Volume 1, Number 37
Offensive smells in Baneswell, improvements to roads in 1851, the Steam Packet bell, throwing snow balls in Llanarth Street, stealing a rabbit from the Coldra estate and trespassing at Brynhyfryd.
Uncovering Newport's interesting past
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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.
Fire-Eater Visits Newport
For six decades Robert Powell toured the country with his fire eating show where he would eat hot coals as if they were bread, eat a soup of brimstone and lead and even broil beef over a hot coal on his tongue. In 1753 and 1766 he visited the King's Head in Newport.
1731: When Caerleon's Bull Inn had a Bowling Green
Back in 1731, an advertisement for the Bull Inn, Caerleon mentions a bowling green being available, but where exactly was it?
Newport Charter of 1711
A detailed charter of 1711 describing how food should be sold at markets, requirements for going to church on a Sunday, looking after your hedges and paths and brewing small beer for the poor.
When Miniature Golf Arrived in Newport
The Miniature Golf craze reached Newport in 1930 with the launch of an outdoor course and two indoor courses with the space of a few months. Here's the brief history of their arrival.
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Newport's Little Switzerland
For at least 160 years, Little Switzerland has been a spot in Newport known for its ’double view’ of Twmbarlwm and the Bristol Channel. Here’s a potted history of how it developed over time.
When GWR Owned Station Approach
How the Great Western Railway used to ensure that Station Approach remained a private road and how the Coporation redeveloped the site.
Volume 1, Number 6
Vintage W.H. Smith adverts, stealing swedes, the Caerleon Leek, a ball at the King’s Head Inn, two wretched urchins and the 'one of handsomest smacks' ever to have launched in Newport.
The Great Circular Road
A proposal in 1911 to build a Circular Road and Main Avenue which is very similar to today's M4 and SDR roads.
1832 Newport Boundary
An article the Monmouthshire Merlin published in 1832 describing the complete boundary of Newport.
Volume 1, Number 5
Lazy people at the Free Library, a muddy Stow Hill, the Wild West Show digging up Shaftesbury Park, Caerleon protesting at busy buses and what’s on at the cinema in wartime.
