Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tredegar House is 2 miles west of Newport city centre. Buses 30 and 36 stop nearby.
St Woolos Cathedral
(
www.churchinwales.org.uk/monmouth/people/cathedral/
; Stow Hill)
Newport's ancient cathedral provides
a fascinating walk through history. First you enter into the oldest part of the building, a
9th-century stone chapel built to replace a wooden church built here in 500 on the burial
site of Welsh king-turned-monk St Gwynllyw (Woolos is an English corruption of his
name).
The Normans came next, represented by the magnificent Romanesque arch leading into
their grand nave (look up to the curved timbers of the medieval 'wagon roof'). You can
see the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style in the pointy windows of the
outside aisles, which were grafted on later. The mutilations to the stone statues in this part
of the church are the handiwork of Puritans in the 1650s. Newport's prosperous Victorian
period is evident in the chancel, while the very end of the building is pure 1960s, includ-
ing the painted marble effect behind the altar.
This cathedral is a steep 10-minute walk uphill from the main shopping strip.
CHURCH
MUSEUM
Newport Museum & Art Gallery
( 01633-656656;
www.newport.gov.uk/museum
; John Frost Sq; 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat)
Sharing
the same building as the tourist office, Newport Museum covers the town's history from
the prehistoric to the Romans at Caerleon, to the rise of the coal and iron industries.
Newport Castle
Not much remains of Newport's pre-industrial past apart from the cathedral and the litter-
strewn ruins of Newport Castle squeezed between traffic-clogged Kings Way and the
river. It was soundly trashed by Owain Glyndŵr in 1402 and never properly recovered.
Only the section facing the river is still standing; it's not possible to enter the site.
CASTLE
Riverfront
( 01633-656757;
www.newport.gov.uk/riverfront
; Kingsway; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat)
Opened in 2004, the
city's swish cultural centre takes a prominent position by the river. Temporary exhibitions
are held in its gallery and it also stages theatre, opera, classical music and dance, as well
as cinema, comedy and pantomime.
Nearby is the huge red circle of Steel Wave (1990) by Peter Fink, now almost a civic
trademark, and the striking Usk Footbridge (opened in 2006).
ARTS CENTRE
