Beer bars of Newport

It's ben a few years since I last did a video with You Tube Beer Reviewer Simon Martin so we recently met up in Newport for brief history lesson on the pubs and former breweries of Newport

 

Former Wetherspoons in Newport closes

As if the rows of closed shops in the centre of Newport isn't depressing enough, the former Wetherspoons pub, the Tom Toya Lewis has shut it's doors. Wetherspoons put the pub on the market back in 2017 and sold it in mid-2018 with planning permission to convert the unused upstairs into 8 two-bedroomed apartments. The pub was bought by Warrington-based Close Community Ltd, who, according to Companies House run "sports clubs". Anyway, their accounts are overdue at Companies House and even when the pub was open under the new ownership their were supply problems with beer and food.

The pub was named after Tom Toya Lewis, a young hero of the 1909 Alexandra docks disaster and was originally built as the YMCA in 1909, although by the 1980s the downstairs had become a tailor's shop, Bollingtons I believe?

Elsewhere in Newport, 'Spoons have also sold the Queen's Hotel, which has become a members-only club, ending 157 years of being a public house.

Now & Then former Prince of Wales ph, Baneswell, Newport

The former Prince of Wales, 1 St Woolos Road/corner of St Mary Street, opposite the former Oddfellows & Foresters, also now closed. Both pubs converted to residential.

First mentioned 1872, 1905 was owned by Phillips Brewery, closed 1958 and license transferred to the new build Centurian ph, St Julians, Newport. The Centurion ph was recently demolished (2020)

For some reason the new Blogger format won't allow me to embed a Google map, so the map link is here

Pub closures in Newport & Cardiff

Earlier this year, the Office of National Statistics published "Economies of Ale", changes in the UK pubs and bars sector 2001-2019. What was noticeable about this report was the claim that small pubs and bars have bounced back after 15 years of decline, albeit by 0.4%. This is no doubt to the micropub revolution, however the trend is still downward

Smoking ban introduced in England 2007 so the steady drop happened after that.
Also on this report you can type in your postcode for a look at your local area, Cardiff and Newport areas are below as examples:

Micropub to open in Newport

A former computer shop in Newport is set to be turned into the City's first ever micro-pub. The Cellar Door at 5 Clytha Park Road will be the first pub in this part of the City, even in it's Victorian heyday there were no pubs in this area of Newport. The application for change of use was passed by the council earlier this month, although one local resident decided to be a NIMBY, Not sure if the moaner meant the empty building next door or the pharmacy when he complained, "There are plenty of drinking venues not only next door to that address but less than 200 yards into town centre". Still it's good for Newport and for brewers and cidermakers that there is a new independent outlet in the City. Good luck to Paul Tully in running this micropub. The pub won't be doing food but a few doors away is a fantastic burger restaurant, Meat, well worth visiting.

Former Newport publican jailed for child abuse images

Continuing the long tradition of Newport publicans who get caught with obscene images, read this about the former landlord of the now defunct Hereford Arms in Maindee, a former manager of the Hornblower, Andrew Bates, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for having hundreds of images of child abuse on his laptop. Full story from the South Wales Argus here
A coincidence is that Bates frequented the Hereford Arms in Maindee.

The Hornblower pub is set to be demolished 

Bates managed the Hornblower in Commercial Street when his father Ken was the leaseholder. Ken Bates also attracted the interest of the police whilst he was running the 'Blower for his ahem "interest in photography."

"Bates, who wore a blue jumper at his sentencing, had a further 211 category B images and videos and 108 that fell into category C." Blue jumper? Well he always was a scruffy bastard. At least wear a tie when you are up before the judge.

Sentencing him, Judge Daniel Williams said: “Behind the photographs is a real child and a real crime. The suffering of the children could only be greater by them knowing that their abuse has been watched by you for your own sexual gratification.”

Bates was given a 12-month sentence for possessing category A images and videos. He was also handed a further six months, to be served concurrently, for the category B images and movies, and another three months for the category C pictures and videos. That will also be served concurrently.

He is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order, under which he is barred from living with any child unless their parent or guardian has knowledge of his crimes. He will also be included on the sexual offenders' register.

All photos stolen from his Facebook profile, which has now been taken down as Facebook don't allow nonces on there.

Now and Then: Tredegar Arms, Pill, Newport

 

The Tredegar Arms used to stand on Church Street in Pill, Newport and was demolished around 1999, the large pub, formerly owned by Ansells Brewery had closed some years previously. A large section of the surrounding Victorian houses were also demolished to be replaced by modern flats and houses.

New pub for Newport

Last month a new pub opened in Newport, on the old town dock, the Blaina Wharf is on the corner of Usk Way and the Southern Distributor Road. Owned by Marston's Brewery the Blaina Wharf is not there first pub in the City as the brewers have sat on the empty and derelict Westgate Hotel for years, however, this new build is a welcome development in an area of the town where a lot of the old pubs have closed.
This modern pub features three real ales from the extensive Marston's stable, a beer from Jennings Brewery of Cumbria was one of the ones on tap on my visit as well as a carvery and full pub menu. Situated in what is becoming a new residential area, this pub is sure to be a goldmine for Marston's, the junction on two main roads and a large car park are also helpful!

In the right-hand side of the photograph above the burnt-out remains of the former maltings of the Phillips Brewery can be seen. The pub was quite busy when visited and it's good to see a Newport pub thriving when so many others in the City are not.

The Google Map supplied on the Marston's website is slightly inaccurate and the Streetview just shows an undeveloped plot of land.
View Larger Map

Former pub unearthed in Newport

Above: Scene from the Musuem, looking North

 

As the centre of Newport undergoes demolition and rebuilding, the footings of the medieval Austin (Augustinian) Friars have been uncovered after being buried underneath the bus station for years. So, you may ask, what has this got to do with this blog?

Above: Looking East, the foundations of the priory can be seen in the lower part of the photo

Well by 1801 William Coxe describes the buildings as a cider mill and in 1809 it was known as the Old Red Cow and also brewed its own beer. There is also mention of a cider press in the buildings.
Being situated close to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (the address of the pub is given as Canal Parade in 1835), this seems to be prime territory for a pub, although it was described as 'Notorious'!

The pub lost its licence in 1842, Monmouthshire Building Society later used the buildings before they were demolished in 1860 by Newport Corporation. The foundations were only visible for a few weeks until they were covered up again, with the new Friars Walk shopping centre being built over the site.

Farewell to the King

 

After lying derelict for a number of years, the King on Somerton Road, Newport has finally been demolished. First mentioned in 1872 as the King of Prussia, it was renamed as the King of Russia during the First World War but went by just the name of the King by 1923.

The pub sign in the 1990s still showed Frederick William III of Prussia on it though! The pub was owned by local brewers Phillips in 1905 and later Courage Brewery. The pub was once the headquarters of Newport AFC, no doubt due to it's proximity to the former home ground of Newport County, Somerton Park. The former football ground is now a housing estate and housing is no doubt what will be built on this site.

 

The pubs of Baneswell

Following on from the 'Pubs of Pill' articles a while back I've decided to look at another area of Newport.

Baneswell is a residential part of Newport, situated on a hillside close to the City Centre, bounded by the railway line to the West and the Cathedral to the South. Although the area was first mentioned as early as 1444 (Paynesgate) and later as Beanswell in 1750 there does not appear to have been much development of the area until the nineteenth century. A feature labelled 'Ancient Remains' is visible on the 1833 map but within a few years this disapeared under the rows of terraced housing that now dominate the area.

Unlike the Pill area of Newport, there appears to have been very little heavy industry in Baneswell, although the Victoria Brewery (1868-1903) was situated on the Northern boundary of the area,  16-17 Bridge Street, behind the former Engineers Arms pub.

What surprised me when researching this is that most of the buildings that were pubs are still standing, albeit converted to residential use.

The pubs and former pubs:

Angel, 39 West Street

First mentioned in 1872, owned by Phillips Brewery in 1905, later Courage. Had been closed for a number of years but reopened in 2013.

Bailey's, formerely London Inn/Tavern, 13 Bailey Street

Still open

First mentioned 1870, in 1905 it was owned by Lloyd & Yorath Brewery. Still open

Black Horse, 1 Blewitt Street/corner of East Street, now Knight's Estate Agents

First mentioned 1848, 1905 Hancock's Brewery, closed 1907.

Brittania Beerhouse, 55 Blewitt Street (listed as 53 Blewitt St in 1877 directory)

First mentioned 1872, closed 1922, demolished early 1970s. Modern housing on site now

Clifton Tavern, 48 Jones Street

First mentioned 1872, 1905 owned by Buchan & Co, Rhymney, closed 1913. The building is noticiably taller than other buildings in the same street, also there is a modern development, Clifton Place, immediately behind the building.

Engineers Arms, 3 Albert Terrace/1 Prospect Place

Closed 2012, converted to residential.

First mentioned 1872

A beerhouse is recorded at 1 Albert Terrace in 1877

Lamb, 6 Bridge Street/5 Baneswell Road (Street name and numbering changed in the nineteenth century)

1872 was owned by Lord Tredegar, 1905 Simonds Brewery of Bristol, later Courage and now Admiral Taverns.

Still open

Le Pub, Caxton Place

Still open. The passageway leads to the rear of the Queen's Hotel.

New Inn, 1 Jones Street

First mentioned 1872, 1905 owned by Phillips Brewery, closed 1909.

Oddfellows & Foresters Arms, 39 St Mary Street

First mentioned 1872, owned by Phillips Brewery in 1905. Later owners were Courage Brewery and Ushers Brewery.

Closed around 2011.

O'Reilley's/Ryan's Bar/Xif/Brittania, 15 North Street

Mentioned in 1877, owned by Lord Tredegar in 1882, acquired by Lloyd & Yorath Brewery in 1933, later Ansells.

Closed around 2010, reopened 2013 as Dutchy's Jamaican Jerk Shack.

Prince of Wales, 1 St Woolos Road/corner of St Mary Street, opposite Oddfellows & Foresters.

First mentioned 1872, 1905 was owned by Phillips Brewery, closed 1958 and license transferred to the new build Centurian ph, St Julians, Newport.

Queens Hotel, 19 Bridge Street

Built 1863, purchased by Phillips Brewery in 1904. Other owners include Courage, Belhaven Inns, Regent Inns, JD Wetherspoons. Still open.

South Wales Railway Inn, 4 Albert Terrace (opposite Engineers Arms)

First mentioned 1870, 1905 owned by Phillips Brewery, closed 1911.

Talbot, 65 St Mary Street

First mentioned 1872, 1905 was owned by Lloyds & Yorath Brewery, closed 1946. Demolished 1970s/80s, new estate on site. Building was 2 houses away from the former St Woolos School, now the Baneswell Community Centre.

Wellington, 9 St Woolos Road

First mentioned 1872, 1905 owned by Phillips Brewery, closed 1953, license transferred to Lyceum Tavern, Malpas Road which only had off-sales before.

Some pubs mentioned as being in Baneswell in 1848:

Star, 2 Baneswell Road

Pilgrim

New Baneswell Inn

Best pub in Newport for sale

The Pen & Wig in Newport is for sale with Sidney Phillips for £397,500 freehold. Not sure if that includes the website written in Comic Sans or not. Current leaseholder Richard Jackson has had enough of the trade and the high business rates charged by the council for a thriving business in what is the ghost town of Newport and owner Billy wants to spend his retirement in Spain, not dealing with his pubs. Over the past 2 years Richard has built the Pen & Wig up to be the premier pub in Newport with a fine range of real ales and ciders, and, of course being a great local outlet for Tiny Rebel Brewery amongst others. Also Richard has cleaned up the pub a lot, banning dozens of people for their behaviour or just being chavs, giving more profit to Tim Martin and Chaverspoons in whose pubs these people now reside.
The building needs some work on it, probably about £40k to bring it up to standard so the £397k price is over-optimistic to say the least. Still at least it has a few things going for it - a large car park at the rear, upstairs bar and City Centre location. Just wait and see if anyone is willing to invest in City Centre Newport as neither shops (Marks & Spencer have left the City Centre) or the Council want to invest.

Now and then - Lamb, Newport

 The Lamb, 6 Bridge Street, Newport


The address used to 5 Baneswell Road before it was renumbered and renamed. The old photo shows the pub was owned by George’s Brewery of Bristol, who were taken over by Courage, Barclay & Co in 1961. The Lamb has been owned by a pub company for many years, the freehold has recently been bought and the new owners are planning on spending a lot of money on the place, as well as putting real ale on for the first time in nearly 20 years!
Good to see a Newport pub open and having real ale back in the place, was Tiny Rebel on my last visit! Also good to see the glazed tiled frontage survive when other Newport pubs have lost it - Church House in Pill springs to mind.

Lyceum Tavern, Newport

Lyceum Tavern, 110 Malpas Road, Newport, NP20 5PL

Open all day
The Lyceum Tavern is situated close to the M4 and opposite to where the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal now starts. Unusually for the area, the Lyceum Tavern features a highly decorative limestone frontage on what is an end of terrace brick-built building.

The building in the 1950's

The building dates back to 1889 and has always been known as 'The Lyceum' even though it was only an off-licence for years and only became a pub when granted an on-licence in 1951, despite the owners requesting the change way back in 1926. In 1899 the off-licence was owned by a Mr Broadribb, who also owned a nearby bakery and sold beers from breweries such as Bass, Murphy's, Worthington's and Fuller's, in cask as well as bottles. The off-licence was purchased by local brewers Phillips in 1905, who were taken over by Simonds in 1948 and the pub became a Courage pub in 1960. Faded painted lettering on the side of the building, now barely readable, features the words 'Phillips' and 'Stout' on the brickwork.

An advert from 1899

 

The pub sign features another Lyceum – a Victorian theatre in Newport that was built in the style of a Greek temple and was demolished in the 1960s.

The double doors on the right-hand side of the pub lead to a central island bar, made out of dark wood. Two gleaming chrome handpumps serve Courage Best, now much improved since being brewed in Bedford and Hancock's HB, brewed by Brains, and the beers are served in branded glassware. Occasional guest beers also make an appearance from time to time. The Lyceum Tavern is surprisingly large given its outside appearance and stretches back quite a way. There is also a restaurant/function room upstairs and a pool room at the rear.

The inside features gleaming copper-topped tables and an odd collection of old musical instruments are piled on a high shelf around the walls. Old advertising posters are on the walls and there is a sign from 'Vile Bros', a nineteenth-century soft drink manufacturer from Newport. In one section of the pub there is a charity bookcase and a raised area towards the front provides a small stage area. The Lyceum Tavern hosts regular live music, a quiz night and a folk club meets here every week.

Food is served 12-2, 5.30-9 Monday-Saturday with booking advisable for Sunday lunch, 12-3. There are printed menus as well as a large chalkboard showing specials.

Newport Pub Closures

There is an article in Vice about Newport and the pub closures so I'd thought I'd update the list of Newport pub closures as I've not updated it for a while. There are a few in the Vice article that I'm not 100% sure of so have not included them in the list.

Starting point was Alan Roderick's Pubs of Newport, published in 1997

Newport Pub Closures since 1997:

1. Simpsons, High St, Closed – empty building

2. Chartist Arms, High St – closed – premises converted into a restaurant

3. Carpenters Arms, High Street – closed – freehold for sale

4. Lloyds, Cambrian Rd, became Jarcals, then Tesco Extra. Beer quality has improved!

5. Newport Brewhouse, Market St, now a nightclub

6. Trout, Market St, became Can-Cans, closed, building derelict

7. Ale House, ex-Sovereign, John Frost Square, closed and demolished

8. Welsh Prince, Commercial St, closed – premises converted into a Thai restaurant.

9. Langtons, Charles St, closed – premises auctioned 11.08

10. King William IV, Commercial St, closed – derelict building

11. Scrum Half, Commercial St, closed, retail premises

12. Westgate Hotel, Commercial St, closed, part retail premises

13. Royal Exchange, became Harveys in Pill, Commercial Rd. Closed, building derelict

14. Mariners Hotel, Commercial Rd, closed

15. Welcome Home, Commercial Rd, closed, residential accommodation

16. Black Horse, formerly Celtic Bar/Falcon, Commercial Rd

17. Cumberland house, Courtybella Tce, - closed -residential

18. Orange Tree, St Michael St, - closed and demolished

19. White Hart, Tredegar St, closed, business unit

20. Old Rising Sun, Malpas Rd, closed, building derelict

21. Pentwyn House, Bettws – closed

22. Chaplins, Caerleon, demolished, residential development

23. Cotton Club, Cambrian rd

24. Three Salmons, Rogerstone, now an Indian Restaurant

25. Jolly Roger, Rogerstone, now an Indian restaurant

26. Old Globe, Rogerstone , now an Indian/Chinese restaurant

27. Dolphin, Dolphin St, Pill, closed residential

28. Victoria, Corporation Rd, closed – converted into restaurant

29. Crown Inn, Albert Avenue, closed

30. Seven Styles, was Lliswerry Hotel, closed and demolished, residential development

31. King, Somerton, closed, awaiting demolition, residential development

32. Black Horse, Somerton, closed, awaiting demolition, Tesco Extra

33. Pullmans, Spytty, demolished, KFC on site

34. New Inn, Bishton, now residential

35. King's Arms Belmont Hill, Enterprise Inns, conversion to Indian restuarant

36. Waterloo, Pill, converted to restaurant and hotel

37. O'Reilleys, Baneswell, became Ryans Bar, then Xit, closed

38. Gladiator, Malpas, closed

39. Merry Miller, Bettws, closed

40. Church House Inn, St Bride's, Wentloog

Pubs closed since original list published (July 2010)

41. Corporation, Corporation Road – boarded up, fire damage, now converted to residential

42. Carpenters' Arms, Maindee, closed, boarded up, freehold for sale, now converted to take-away

43. Oddfellows, Baneswell, closed

44. Drover's, Caerleon, closed, boarded up (2010), now a take-away

45. Roman Lodge Hotel, Ponthir Road, - planning permission granted for conversion to residential

46. Griffin, Market St

Pubs closed since 2010

47. Globe, Chepstow Road, Maindee, was Enterprise, currently empty

48. Hornblower, Commercial Street

49. Star, Maindee

50. Newport City Lounge, Commercial Street

51. Engineers Arms, Baneswell, was Admiral Taverns, freehold sold, conversion to residential applied for

52. Golden Hart, Cardiff Rd

53. Prince of Wales, Cardiff Road, was converted to a restaurant but that has now closed

54. Hereford Arms, Maindee, conversion to residential

55. King's Head, High Street

56. Page, High Street, empty building

57. Angel, Caerleon, conversion to Sainsbury's, due to close Jan 2013



New Pub openings since 1997

Dragonfly, Cardiff Rd, M & B

1995 Wetherspoons, became John Wallace Linton, JDW

1999 Godfrey Morgan, Maindee, JDW

2002 Tom Toya Lewis, Commercial St, JDW

Banc, Maindee

2009 Valerie's Bar, Commercial Street

Reopenings

2009 Queen's Hotel as a JDW
Waterloo Inn, Alexander Rd, closed and re-opened as a restaurant and hotel

Angel, Baneswell, closed for 4 years – just reopened in 2013!

Delilah's, former Tredegar Arms/Yate's Wine Lodge/Seven, High Street

Breeze, Cambrian Road

Royal Albert, Maindee, re-opened after being closed for 3 years

Former Newport publicans celebrate diamond wedding anniversary

From the South Wales Argus, a Newport couple recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. Eric and Sheila Read used to work for Ansells and ran the Castle Hotel, the Six Bells, Three Horseshoes and Victoria on Nash Road.

And a photograph from the 1970s of Eric Read and comedian Dick Emery in the Six Bells in Newport.

Their first pub was the Castle Hotel, pictured above from the railway bridge. The pub was directly opposite the castle and was demolished for the Old Green Crossing to be built.

Customers can create their own ale in Newport pub

The Windsor Castle in Upper Dock Street Newport is under new ownership and the new people in there have an interest in real ale. The former Welsh Brewers pub has been through some bad times in recent years, suffering from being run by a pubco but now it is a free house changes are occuring. Already Rev James has been seen on the bar, yes not too unusual but this is Newport. However go down the stairs to the Skinner Street bar situated in the oldest part of the pub and you will find a fridge stocked with bottled beers from Celt Experience, Brains and Rhynmney Breweries. There are also plans to have beer served straight from the barrel in this part of the pub as well as to increase the catering options here.
In the meantime the pub is running a competition for a customer to create their own real ale at Otley Brewery.
The new people in the pub have also started to ban some of the 'characters' that inhabit Newport pubs - a good start, think Richard in the Pen & Wig is up to 60 people he has banned so far!

Full details available in the pub.
Windsor Castle, 18 Upper Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1DH

Its close to the bus station so easy to find!

The Windsor Castle does not smell of fish.