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| Geography | |
| Area - Total - % Water | Ranked 18th 190 km² ? % |
|---|---|
| Admin HQ | Newport Civic Centre |
| GB | GB-NWP |
| ONS code | 00PR |
| Traditional county | Monmouthshire |
| Ceremonial county | Gwent |
| OS grid reference | |
| Coordinates | 51°35N 2°59W |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total () - Density | Ranked Ranked / km² |
| Ethnicity | 95.1% White 2.6% S. Asian 1.5% Afro-Caribbean |
| Welsh language - Any skills | Ranked 20th 13.4% |
| Politics | |
| Control | |
| Mayor of Newport | Miqdad Al-Nuaimi |
| MP, Newport West: | Paul Flynn |
| MP, Newport East: | Jessica Morden |
- For other uses of the name "Newport", see Newport (disambiguation).
Newport () is the third-largest city in Wales (after Cardiff and Swansea). Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is the cultural capital of the traditional county of Monmouthshire and governed by the unitary Newport City Council.
The Welsh name for the city, Casnewydd-ar-Wysg (IPA: //) means 'New castle-on-Usk'. This refers to the twelfth-century castle ruins near the city centre, which are 'new' compared to the Roman fortress at Caerleon. Newport is sometimes labelled Newport-on-Usk on old maps.
The city's importance as a trading port in the middle ages was emphasised when a 15th century ship, referred to locally as the Newport ship, was uncovered from the bank of the Usk in 2002, during the construction of the Riverfont arts centre.
Geography
- See also: List of places in Newport
The suburbs of the city have grown outwards from the inner-city, along the main roads, leading to the creation of out-of-town shopping centres. Such centres have large free car parks and are seen as more convenient than travelling several miles to shop in the city centre. The urban area is continuing to expand rapidly with new housing estates continuing to be built.
Districts
The city is divided into 20 wards. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. Each community can have an elected council. The following table lists city council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':| Ward | Communities (Parishes) | Other geographic areas |
| Allt-yr-yn | Allt-yr-yn | Ridgeway, Barrack Hill, Glasllwch |
| Alway | Alway | Somerton |
| Beechwood | Beechwood | |
| Bettws | Bettws | |
| Caerleon | Caerleon | Christchurch, The Village |
| Gaer | Gaer | Maesglas, St. Davids, Stelvio |
| Graig | Graig* | Rhiwderin, Bassaleg, Lower Machen |
| Langstone | Langstone*, Llanvaches*, Penhow* | Llanmartin, Parc Seymour, Wentwood Forest |
| Llanwern | Bishton, Goldcliff*, Llanwern*, Redwick* | Underwood, Whitson, Uskmouth, Broadstreet Common, Summerleaze |
| Liswerry | Liswerry, Nash* | Broadmead/Moorland Park |
| Malpas | Malpas | |
| Marshfield | Coedkernew*, Marshfield*, Michaelstone-y-Fedw*, Wentloog* | Castleton, St. Brides, Blacktown |
| Pillgwenlly | Pillgwenlly | Level of Mendalgief |
| Ringland | Ringland | Bishpool, Coldra |
| Rogerstone | Rogerstone* | High Cross |
| Shaftesbury | Shaftesbury | Brynglas, Crindau, Marshes |
| St. Julian's | St. Julians | East Usk, Barnardtown |
| Stow Hill | Stow Hill | St.Woolos, Baneswell |
| Tredegar Park | Tredegar Park | Duffryn |
| Victoria | Victoria | Maindee |
People
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 6,657 |
| 1851 | 29,238 |
| 1881 | 48,069 |
| 1901 | 79,342 |
| 1941 | 116,434 |
| 1981 | 131,016 |
| 2001 | 137,017 |
| 2004 (est.) | 139,500 |
People from Newport are known as Newportonians. As of 2001, 71.9% considered themselves Christian, 2.6% Muslim, 1% other religions (mainly Hindu and Buddhist), 16.8% were non-religious and 8.1% chose not to answer the non-compulsory religion question on the 2001 census.
Climate
Newport has a moderate temperate climate, with the weather rarely staying the same for more than a few days at a time. The city is one of the warmer and sunnier locations in the UK and its sheltered location tends to protect Newport from extreme weather. Like the whole of the British Isles, Newport benefits from the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. Newport has warm summers and cool winters.Thunderstorms may occur intermittently at any time of year, but are most common throughout late-spring and summer. Rain falls throughout the year with spring often the driest season. Snow falls nearly every winter but is often light and usually melts immediately or after a few days. Newport records few days with gales, again due to its sheltered location. Frosts are common from November to April.
Regeneration
The city is undergoing a major regeneration programme led by Newport Unlimited. The most important projects include:
- The Riverfront Arts Centre — this was the first structure to be built as part of Newport's regeneration by Newport City Council.
- The Southern Distributor Road, including a new road bridge over the Usk, is completed, improving access and opening up new areas for development.
- A new footbridge across the Usk in central Newport is nearing completion.
- In the next few years, a riverside University campus will be constructed adjacent to the new footbridge. *
- A new £200 million city centre shopping complex to including a Debenhams department store, will be created in time for the 2010 Ryder Cup in Newport This complex will complement the adjacent Kingsway Shopping Centre, which is undergoing its own £20 million refurbishment and expansion. [http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=citycentre.homepage&contentid=CONT061294
- Permission has been granted to turn the Grade II listed former Art College in the east of the city centre into luxury flats.
- The bus and railway stations will be extensively redeveloped.
- Thousands of homes will be built, especially in the Riverside area, near Pill.
- A new M4 bypass skirting the southern edge of the urban area of Newport is to built, reducing the congestion on the existing motorway and making Newport and the surrounding areas more accessible.
- There are proposals to transform the disused Llanwern steelworks into 4,000 houses, shops and other facilities, with the creation of up to 6,000 jobs *.
- There are also calls for a barrage across the River Usk to be incorporated with the M4 bypass, so the level of the river stays permanently at high tide level, or possibly a barrage across the River Severn.
Transport
The city is excellently served with transport links — the M4 motorway comes within a mile of the city centre, and Newport has six junctions. The Great Western main railway line also passes through the heart of the city, stopping at High Street station.
- Road
The principal north—south roads are the A467 and A4042 and A449 trunk roads. The A467 and A4042 connect the surounding valleys to the city and motorway network, and the A449 connects Newport to the Midlands. All are high-speed dual carriageways.
The municipal bus service is provided by the council-owned Newport Transport, who provide the "Newport Bus" branded service in the city.
- Rail
- Air
Education
Newport is home to the University of Wales, Newport which has two campuses in the city — one in Caerleon and the other in Allt-yr-yn. The university can trace its roots to the founding of the Newport Mechanics Institute in 1841. The Newport School of Art was one of the first Schools to be awarded degree status in 1963 and enjoyed a high reputation in painting and sculpture throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Plans have been granted for the first phase of a new £60m city centre university campus as part of the riverside regeneration plans by the urban regeneration company Newport Unlimited. This phase will see the return of the renowned Newport School of Art and Design to the city centre.
The City of Newport is home to eight state comprehensive schools, and one independent comprehensive school. All schools are governed by the Newport LEA. Newport also has a campus of the further education college Coleg Gwent called the City of Newport Campus, informally known as Nash College.
Employment
Newport has three major centres for employment: the city centre and business parks clustered around the M4 junctions 24 in the east and 28 in the west. The civil service industry is the biggest employer in the city.
Businesses in the city centre include the Passport Office for much of the south and west of the UK, and the Wales headquarters of the Charity Commission and British Red Cross.
Businesses on the west side of the city include: The headquarters of the Office for National Statistics, the headquarters of the Patent Office, the headquarters of Wales and West Utilities, a large Panasonic manufacturing plant, a manufacturing plant for International Rectifier and the shared-service centre for HM Prison Service. There is a huge plant on the Celtic Lakes business and science park originally built for the LG Group, but market conditions led to the semiconductor plant never opening, and the CRT plant eventually closing. There are many plans for the site, including transforming it into a conference centre along the lines of the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham or a large super-casino.
Industry in the east of Newport was formerly based on the Corus steelworks at Llanwern, and although the rolling mill is still active, steel manufacture ceased in 2001. The land formerly used for manufacturing is currently being redeveloped to provide 4,000 homes and up to 6,000 jobs.
Government
- Main article: Newport City Council.
The city has traditionally had a strong support for the Labour party with many working-class areas, but the Conservatives have a significant minority especially in the middle-class areas in the west. There has been a sharp increase in Liberal Democrat voters in recent elections. In the 2005 general election, the Liberal Democrats pushed the Conservatives into 3rd place in Newport East with Labour still holding on to a sizable majority but in Newport West the Conservatives gained a swing on Labour's lead, making their majority slim.
Culture and arts
Newport is known for its works of civic art, including the steel Wave on the banks of the Usk, and the mechanical clock in the city centre. It also has one of the few remaining working transporter bridges (the other British example being in Middlesbrough).
Set in a beautiful 90 acre (360,000 m²) park, Tredegar House is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II mansion in Britain. The earliest surviving part of the building dates back to the early 1500s. For over five hundred years, it was home to one of the greatest of Welsh families, the Morgans - later Lords Tredegar - until they left in 1951. The house was then used as a girl's school until it was bought by the council in 1974, giving rise to its present status as the "grandest council house in Britain".
The city is known for its nightlife, containing many pubs, bars and nightclubs. The most famous of these is probably T.J.'s, an alternative music club where it is rumoured that Kurt Cobain proposed to Courtney Love.
Newport hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1897, 1988 and 2004.
Notable people
Notable current and former residents of Newport include:- Darren Campbell (athlete; olympic gold medal winning sprinter)
- James Collins (footballer; West Ham)
- Lee Dainton (stuntman and skateboarder, star of MTV show Dirty Sanchez)
- Josie D'Arby (actress and television presenter)
- David Davies (politician; conservative)
- W. H. Davies (poet)
- Abbas Farid (freestyle footballer)
- Trevor Foster (rugby league player; Bradford Bulls)
- John Frost (chartist)
- Goldie Lookin' Chain (satirical rap group)
- Arthur Gould (rugby union player)
- Peter Greenaway (filmmaker)
- Lyn Harding (actor)
- Robert Henderson (cricketer)
- Jon Lee (Feeder band member)
- Desmond Llewelyn (actor; James Bond movies)
- Arthur Machen (author)
- Christian Malcolm (athlete; olympic sprinter)
- Sir Terry Matthews OBE (entrepreneur; Wales' first billionaire)
- Johnny Morris OBE (television presenter; Animal Magic)
- Grant Nicholas (lead singer of Feeder)
- David "Bomber" Pearce (boxer)
- Goff Morgan - Newport Town Poet (First Official Poet in Wales: humourist and broadcaster)
Twinning
Newport has four international twinning links:
- Heidenheim in Germany
- Kutaisi in Georgia
- Guangxi Province in China
- Annapolis in the United States
- Heidenheim
- Kutaisi
- Guangxi
- Annapolis
Sport
- See category: Sport in Newport
Newport also has an association football club, Newport County: although currently a non-league club, Newport have played in the second tier of the English football, reached the last 16 of the FA Cup and played in the European Cup Winners' Cup. The city also has a speedway track, home to the Newport Wasps speedway team, and is home to one of the few indoor velodromes in Britain.
History
The River Usk at Newport has always proved an attractive place to make a home. Bronze Age fishermen settled around its fertile estuary and later the Celtic Silures built hill forts overlooking it. In AD 75, on the very edge of their empire, the Roman legions built a fortress at Caerleon to defend the river crossing. The Normans arrived in 1090 to build a castle and river crossing downstream. Around the settlement, the New Town grew to be become Newport, and was granted a charter by Hugh, Earl of Stafford in 1385.
Newport was the focal point of a major Chartist uprising in 1839, where John Frost and 3,000 others marched on the Westgate Hotel. John Frost Square, in the centre of the city, is named in his honour. (See Chartism for more information)
The county borough of Newport was granted city status in 2002 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.
Other key dates:
- 864: St. Woolos church founded by St. Gwynllyw, later to become St. Woolos Cathedral.
- 1140: The first wooden castle is built on Stow Hill.
- 1672: Tredegar House completed.
- 1796: Opening of the Monmouthshire canal.
- 1842: Town Dock opens — able to accommodate the largest ships in the world.
- 1870: W. H. Davies, renowned poet born in Portland Street, Pillgwenlly.
- 1877: Athletic grounds at Rodney Parade opens.
- 1894: Belle Vue Park opens.
- 1906: Transporter Bridge opens.
- 1937: King George VI visits Newport and cuts first sod of new Civic Centre building.
Coat of arms
Newport's Coat of Arms is unusual for two reasons. Firstly, it places a cherub above the shield of arms; secondly, one of the supporters is a winged sea lion - Newport was the first authority to use this rare heraldic device. In 1929 Newport obtained a grant to use the armorial bearings which, in fact, it had already been using for some time - certainly since 1835. This is a gold shield with a red chevron in reverse; the shield is ensigned by a cherub. The shield is that of the Staffords, Earls and Dukes of Buckingham, lords of the Manor of Newport in the 14th and 15th centuries - but the reversed chevron marks the difference between these Borough Arms and those of the family.
In 1957 it was decided to petition the Earl Marshal for the supporters which all Boroughs are entitled to possess. A year later the College of Arms granted this request and a winged sea dragon and a winged sea lion were brought into use. These supporters represent strength on land, sea and in the air. The motto Terra Marique was adopted at the same time and means 'By land and sea'.
See also
External links
Cities in Wales | Coastal cities | Newport | Ports and harbours of Wales | Principal areas of Wales | Traditional county of Monmouthshire
Casnewydd | Newport (Wales) | Newport | Newport (Pays de Galles) | Newport (Wales) | Newport | Newport (Walia) | Ньюпорт | Newport | Newport
"Newport"