CJ’s Fish Bar in Newport rebranded as Charlie's 1922

Jamie Higgs grew up near CJ’s Fish Bar on Malpas Road in Newport; his parents worked many jobs while his grandfather, Charles Arthur Stephen Higgs (Charlie) was retired so spent a lot of time with him.

“We used to have fish and chips from CJ’s Fish Bar every Friday – that was non-negotiable,” said Jamie Higgs.

“I promised him that one day we’d own it and I’ve fulfilled that promise.”

Although Charlie, who was born in Newport in 1922, is no longer around his legacy lives on - in more way than one.

Charlie was a veteran of the perilous Second World War Convoys  - dubbed the “most dangerous journey in the world” by Winston Churchill. Charlie served upon HMS Swift as a seaman, supplying Russian troops during the conflict, and - in 2014 - was awarded the Medal of Ushakov.

And the fish bar, at 420 Malpas Road, also commemorates the veteran - with is renamed and rebranded Charlie's 1922 in memory of him.

The Newport chippy reopened its doors on September 1, following a five week handover, with Charlie's grandson Mr Higgs still in contact with the previous owners.

It's new terrain for Mr Higgs whose not previously worked in the fish and chip industry but works in property development.

Work carried out on the building has involved creating more space, installing fans, moving machinery into storage, improving the staff room, and introducing a new till system.

There are also plans to introduce an indoor seating area, to upgrade outside and install signage there, plus - if all goes according to plan - Charlie's 1922 will launch a delivery service in November.

Work is also underway to renovate the flat above the chippy which will be an air BnB.

Hundreds of customers have popped in for food over the past few weeks - with the fish, madras sauce, and scrumps proving particularly popular.

Along with dishing up food for the people of Newport, Charlie's 1922 has provided work opportunities for youngsters, allowing them to “balance their learning and work”.

All staff members have completed their level two food hygiene training and the business, with the business partially family-run but also keeping on staff members from before the changeover. This includes 17-year-old McKenzie, plus Jani who has experience as a butcher and within the fish and chip industry.

While it's still early days for Charlie's 1922 the reviews on Facebook and Google are all positive with Mr Higgs adding that they've had mainly positive feedback.

“I’d say that feedback has been 99 per cent positive,” said Mr Higgs.

“The food is well prepared and the portion sizes are good – we’ve made a few mistakes; each one has been acknowledged with a solution put in place.

“If we mix things up we encourage people to contact us and we will find a solution.”

You can find Charlie's 1922 on Facebook and on Instagram.

The venue is open from 11.30am Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays. The venue will be closing at 9pm through autumn and winter with the closing times to be reviewed again in spring 2024.