Crindau () is a Victorian inner-city area just north of the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

in Newport in south-east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It lies within the

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

electoral district (ward) and community (parish). Crindau is roughly bounded by the

Monmouthshire canal Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...

to the west, the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

to the north,

River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...

to the east and

South Wales Main Line The South Wales Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell De Cymru), originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain. ...

to the south. It is bisected by the elevated section of the

A4042 road The A4042 is a trunk road that runs from Abergavenny to Newport in south Wales. Route Starting at the junction of the A40 and A465 south of Abergavenny, the A4042 travels south towards Little Mill north of Pontypool. This section is a sing ...

. The district is well-served in transport terms as it contains junction 26 and 25a of the M4 as well as the A4042 and A4051 roads. There is a regular

Newport Bus Newport Bus (the operating name of Newport Transport Limited) is the main provider of bus services in the city of Newport, Wales. A limited company whose shares are wholly owned by Newport City Council, it is one of the few remaining municip ...

service from Malpas and Bettws to the city centre. To the eastern side, adjoining the river is Shaftesbury Park, opened in 1898, which was the original home of Newport Rugby Club before they moved to the Newport Athletics and Cricket Club site at

Rodney Parade Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales, owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's cen ...

. A cycle and pedestrian walkway alongside the River Usk links

Newport city centre Newport city centre is traditionally regarded as the area of Newport, Wales bounded by the west bank of the River Usk, the George Street Bridge, the eastern flank of Stow Hill and the South Wales Main Line. Most of the city centre is containe ...

to the centre of Caerleon along National Cycle Route 88. There is a marked heritage trail in Caerleon. Crindau is well served by a number of churches providing a cross-section of Christian traditions including Malpas Road Evangelical Church (built 1897), Crindau Community Church (built 1901), and All Saints Church (built 1898, rebuilt 1995).

History

Until 1875 the area was mostly marshland with the northern artery road of Newport running through it. Crindau House, an Elizabethan manor, was the only residence. After the Borough Extension Act of 1876 and the Marshes Road rebuilt Newport Corporation began construction of the Marshes estate, streets named after Newport mayors and was completed in 1901, the remainder of the land becoming Shaftesbury Park. More land was acquired to the north of Crindau Pill, along the eastern side of the railway, and a gas and glass works were opened in 1886. The same year the Newport Workmens Cottage Company was established and built terraced houses (Albany, Agincourt (formerly Arlington), Ailesbury, Argyle, Adelaide, Aragon and Alderney) inbetween the works and the Marshes up until its dissolution in 1899. Development followed from the 1890's on the western side of the railway, on what has now become Malpas Road. A confectionery works, Lovell's, was established in 1893 on Albany Street and in 1918 its football team was founded with its own ground on the works site, Rexville. Post-war redevelopments such as the M4 motorway in the 1960s and older housing clearances in the 1970's changed the landscape of Crindau. The Malpas Road Relief Scheme in the 1990's follows the route of the railway. Closed industries such as the glass, gas, pottery and confectionery works were redeveloped and a new flood defence scheme was completed in 2021 (the area having been notoriously subjected to flooding for hundreds of years). Only the Lyceum Tavern (est. 1898) and the Crindau Constitutional Club (est. 1902) on Malpas Road remain as the original licensed premises. All other public houses and social clubs in the area have been demolished or converted to other means.

References

Districts of Newport, Wales {{Newport-geo-stub