Newport, High Street c.1950
Photo ref: N25140
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Photo ref: N25140
Photo of Newport, High Street c.1950

More about this scene

Newport has a rich history, with Roman occupation at Caerleon, a medieval castle, and the Chartist Rising of 1839, which was put down by troops. However, it was as one of the powerhouses of Britain's industrialisation, producing vast quantities of coal, iron and, latterly, steel, that Newport became the town it now is. Hi-tech companies now fill the void left by the destruction of these heavy industries. Newport has become a busy sister city to Cardiff, with some good examples of Victorian architecture. Yet in 1951 there was a coal shortage that led to all shop windows being blacked out just a few years after the Second World War had demanded the same treatment! The few cars and heavy queues for buses seen here tell their own story about city transport and life in post-war Wales.

A Selection of Memories from Newport

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. Here are some from Newport

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?

My early memories are of the Nash Road Prefabs. Those flat roofed single level houses built after the war. These were later named Cheshire Avenue. We, Mum, Dad and brother John, lived at No 35 overlooking the field owned by farmer Dicky Walters. I have great memories of playing with other kids in the fields and Spytty Park. I remember going to the bake house on Nash Road at the end of the day and buying a loaf of bread for ...see more
I remember walking over the top of the bridge with my father in the summer of 1953; a sunny day with a light wind... whenever in Newport alway remember this walk.
My Grandfather Ben John owned a grocery store called Monmouth Dairy opposite the Handpost - on the right hand side of this picture. I was born in 1944 and have lived most of my life in Africa - but as a very young boy I have vivid memories of my father, Derrek and my grandfather, slipping in there for a quick pint after work - I was left in the entrance hall with a lemonade. In 2007 at Christmas time I was back there ...see more
My father, John, was a doctor at his surgery/house, Corporation Road and I and my brother John plus mother and father were in the shelter when the mine was dropped. I remember a discussion later about loss of panel patients (Lysaghts and Mannesment) in that street - mother kept the books! I well remember the troops camping on the rugby pitch prior to D-day. I went out one morning and all the troops were gone. It took me ...see more