HERE are six pubs which once were Newport landmarks but are no more.

The Royal Oak

Although a pub still stands on this site, it replaced the original boozer which was demolished. The Royal Oak in Chepstow Road, which dated back to the mid-19th century, was pulled down in 1984 to make way for a Toby Carvery which stands there still.

The then landlord of the pub said the majority of pensioners living in the area were regulars at the pub. “Some of them have been using it for 30 or 40 years and they’re disappointed to see it come down but agree that it’s progress,” he told the Argus. The name, at least, was kept alive.

The King William

The King William pub in Cardiff Road was better known as the King Billy. The pub’s name didn’t reflect a sectarian allegiance, and the pubs walls were even painted in the colours of the Irish tricolour to welcome Celtic fans when they came to Newport using the pub as their base.

The pub had been empty for several years before it was renovated by Newport City Council with money from the Welsh Government’s multi-million-pound ‘Vibrant and Viable Places Scheme’ to regenerate ailing areas of the city. It now hosts a coffee shop, called Coffee Thirst and apartments.

The Tredegar Arms, Newport

Not the one in Bassaleg. This shot taken in 1980 shows one of Newport’s most handsome buildings in one of its many incarnations. Then the Tredegar Arms, it has also housed a Yates Wine Lodge and latterly Delilah’s nightclub.

Work is now under way to create a 60-bedroom Premier Inn hotel in the building. Newport City Council received £450,000 in 2015 to refurbish the building. The cash came from the same Welsh Government programme that saw the old King William renovated at the other end of town.

The Lord Raglan

This stout Victorian pub graced Commercial Street in Newport, all sturdy pillars and classical arches. The sign outside the pub proclaimed it as a place where Bass beer could be had and it was famed as a place where the Bass was decent. Where drinkers would sup now stands a branch of the Halifax and a mobile phone shop.

White Hart

The White Hart in Pill was long a favourite of farmers who came to Newport to sell their stock at the nearby cattle market, the third largest in Wales. The pub had a long-standing concession to people using the market which allowed them to drink there for two and a half hours after the normal 3pm stop tap on Wednesday, which was market day.

The cattle market closed its doors for the last time in 2009 and the site now houses an Asda supermarket. The pub is no more and has been converted to offices.

Trout Vaults

A Newport city centre pub that was a little rough around the edges, the Trout Vaults in Market Street was once said to have a Space Invader machine on its side being used as a table. While these days that would just be a touch of retro-industrial style, then it really meant ‘edgy’. It later became Can Cans and then the Birdcage.

The King

The King Hotel which was once known as the King of Prussia, was used as a base by Newport County. Before Somerton Park had changing rooms teams would change at the pub then walk across the road to play. The club would hold social gatherings and do their laundry there. It was naturally a popular place for a pre-match drink for fans. The pub, once described as “magnificent” had been left for many years before it was bought for £140,000 in 2013.

When it was sold, former chairman of Newport County AFC , David Hando, said he was “delighted” to hear something would be done with what was once the club’s unofficial headquarters. “It was our base, our office, we did our laundry there and had all our gatherings there.

“It was very sad to see it in a state of dereliction,” he said, adding he was “delighted someone will take it on, as long as it is back in use and tidied up it is very positive.”