Newport South Wales - Information on Newport South Wales, Wales Newest City

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Background

Newport is the first major town inside the South Wales border and is proud to be Welsh. The Welsh Flag can be seen flying in many places. It is thought that the symbol of the red dragon came from a legend recorded in the 8th Century. The legend tells of a fight between a white dragon and a red dragon, which ends with the eventual triumph of the red dragon - representing Wales. However it was only in 1959 that the Queen made the Red Dragon on a green and white background the official Welsh Flag.

The original name of the town in Welsh was Casnewydd-ar-Wysg. This means New Castle on the Usk. The history of the town stretches back 2,000 years to a Celtic settlement. One of the Romans biggest fortresses was built in Caerleon, three miles north of the Town Centre, where well-preserved remains are a major tourist attraction in the area. Newport also has its own castle built in the 14th Century. Only ruins are left now, and due to the demands of modern transport, most of the castle lies under the road. However the east side of the castle has survived, although it stands between a road and a railway bridge.

Geography, People, Culture & Arts, Population

Geography

The city is largely low-lying, but with a few hilly areas. Areas in the south and east of the city tend to be flat and fertile with some housing estates and industrial areas reclaimed from marshland. Areas such as Caerleon, near the banks of the River Usk tend to also be low-lying. There is a ridge of higher land known as Ridgeway running through the city with good views of surrounding areas. 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.

People

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. The central areas of Newport are very ethnically and racially diverse. The city is home to 7 mosques, 50+ churches (including Welsh, Chinese and Urdu speaking services). There appears to be only one synagogue the nearest Gurudwara is in Cardiff.

Culture & arts

Newport is known for its works of civic art, including the steel Wave on the banks of the Usk, and "The Nick of Time"; a large mechanical clock in the city centre. It also has one of the few remaining working transporter bridges in the world (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. T.J.'s was voted one of the top 50 'Big Nights Out' in the world by FHM in December 1997. Newport hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1897, 1988 and 2004.

Year Population

1801 6,657

1851 29,238

1881 48,069

1901 79,342

1941 116,434

1981 131,016

2001 137,017

2005 est. 139,600