Volume 2, Number 45
The High Street clock, the Tredegar Memorial Corn Exchange, Cordey's 'New System of Business', a drunk tramp and Vine Cottage for sale on Commercial Road.
Uncovering Newport's interesting past
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Baneswell Occupation Roads
At a busy Baneswell crossroads stands an unassuming stone wall with a hidden past. Far from modern street furniture, its vernacular masonry reveals a surviving remnant of an 1840s rural occupation road, stranded amidst the Victorian terraces that grew around it.
Walking through 1750s Newport
What you could see and who you could encounter on a stroll through 1750s Newport from Stow Hill, along the High Street and onto Malpas and Caerleon.
Broadsheets and Bustle: Inside an 1850 Newport Newspaper
A single 1850 edition of the Monmouthshire Merlin reveals a fast-paced, shifting Newport. Explore the human stories behind the high-status shops of Commercial Street, the grand vanished estates, the private academies of Stow Hill, and the stark realities of dockside crime.
A Victorian Christmas in Newport
Step back into late-Victorian Newport through original archival adverts to discover a world of "monster" cheeses, elaborate "Cosaque" crackers, and the grueling festive rush that defined the local Christmas period in the late 19th century.
Newport Picturedrome
The Picturedrome was an ambitious cinema focused on entertainment and education in a safe and modern theatre. It ran between 1911 and 1914 and was located where Nationwide is today.
White's Roman Amphitheatre
In June 1846, White's Roman Amphitheatre toured south Wales visiting Cardiff, Bridgend, Cowbridge and also Newport. The show took place at the New Cattle Market on June 18th, 1846 with one in the afternoon and one in the evening and featured horses, lions, tigers and leopards.
The Streets of Newport: An 1860 Lecture
Step back to 1860 Newport as Dock Street Chapel’s fiery preacher takes aim at 291 beer houses, poverty, quackery, and the town’s moral decline.
The Newport Clothing Club
The Newport Clothing Club of the 1840s was run by women, combining penny savings and philanthropy to keep working families warm.
The Old English Fayre, 1882
The Old English Fair at Newport’s Albert Hall turned the hall into a Tudor-style street with stalls, music, and performances to raise funds for the Infirmary and Free Library. Opened by the Duke of Beaufort, it drew huge crowds, with costumed volunteers and lively attractions boosting local support.
Chartist Meeting of Victoria Square, 1840
Almost a year after the Newport Uprising took place on November 4th, 1839, two men from Bath held an open air meeting about the People's Charter in Baneswell. With outdoor meetings being restricted, the two men were apprehended shortly after and taken to court.
Ye Olde Newport Bazaar, 1922
The Tabernacle Centenary Bazaar was a grand event which took place at the Drill Hall, Stow Hill in 1922 and featured a recreation of the Newport High Street in 1822 complete with the names of all the shops and offices.
The Great Van Amburgh Menagerie
In September 1842, an American animal trainer arrived in Newport as part of his Welsh tour. He displayed an elephant, Bengal tiger, lion and several leopards in a field off Caerleon Road near Clarence Place.
Mr Cornwall's Royal Olympic Circus
In 1842, Mr Cornwall's Royal Olympic Circus visited Newport and over the period of around a month entertained residents of Newport including the Morgan's at an arena in Clarence Place.
The First Motor Car In Newport
On Tuesday 24th November, 1896 a Benz motor car was exhibited at the Tredegar Show and it may have been the first car to appear in Newport.
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Volume 2, Number 45
The High Street clock, the Tredegar Memorial Corn Exchange, Cordey's 'New System of Business', a drunk tramp and Vine Cottage for sale on Commercial Road.
Baneswell Occupation Roads
At a busy Baneswell crossroads stands an unassuming stone wall with a hidden past. Far from modern street furniture, its vernacular masonry reveals a surviving remnant of an 1840s rural occupation road, stranded amidst the Victorian terraces that grew around it.
Volume 2, Number 44
The Swing Riots of 1830, foul stealing near 'the machine', a tram accident at Pye Corner, stealing a wife and a narrow escape on the railway.
Walking through 1750s Newport
What you could see and who you could encounter on a stroll through 1750s Newport from Stow Hill, along the High Street and onto Malpas and Caerleon.
Volume 2, Number 43
When the Polka dance arrived in Newport, stealing a horse brush, the early closing of shops, the many enterprises of C. Desmond and the 'Cambrian Youth' freak of nature.
Volume 2, Number 42
A duel at Rodney House, a coach to Liverpool in under a day, the soldier's coffee house outside the barracks, the burglary at Woodlands and stealing fruit from Belle Vue.
