Newport (county borough, Wales)

I

Introduction

Newport (county borough, Wales) (Welsh, Casnewydd), county borough and unitary authority, South Wales, bounded on the north by the county borough of Torfaen and the county of Monmouthshire, on the east by Monmouthshire, on the south by the Bristol Channel, and on the west by the county of Cardiff and the county borough of Caerphilly. The territory occupied by the county borough was part of the county of Monmouthshire until 1974. Under the local government reorganization implemented in that year it became a district within the new county of Gwent. On April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1994, which changed the structure of local administration in Wales from a two-tier system of county and district councils to a single-tier system of unitary authorities, the district of Newport was made a county borough. It has an area of 191 sq km (74 sq mi) and comprises the city of Newport and its environs.

II

Land and Resources

The city of Newport stands at the mouth of the River Usk. The surrounds of the city were formerly an area of marsh, which was first drained by the Romans, who built a sea wall to protect the narrow, low-lying coastal flats. The huge modern wall, together with drainage ditches, runs from Portskewett, some 19 km (12 mi) to the east of Newport through the county borough to the city of Cardiff.

The climate of the county borough is mild, with average temperatures of 4° C (38° F) in January, and 21° C (70° F) in July. Average annual rainfall is in the region of 750 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in).

III

Population and Administration

The population of the county borough is 137,017 (2001). The proportion of Welsh speakers is among the lowest in Wales; according to the 2001 census just over 13 per cent of the population is able to speak Welsh (see Celtic Languages). Newport (population, 1996 estimate, 136,789), the third-largest city in Wales after Cardiff and Swansea, accounts for nearly all of the county borough's population, and is the administrative centre of the unitary authority. The other main town is Caerleon, with a population of approximately 8,931 (1991).

There is a Crown Court in Newport. The police authority is the Gwent Constabulary, which has its headquarters in Cwmbrân, in the county borough of Torfaen. University of Wales College, Newport (UWCN) is a constituent college of the University of Wales. Formerly known as Gwent College of Higher Education, UWCN was incorporated into the university as a university college in 1996.

IV

Places of Interest

St Woolos Cathedral Church in Newport was designated an Anglican cathedral only in 1921, but parts of it date from the Norman period. Newport Castle was built by the River Usk in the late 14th century and was the home of Jasper Tudor, uncle of Henry VII. Much of the original stonework remains, including two towers and the gatehouse. The Newport Museum and Art Gallery is located in the city centre. The museum focuses on the local history, archaeology, and natural of the region, with exhibitions on Roman archaeology, the Industrial Revolution, and the Chartist uprising of 1839. The gallery houses a notable collection of historic and contemporary British paintings. Just to the west of the city is Tredegar House, a late 17th-century mansion set in extensive parkland. At Caerleon, on the River Usk, are some of the most impressive Roman remains to be seen in Great Britain. Excavations have revealed an amphitheatre where gladiators fought, an elaborate bathhouse, and the site of the legionaries' barracks. Caerleon's Legionary Museum has a large collection of Roman artefacts and other remains.