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Top attractions in Newport, Wales
Newport Castle
If you are visiting Newport, why not go and see the Newport Castle which stands on the banks of the River Usk. It was built in the early 14th century to guard the area and control the river. Most of the stone structure that still stands is the original structure from around 1405 when the castle was strengthened following an attack by Owain Glyndwr. The castle has three tall towers and its linear formation is dictated by the river usk and its proximity.
The castle had an active life of around 200 years but the lord of the castle was only in residence for a small amount of this. For a short period of time at the beginning of the 16th century, Henry VIII’s uncle, Jasper Tudor lived in the castle.
Newport Medieval ship
Another attraction that is on the river Usk, is the City’s famous medieval ship. The ship was discovered in the banks of the river when the Riverfront theatre was being built in 2002. Once discovered, the ship was excavated by a group of archaeologists and raised from the ground, piece by piece.
Now that the timber from the ship has been recovered, an international team of specialists are now cleaning and recording information from all 1700 pieces of timber. This work is being funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery fund and is enabling a lot of interesting information to be gathered from the pieces, including its size and shape and where it has sailed to.
This project can be visited by the public thanks to the Newport City Council arranging open days.
Newport Museum
The Newport Museum and Art gallery has been documenting and collecting pieces of Newport’s culture, environment and history since 1888.
The history of the residents that have lived in Newport have been traced back to 250,000 years ago and include the Romans, Vikings and Normans. The social history of the city is shown through the collection of around 20,700 objects that show various aspects of the residents through time. Quite a large portion of theses objects have been donated by local residents.
As well as documenting the people that have lived in Newport, the museum also looks at the history of the area itself with its geological story being told through rocks, minerals and fossils. The museum is great for learning some of the history behind the city of Newport and ideal for school parties to come and visit.
These attractions are great for residents of Newport, visitors or people who are looking to rent property in Newport.
