The West bank of the River Usk

from Mill Street to the docks

Factory Road, Newport	Factory Road, Newport	Cordes Dos Foundry offices	'Forester' from Abercarn
West bank map, Newport	Dock Street station entrance	Dock Street station entrance	Dock Street station entrance
C D Phillips crane on KESR	Jacks Pill, Newport	Jacks Pill, Newport	Jacks Pill, Newport
Jacks Pill, Newport	Jacks Pill, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport
Blaina Wharf, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport
Blaina Wharf, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport	Blaina Wharf, Newport	George Street bridge, Newport
Track at Transporter Bridge	Track at Transporter Bridge	Docks Way bridge, Newport

Baltic Oil Works and the Old Town Dock - ST 3211 8680

This warehouse was constructed c1844 on the western side of the Old Town Dock; the cast-iron may have been supplied by Homfray from his Tredegar Ironworks. The building was used by Morris and Dibble, oil, grease and colour merchants from 1889 - 1970's. The Old Town Dock opened in 1842, closed in 1929 and was infilled in 1932.

Baltic Oil works, Newport	Baltic Oil works, Newport	Baltic Oil works, Newport	Baltic Oil works, Newport
Old Town Dock, Newport	Old Town Dock, Newport	Old Town Dock, Newport

Black Clawson Factory - ST 3234 8694

The old 'Black Clawson' factory on East Dock Road was demolished soon after 2006. The site was originally the 'Cambrian Iron Pipe Foundry' and the 'Westgate Iron Works'

Black Clawson works, Newport	Black Clawson works, Newport	Black Clawson works, Newport	Black Clawson works, Newport
Black Clawson works, Newport	Black Clawson works, Newport	Black Clawson works, Newport	Black Clawson works, Newport

Castle Street, Pill - ST 3190 8676

In the early 1970s Risca Museum found this run of tramroad sleepers on Castle Street behind the Uskside Iron Works, possibly a branch of the Sirhowy Tramroad.

Tramroad sleepers at Castle Street

Tramroad sleepers at Castle Street

Tramroad sleepers at Castle Street

Tramroad sleepers at Castle Street

Transporter Bridge open day - August 2016

The bridge itself, built in 1906, and the fantastic views from the top

Transporter Bridge gondola	Transporter Bridge gondola	Transporter Bridge gondola	Transporter Bridge top deck
Transporter Bridge top deck	Transporter Bridge pulley wheel	Transporter Bridge workshops	Transporter Bridge motor room
Transporter Bridge motor room	Transporter Bridge motor room	Transporter Bridge motor room	Transporter Bridge motor room
Alpha Steel wharf from bridge	Newport docks from bridge	Wharves in Newport docks	Wharves in Newport docks
Orb steel works wharf	Uskside Foundry wharf

Western Newport

Allt-yr-yn, Maesglas, Malpas and Mendelgief

Allt-yr-yn brickworks - ST 2904 8861

Unfortunately the Allt-yr-yn brickworks site has been completely cleared but here are some notes on its history :-
Kelly’s for 1895 lists the 'Alteryn Brick Co; works Alteryn, Newport'. In the 1906 Kelly’s, it had become the “Alteryn Brick, Tile & Terracotta Co Ltd” and the Directory of Quarries (DOQ) for 1937 and 1941-2 lists the 'New Alteryn Brick Co, Alteryn, Newport', the last reference to this company. Post war, it was absorbed into the Star Brick & Tile empire. According to the 'Star' records it was previously Davies and Co, acquired c1931. The London Gazette records that the 'New Alteryn Company' was put into voluntary liquidation in 1931, presumably as a result of the acquisition of the works by the Star Group. I assume that, in 'Star' days, their bricks were just stamped 'Star Newport' and its variations.

Allt-yr-yn brickworks, 1899	Allt-yr-yn brickworks, 1948	'J Davies Alteryn Newport'	'Davies Altyryn Newport'
'Alteryn Co Newport'	'Alteryn Co Newport'	'Altyryn Newport'
Allt-yr-yn Lock gates	Allt-yr-yn Lock gates	Fourteen locks limekiln	Fourteen locks limekiln

Malpas flood prevention scheme

An odd building at ST 2982 0990 is likely to be a gauge house connected with the flood prevention system that was created in the 1950s. The 'Ransomes and Rapier' floodgate at ST 3008 9035, built in 1962 is no longer in use.

Flood gauge building

'Ransomes and Rapier' Flood gate

'Ransomes and Rapier' Flood gate

'Ransomes and Rapier' Flood gate

Stow Hill to Maesglas

Stow Hill tunnel	Stow Hill tunnel and 150160
Gaer Junction, Newport	Gaer Junction, Newport	Gaer Junction and 60038, Newport	Gaer Junction and 158871
Whitehead Steelworks	Whitehead Steelworks	Maesglas Junction	Maesglas Junction

Newport's Mendelgief branch resurrected!

From once being a primary link to the Monmouthshire Railway at Dock Street, the Mendalgief branch shrank and shrank until, by December 2005, it was just the derelict siding for Whiteheads steelworks. Then, surprise! surprise! in April 2006 having taken up the old line, they laid a new double track loop to act as a headshunt for the Newport Docks branch.

Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction
Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction
Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction
Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction	Mendelgief branch dereliction
Mendelgief branch resurrection	Mendelgief branch resurrection	Mendelgief branch resurrection	Mendelgief branch resurrection
Mendelgief branch resurrection	Mendelgief branch resurrection	Mendelgief branch resurrection	Mendelgief branch resurrection

Newport Station

Newport Station and 67002	Newport Station and 143619	Newport Station and 158833	Newport Station and 37417
Newport Station and 37669	Newport Station and 37674	Newport Station and BR 60009	Newport Station and BR 60009
Newport Station and 67002	Station and class 60	Disused subway at Eastern end	Disused subway at Eastern end
Disused subway at Eastern end			Newport bus tickets from the 1960s

The East bank of the River Usk

East Bank industrial branch from GWR main line

East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport
East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport
East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport
East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport	East Bank branch, Newport

Spittles Wharf and Foundry - ST 3157 8806

Thomas Spittle founded the Cambrian Foundry in 1849, producing a wide range of iron foundry work, particularly iron pipes. Thomas died in 1881 and the company became Thomas Spittle Ltd, ceasing to trade during WW2. The premises were then used by W A Baker of the Westgate Foundry.

Spittle's wharf	Spittle's wharf	Spittle's wharf	Entrance to Spittles Foundry
'T Spittle Newport' manhole cover	'Hugo', built by Thomas Spittle Ltd

Thomas Spittle & Co locomotives

Thomas Spittle & Co. built six locomotives between 1875 and 1899 which they used themselves or hired out, in the case of 'Hugo' and 'Ada' to the 'Devon Great Consols Co' until c1903. A Spittle loco named 'Eliza' is believed to have been with 'William Perch & Co', owners of Cwmclydach colliery, in 1893 but may be an earlier loco with a new name.

Date Built	Type	Gauge	Works No.	Name
c1875	0-4-0ST	Standard	1	Gert
1877	0-4-0ST	Standard	2	Tom
1882	0-4-0ST	Standard	3	Hugo
1894	0-4-0ST	Standard	4	Stanley
c1896	0-4-0ST	Standard	5	Ada
1899	0-4-0ST	Standard	6	Trevor

Eastern Newport

Eastern Newport from the air

Four aerial photos of Eastern Newport, courtesy of Stephen Berry, the first two look Westward over Beechwood Park in the 1920s and the second pair look Northwards between the Uskmouth branch and Nash Road. They seem to be from the 1960s.

The Refuse Destructor is in the centre with the access ramp and chimney, Alexandra Pottery is immediately to its left. The tram depot and power station is above it on the riverbank, with Emlyn Foundry across the river to the right.	Maindee from Beechwood Park	At the bottom of the photo is Maindee park with Maindee Hall above it. St. Johns Church and The Lawn is in the centre.	Maindee from Beechwood Park
The Uskmouth branch comes in from the left with the iron foundry top left at the junction with the main line.	Liswerry looking along Nash Road	Prefabs being demolished in the foreground and the slightest glimpse of Liswerry Ironworks at top right.	Liswerry looking along Nash Road

Archibald Street subway from Soho Street

Soho Street was the site of Alexander Pottery (b1888 - c1939), a brickworks (c1880), a refuse destructor and corporation yard (c1920 to date), A Royal Ordnance Factory (1939 - 1945) and Standard Telephones. A coal yard next door in Phillip Street survived from before the 1880s to the 1960s. At the Archibald Street end of the subway stood Pells sweet factory.

Archibald Street subway	Glebelands footbridge	Glebelands subway	Glebelands subway
Glebelands subway	Glebelands subway	Bath Street and BR 71000	Turner Street level crossing site

Bishpool Brick and Tile Co - ST 3438 8844

There was a 'Bishpool' brick in our garden in Morden Road, Newport, built in 1897. I'd not heard of this brickworks so... This obscure brickworks seems to have started up in the mid 1880s and was liquidated in 1909. It seems to have missed all the OS maps but on the 1920 map there is an 'old clay pit' marked beside what is now 'Ringwood Hill' which could just be the site of this brickworks.

Bishpool brickworks clay pit

'Bishpool Brick Co'

'Bishpool Brick Co'

'Bishpool Brick & Tile Co Ltd Newport Mon'

Acknowledgments, sources and further reading.

Thanks to Ian Pickford, Trefor Puw, Richard Paterson, Old Frechevillian for adding to the various brickworks sections.