THESE views of Newport give a sharp sense of how much the city has changed. The old pictures are superimposed onto Google street view images and show the stark contrast between the views we are so familiar with and how they looked in days gone by.

1) The Lyceum Theatre

ALL that stands there now is a car park and a Travelodge but once it was the site of Newport's grandest building where thousands were spell-bound by cinema, theatre and the stars of the day. The grand, classical facade of Newport's Lyceum Theatre sported graceful pillars and a statue of Queen Victoria. It spoke of confidence in its role of bringing art to the people. The Bridge Street theatre would not have looked out of place in a European capital or maybe even Greece itself.

Thousands of Newport people had been entertained in the seats of the Victoria Hall in the years since it was built in 1867. This impressive building also held the County Court, Turkish baths, swimming baths, gymnasium and a reading room.

But as audiences dwindled and pressure grew to redevelop Newport town centre, the theatre was closed and the decision taken to demolish it in 1961. Planning permission was given for a seven-storey office block with shops at street level.

The Argus of 20 February that year told how there was a "packed audience" for the performance of Little Miss Muffet, but that the "last sad moments of the Lyceum brought tears in the eyes of many."

Despite plans for redeveloping the site, it remained empty for a number of years before a cinema was built where this grand building once stood.

2) George Street Bridge

This shot shows the George Street Bridge nearing completion in the early sixties. The bridge cost £2 million and was the result of 18 years of campaigning by Newport to help end the congestion through Newport. Before this bridge was built, the Town Bridge was the main route for traffic passing though the town. George Street Bridge was officially opened by the town mayor, councillor Trevor Vaughan, in 1964.

The building of the bridge also saw the reshaping of the road network to give the layout we see today.

The workers who built the bridge were each given vouchers for seven pints of beer which they could spend in nearby pubs which had been given special extensions for the occasion.

3) Westgate Square

Although this part of Newport has not changed as much as other parts of the city, the picture from the early part of last century is dated partly by the transport on offer. While today Bridge Street is pedestrianised, then, traffic, much of it horse-drawn flowed freely, like this horse-drawn cabs either side of the junction with High Street. The tram too would have been a relatively new addition.

This view shows the United Counties Bank where the Principality stands today.

4) Newport Bridge/Old Green

This view is taken from Newport’s town bridge. Opened in 1927, the scene appears to be from the late twenties or thirties. 

Where now traffic thunders, once there were shops and pubs. The area was levelled 45 years ago, and the last remnants of a once thriving area were demolished to make way for another, slightly less-loved Newport landmark, the Old Green roundabout.

Particular places stood out. On the opposite side of the bridge to this building set against the castle was Jays Furniture shop, which was formerly the Shaftsbury Café. It stood sentinel-like on the bridge.

It had an ornate, precarious-looking balcony overlooking the river where children fed the gulls as all manner of boats passed by on the river.

Although the rank of shops looks like it had seen better days in this picture, many in the area were known as being quite classy, like Boyd’s music shop, Willy Steiner’s hairdresser and the National Fur shop.

5) Skinner Street

The chief attraction on Skinner Street when the original picture was taken was the Olympia cinema which can be seen on the right. Newport children would queue here on a Saturday morning to get two cartoons, a serial and a main feature for 6d (2½p).

Opposite that was Maurice ‘Mo’ White’s Music Shop who promoted also promoted bands during the sixties in Newport and Gwent.

One enduring feature on Skinner Street is Arnold’s the electrical dealer, which began as an ironmonger in the 19th century.