Newport Bridge (colloquially called Town Bridge), opened in 1927 across 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 ...

in Newport, connects the

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 Clarence Place with

Newport Castle Newport Castle ( cy, Castell Casnewydd) is a ruined castle in Newport, Wales. It was built in the 14th century, probably by Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester or his son-in-law, Ralph, Earl of Stafford, with the purpose of managing the c ...

and

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 ...

The 1800 bridge

The first stone bridge on the site was a bridge of five arches, erected in the year 1800 by David Edwards (son of

William Edwards William Edwards may refer to: Arts and entertainment *William Edwards (architect) (1719–1789), Welsh architect of the Pontypridd bridge in south Wales *William Camden Edwards (1777–1855), Welsh engraver *William Augustus Edwards (1866–1939), ...

). It was widened and improved in 1866 by adding footpaths on both sides.Peter Brown
Newport's Town Bridge: A Brief History
NewportPast.com The original foundation stone bearing the inscription "This bridge was erected at the expense of the County by David Edwards and his two sons William and Thomas. Completed AD MDCCC." is now set into the stonework of

Caerleon Bridge Caerleon Bridge is a bridge crossing of the River Usk at Caerleon in the city of Newport, Wales, carrying the B4236 road from Caerleon-ultra-Pontem into Caerleon itself. The stone built bridge was built by David Edwards between in 1806 and ...

Paddle steamers

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

on the bridge erected by Newport Civic Society commemorates the Newport harbour commissioners landing stage and states "

Paddle steamers A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...

of P&A Campbell's famous white funnel fleet regularly sailed from near this point. Opened in the 1880s, extended in the mid 1890s and closed in the 1950s".

Harry Houdini

On 5 March 1913 the famous escape artist

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

jumped off Newport Bridge with his hands manacled and his feet shackled. He had been turned back by police but caught a taxi cab across the bridge and entered from the opposite side. He was arrested the following week by the police for obstructing a public highway and for holding a public entertainment on the bridge.

The new bridge

In 1911 the Town Council sought designs for a new replacement bridge. In December 1923 a decision was made to proceed immediately with the construction of the new bridge, partly as a scheme to find work for the unemployed. To best achieve this a temporary wooden bridge was erected alongside it and all power and gas lines were re-routed onto it. Even the town's tram lines and their accompanying overhead power system were moved over. The old bridge was then demolished and the new one erected. On 22 June 1927 the new bridge was complete and opened to traffic by the Transport Minister

Wilfrid Ashley Colonel (British Army), Colonel Wilfrid William Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple, His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (13 September 1867 – 3 July 1939) was a British people, British soldier and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative p ...

The stone cherubs

On four of its pillars the new bridge has a stone

cherub A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

, painted in gold, and shield, modelled after the

coat of arms of Newport The coat of arms of Newport is the heraldic emblem of the city of Newport, South Wales. Also known as the Civic Badge, it has been borne by the present Newport City Council since 24 July 1996 following the municipal reorganisation in April tha ...

. In 1994 John Squire, guitarist of

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

, designed the cover of the band's single "

Love Spreads "Love Spreads" is a song by British alternative rock group the Stone Roses, released on 21 November 1994 as the first single from their second album, ''Second Coming''. The record reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, the highest peak fo ...

", basing it on a photograph of a stone cherub and shield on Newport Bridge. The song was the band's biggest selling single, reaching number 2 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The cherub design found its way onto many pieces of merchandise for ''

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

'', the album from which "Love Spreads" was taken.

References

External links

{{City of Newport Bridges in Newport, Wales Bridges completed in 1927 Landmarks in Newport, Wales Road bridges in Wales History of Newport, Wales Bridges over the River Usk Bridges completed in 1800