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.
Taxi prices in 1895, the annual dinner at the Market Taverm, Griffin Street, staealing a two-foot rule, the King's Arms, Christchurch Hill for sale and a fire at a draper's shop.
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.
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.
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.
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.