LAST week’s Now and Then picture was of the first crossing of George Street Bridge, Newport.

The Now and Then feature shows a photo of George St looking towards George St Bridge, I assume the picture was taken in the early 60s.

My family lived in Granville Square (Hicks Transport Ltd), my grandparents lived at 33 Lower George St. Before the bridge was built a lot of people living in the area were subject to a compulsory purchase order to enable the bridge to be built, my grandmother and my family were subject to the order (our family home being the only one still standing to this day which is now owned by J&A Phillips.

In the photo on the right-hand side you can see a shop on the corner of New Ruperra St/George St, this (when I was a child) was owned by the Goulds and I clearly remember going there with my sisters to buy sweets.

Opposite was what is now George St Furnishers, but I believe was a brewery before. During the construction of the George St Bridge (we had by then moved out of the family home in November 1961) the engineers working on the tension cables asked my father if they could rent our house, as every few hours, day and night the tension cables had to be checked, and as they were staying in the Kings Head Hotel it was a long way for them to walk to do the checks.

I can remember there were three engineers living there for some months, one of them was a Mr Beresford, who on occasions would take my parents out to an evening meal as a thank-you for letting them stay at our house. Once the bridge was complete, before it opened to the public, my father was invited by the engineers to walk across the completed bridge.

Mrs Rosemarie Ross, Newport

This is the George Street Bridge over the river Usk built to take traffic from the west side of Newport to the industrial east side. It ran from George Street on the west side to Corporation Rd/Wharf Road on the east side.

The photo looks to be of the bridge under construction in the early 1960s. At the time I was serving my apprenticeship in Newport East Power Station, where we had a grandstand view of the work.

Dave Woolven, Newport

Today’s picture shows George Street not long after building the bridge. Oddly, apart from increased traffic, the upper part hasn’t changed much.

Jim Dyer, Newport The Then photograph of George Street, Newport, was taken on Monday, December 20, 1963, in the background spanning the river Usk is the George Street Bridge, under construction and nearing its completion. Work started on this bridge July 20, 1962, and the official opening took place April 9, 1964.

We lived on the far side of the bridge at Wharf Road until our home was demolished. Keith Wood, Newport The Now and Then picture is of George Street and Lower Dock Street. Nearby is George Street Furnishers and you can see the corner of Granville Street where I was born.

In Dock Street, Liscombes glove factory was situated and a pub called The Railway Hotel and another pub called The Custom House. A lot of houses were pulled down when George Street Bridge was built.

Mrs M Reardon, Newport