the eastern side of town, several large industrial factories such as a steelworks and a chemical factory needed a crossing for their trade. Different designs were argued over, until a French engineer, Ferdinand Arnodin, together with Robert Haynes of Newport, broached a solution it took four years to build and cost Ł98,000. It was opened in 1906 and although not needed anymore with the new bridge across the river, it still carries cars and passengers for a small fee.
Today’s visitor to Newport approaching from the East side will see the impressive sight of The Celtic Manor hotel and resort centre. Originally the site of a maternity hospital (where my own daughter was born), it has been developed into Europe’s largest conference site and the home of three world-class golf ranges. The hotel is built for luxury and out of the price range of most people. Outdoors activities can be planned well in advance and for the ladies there is a superb spa and sixteen different types of beauty treatments.
Happily, there are a good range of cheaper hotels and clean, reasonable guesthouses. Wandering around the town centre, you need to look up to see the mixture of Victorian and Georgian architecture. Many have been turned into banks, offices and shops and give the visitor an impression of the older town. Sadly, many old building have been renovated or destroyed. One such building was the Lyceum theatre, where people saw many famous entertainers. Harry Houdini made two appearances here and my mother remembered seeing the characters from the age of silent movies. It was turned into a cinema and was demolished finally in 1961. The Victorian parks of Bellevue and Beechwood are a shadow of their former glory. The bandstands are empty and the hothouses long ago vandalised. Both are still worth a visit as they command views across both sides of town.
Newport’s Leisure Centre caters for families; children love the swimming pool and the water slide. In the evening, there are concerts for all age ranges. For the younger crowd, there are several nightclubs, but beware if you are over twenty-five, you will certainly feel old. It was once said of Wales, that on most streets you could find a pub and a chapel. Newport certainly has a plethora of pubs. The night-life in the town centre, is far too noisy for older people.
The outskirts of the town boast many quaint pubs and serve good cheap food. Most nowadays have a children’s play area and a room where adults with children can eat. A lot of these are on the water’s edge, a fine place to sit of a summers evening. Caerleon is only three miles from Newport and is a lovely small town to visit, whether to visit the Roman remains or have a meal in the pubs or restaurants. Here, you can try out Welsh cuisine or have a good old-fashioned English dish. A short drive to Christchurch overlooks Caerleon and the mountains beyond; on a clear day you can see a good thirty miles in each direction. The Church is worth a visit, or take a quite stroll and return to the Christchurch Inn for a well-earned pint. This is my favourite place for a meal, but sometimes you need to book ahead. You can get a first rate meal here for Ł6-Ł10.per head.
Newport is a good base for sight-seeing, in any direction it only takes a short drive to be in the countryside. Wentworth forest is a cheap trip out for all the family. Once the forest spread over most of the surrounding area, but is still a good place to walk, have a picnic or a barbeque. The brickbuilt barbeque area is free of charge, just take some food and some chrarcoal. An adventure playground allows the kids to let off steam and again is free of charge.
To the West side of the town, take the motorway to Cardiff, a ten-minute drive. See the old castle, which is still intact. Go shopping in St David’s centre or take a walk around Sophia Gardens. Further on, is Caerphilly castle and, Castle Coch, a fairytale castle set in woodland walks. Take a trip to the Welsh valleys and see Big Pit, an underground mine you can walk around. For a full day out, nothing can compare with the beaches of the GowerPeninsula, near Swansea. This wild, unspoilt area is home to protected species of birds. There are also a few good camping sites for caravans or tents.
To the East of Newport lies an abundance of castles, churches and the beautifully haunting Tintern abbey, which inspired famous artists of the calibre of Turner and the poetry of Tennyson and Wordsworth.Travel through the Wye valley and stop off at Symonds Yat to see the rapids, or take a cruise along the river. Have a snack in the Old Court Hotel, and listen to the locals talk about crops and the weather forecast.
Turning back to Newport, take a detour to the lovely old town of Abergavenny; visit the antique shops, the clothes stores and feast on homemade Welsh sweets. Catch the Wednesday market, and find a bargain.
A visit to the area should not be passed up by fellow book-worms, the town of Hay-on Wye is a feast for readers, nearly every shop sells books, maps, memorabilia and old posters. Beware the lure of the books; the low prices can easily carry you away.
Finally, back to Newport again. Don’t pass up the chance to cross the transporter bridge. Visit St Woolas Cathedral and admire the blending of the styles. Take a tour around Tredegar House and see the craftsmen at work.
Newport’s coat of arms bears the motto “Terra Marique”, By Land and Sea. A fitting motto for a town that prospered by its docks and harbour.
Fe wela I chi…………………. I’ll see you.
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I would love to visit Hay-on Wye with my sister, we're both addicted to books lol.
Jordon 16.08.2004 17:27
Very well written review, loads of info, never been but does sounds really lovely : ) Jayne xx
damncoldnightdotnet 01.07.2004 02:32
A lovely, well-written and thorough review, hun :) I remember going shopping in Newport about 4 years ago and getting well and truly lost! I used to go to Abergavenny every week though, beautiful town, I haven't been there for months and I really miss going! Love Jai. xxx.
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Advantages: Good Shopping, Good Accomodation, Good Night Life, City close to the countryside. And its in Wales! Disadvantages: I'm stuck here untill i get to uni.. And British Weather.
Advantages: Good Shopping, Good Accomodation, Good Night Life, City close to the countryside. And its in Wales! Disadvantages: I'm stuck here untill i get to uni.. And British Weather.
Jun 24th, 2004
exceptional by (11%):
very helpful by (89%):
