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Newport city centre is traditionally regarded as the area of Newport, Wales bounded by the west bank of the
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 ...
, the George Street Bridge, the eastern flank of
Stow Hill Stow Hill is a community civil parish and coterminous electoral district (ward) of the City of Newport, South Wales. It is bounded by the River Usk to the east, George Street and Cardiff Road to the south, the Great Western Main Line to the ...
and the
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. ...
. Most of the city centre is contained within two
conservation areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
: the central area and the area around Lower Dock Street. Most of the city centre is located in the
Stow Hill Stow Hill is a community civil parish and coterminous electoral district (ward) of the City of Newport, South Wales. It is bounded by the River Usk to the east, George Street and Cardiff Road to the south, the Great Western Main Line to the ...
district.


Description

The main shopping thoroughfare is Commercial Street, which forms part of the north–south axis of High Street, Commercial Street and Commercial Road, linking the heart of the city with
Newport Docks Newport Docks is the collective name for a group of docks in the city of Newport, south-east Wales. By the eighteenth century there were a number of wharves on the west shore of the River Usk; iron and coal were the principal outward traffic. Th ...
. The streets were laid-out in 1807 by Sir Charles Morgan's Tredegar Wharf Company to connect the expanding docks with the main roads in the centre. The area between Commercial Street and the river used to contain a mixture of railway lines and river wharves so the street pattern in this area was never fixed. On the removal of the railway lines and wharves in the 1960s the large
John Frost Square John Frost Square is a large public space in the centre of Newport, South Wales, named after the Chartist leader, John Frost. It was redeveloped as part of the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex in 2014 and 2015. Major features on John ...
(1977) and
Kingsway Shopping Centre The Kingsway Shopping Centre is an under-cover shopping centre in Newport city centre, Wales. The northern entrance is on John Frost Square adjoining the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex. The east entrance is off Commercial Street and t ...
were built, close to
Newport bus station Newport Central bus station ( cy, Gorsaf fysiau Canol Casnewydd) is a bus terminus and interchange located in the city centre, Newport, South Wales. It is the largest road transport hub for public services in the county. It is situated on the ...
. This area has been redeveloped to provide the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex which was opened in November 2015. As part of this redevelopment, the
Chartist Mural The Chartist Mural was a mosaic mural designed by Kenneth Budd and created in 1978 in a pedestrian underpass in Newport, Wales. It commemorated the Newport Rising of 1839, in which an estimated 22 demonstrators were killed by troops. It was ...
was destroyed. Towards the northern end of Newport city centre is Westgate Square, named after the
Westgate Hotel The Westgate Hotel, Commercial Street, Newport, Wales is a hotel building dating from the 19th century. On 4 November 1839 the hotel saw the major scenes of the Newport Rising, when 3,000 Chartists, some of them armed, led by John Frost marche ...
. Here, the five roads of Commercial Street, Stow Hill, Bridge Street,
High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
and Skinner Street converge. This is generally regarded as the centre although the actual centre, as measured on road signs, is further up Bridge Street outside the Queen's Hotel where most OS maps pin point the centre. On Upper Dock Street is the Chartist Tower, a 15-storey office block, built in 1966 and the tallest building in Newport. It features a secure underground car park. Radio transmitters and mobile phone masts are situated on the roof. During the
2014 NATO summit The 2014 Wales Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the NATO countries, held in Newport, Wales on 4 and 5 September 2014. Such summits are sporadically held, an ...
a security forces command and control team was housed temporarily in the building, with the top floor and roof being used as an observation post. In 2017 the building was sold as party of a £6.5M deal and is planned to be developed into a 163-bed
Mercure Mercure may refer to: * MERCURE, an atmospheric dispersion modelling CFD code developed by Électricité de France * Mercure Hotels, a chain of hotels run by Accor * French ship Mercure (1783), French ship ''Mercure'' (1783) * Dassault Mercure, a ...
hotel. From Bridge Street, the two roads of High Street and Cambrian Road run in parallel towards
Newport railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Newport_railway_station_MMB_32_43187.jpg , caption = Newport railway station looking eastbound. , borough = Newport, Wales , country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid reference ...
. Joining the two roads is the covered Victorian Newport Arcade. At the western end of the arcade is the Cambrian Centre which is being redeveloped. To the east of High Street is
Newport Market Newport Market (also known as Newport Provisions Market) is a traditional Victorian indoor market, in Newport, South Wales. It is an early example of a large-span cast iron-frame building featuring a glass-filled barrel roof. Newport bus stati ...
, a Grade II-
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. Kingsway/Usk Way is a boulevard on the west bank of the River Usk linking Newport Castle the
Riverfront Theatre The Riverfront ( cy, Glan yr Afon) is the principal and newest theatre and arts centre in the City of Newport. It is located on the west bank of the River Usk on the Bristol Packet Wharf in the city centre. Designed by architectural firm Austi ...
and the
University of South Wales The University of South Wales ( cy, Prifysgol De Cymru) is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wal ...
to the western ends of
City Bridge City Bridge is a crossing of the River Usk, for motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, in the city of Newport, South Wales. It was opened in 2004 as part of the construction/re-generation of the Southern Distributor Road/ A48 in Newport. ...
and
Newport Transporter Bridge The Newport Transporter Bridge ( cy, Pont Gludo Casnewydd) is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk. It is a Grade I listed structure. It is one of f ...
. The city centre is currently being expanded to include areas on the east bank. The area between Newport Bridge and George Street Bridge is included in the
Newport Unlimited Newport Unlimited was a Welsh Urban Regeneration Company created in 2003 to help counter the impacts of decline in Newport's heavy industry and manufacturing. It was initially given a 10-year lifespan. The Company was founded by Newport City Co ...
master plan as a new high-density combined commercial and residential area, joined to the west bank by
Newport City footbridge Newport City footbridge is a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the River Usk in the city of Newport, South Wales. The bridge links the east bank of the river in the vicinity of Rodney Parade stadium to University Plaza on the west bank. It was ...
. The plan shows a strong urban form along the riverfront, emphasised with tall landmark buildings. The city's major sports stadium, 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 ...
on the east bank of the
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 ...
, is a short walk from the city centre via Newport Bridge or
Newport City footbridge Newport City footbridge is a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the River Usk in the city of Newport, South Wales. The bridge links the east bank of the river in the vicinity of Rodney Parade stadium to University Plaza on the west bank. It was ...
.


Business

Many of the non-retail city centre businesses are located on Bridge Street. In 2014
Admiral Insurance Admiral Group plc is a British financial services company headquartered in Cardiff, Wales. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, and markets the ''Admiral'', ''Bell'', ''Elephant'', ''Diamond'' and ''Veyg ...
opened a large newly constructed office opposite Newport railway station.


Chartist Tower

The 16 storey Chartist Tower is the tallest building in Newport, and is currently undergoing a £10m redevelopment into a mixed use building by developers, set to include a hotel, 30,000 sq. ft of office space and 18,000 sq. ft of ground floor retail space.


Shopping

Newport's city centre shops are concentrated along the
pedestrianised Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
, Commercial Street and adjoining roads. Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex and, linked by
John Frost Square John Frost Square is a large public space in the centre of Newport, South Wales, named after the Chartist leader, John Frost. It was redeveloped as part of the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex in 2014 and 2015. Major features on John ...
, the adjoining
Kingsway Shopping Centre The Kingsway Shopping Centre is an under-cover shopping centre in Newport city centre, Wales. The northern entrance is on John Frost Square adjoining the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex. The east entrance is off Commercial Street and t ...
are the main under-cover shopping areas. The city centre has suffered from competition from
Cwmbran Centre Cwmbran Centre is a shopping centre, office and leisure complex in the town of Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales. Formerly named Cwmbran Shopping, it was officially renamed Cwmbran Centre on 3 July 2017 As a New Town in 1949 the town centre was planned i ...
and out-of-town shopping areas at Newport Retail Park to the east and retail parks around
Maesglas Maesglas or Maes-glas is a neighbourhood in the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales. In the 16th century it was recorded as Greenfield but the Welsh language name ''Maesglas'' has remained the more widely used, among English speakers. ...
to the west. The protracted development of Friars Walk was also cited as a reason for high street stores, such as
Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
, leaving the city centre during the 2010s.


Friars Walk

Friars Walk is a partially under-cover
shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...
and leisure complex with several levels, and a range of
high street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
shops, eateries, a cinema, a bowling alley and a soft play area.


Kingsway

Kingsway Shopping Centre is an under-cover shopping centre and a car park with over 1000 spaces. It offers a range of high street and privately owned shops, adjoining Newport Museum, Art Gallery and Central Library. It is close to Newport bus station, and was redeveloped in 2008.


Cambrian Centre

The Cambrian Centre is a small shopping centre in Cambrian Road in Newport city centre. Among other units, it houses one of the city's
Wetherspoon's J D Wetherspoon plc (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a pub company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based in Watford. It op ...
public houses, the
John Wallace Linton Commander John Wallace Linton, (15 October 1905 – 23 March 1943) was a Royal Navy submariner and a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth ...
. A planning application by Holder Mathias Architects was approved in 2007 by
Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...
for an £87 million redevelopment and refurbishment to be known as City Spires but it was mothballed in 2008 before construction started. An alternative redevelopment plan was started in 2012. The first phase of development, Admiral House, was opened in 2014.


References


External links


www.newportcitycentre.co.uk
{{Culture of Newport Newport, Wales Culture in Newport, Wales Districts of Newport, Wales Shopping in Newport, Wales Tourist attractions in Newport, Wales Central business districts in the United Kingdom