NOW AND THEN: Newport Town Bridge (From South Wales Argus)

NOW AND THEN: Newport Town Bridge

3:00pm Tuesday 12th March 2013 in News

LAST week’s picture was of Newport Town Bridge.

The Now and Then picture is of the Town Bridge, I have many memories of that very familiar area as I used to live nearby and when I was older I used the bridge daily to walk to my place of work on Caerleon Road.

I don’t remember Shaftesbury café but that same building used to be Jay’s Furnishers when I was younger. As a child I can remember family trips to the Odeon cinema on Clarence Place.

We lived quite close to the bridge, and I used to spend a lot of time gazing at the river from my bedroom window. It’s unbelievable now but my aunties and uncles used to swim in it regularly and I even remember a porpoise being sighted there.

Hazel Coad, Newport

● I remember the Town Bridge in the Now and Then photograph from my youth very well. The Shaftesbury sign used to house a large furniture store and in front of the tram in the picture was Hughes Forest and Evans Builders Yard.

I used to use the walkway by the river regularly, and as a lad I can remember seeing a seagull swoop into the river and pick up an eel, which was quite a sight.

In the far distance was The King’s Head Hotel and I can also remember an antique shop and a universal smoker’s cabinet, which was a shop selling newspapers, cigarettes etc. The shop was known as Rose Kiosk, and the Rose family also used to own an aluminium foundry. I remember that the local PoWs, (mostly Italians) held at various camps in the area, used to come to the kiosk, take away strips of aluminium and then bring back fully made-up cigarette boxes to be sold at the shop.

Bernard Postle, Newport

● The Now and Then picture is of Newport Town Bridge. There used to be a verandah running along the side and I can remember that there was a small jewellers and antique shop and Godfrey’s the piano shop.

Facing the High Street was The Kings Head Hotel, which has now closed.

Around the corner was a tobacconist and the road led to Kingsway Centre and Newport Market. Years ago the Newport buses used to leave from there and nowadays a new bus centre is also being built nearby.

Newport Bridge at this time was made of wooden block flooring and the area was called The Old Green as there was a pub of the same name on the corner.

Malbina Reardon, Newport

● The Now and Then pictures show Newport river bridge. The Then photo shows the old bridge, which was replaced in 1926 or 1927.

The large building in the centre of the picture was the Shaftesbury café, I also remember Jays shop there, and also in the same block was John Halls Tools.

Beyond that building to the right of the picture is the Kings Head Hotel and out of the picture to the right is Newport Castle.

The Now picture show the present- day bridge.

Brian JJ Jeff