Commercial Street, Newport

Commercial Street is a 700-yard (660-metre) long main shopping street leading from the city centre of Newport, South Wales.

Commercial Street looking south towards the Charles Street junction (2013)

History and description

Commercial Street and Commercial Road were created in 1810 across open pasture land[1] which had to be raised several feet using ship ballast so that it no longer flooded at the high Spring tides.[2] This was part of a plan by Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar to increase Newport's importance and develop his land; in 1807 he had granted a lease on 200 acres of land to allow the Tredegar Wharf Company to create the new mile-long road.[2] The new road led approximately south-southeast from the junction with High Street (and Westgate Hotel), linking the town centre with Pillgwenlly and the early Newport Docks.

Notable buildings on Commercial Street were the Westgate Hotel[3] (now on what is called Westgate Square), Newport's Town Hall (1885 by T. M. Lockwood,[4] demolished when it was replaced by the 1940 Civic Centre), the Empire Theatre (which burnt down in the 1940s),[5] and several banks and large department stores.[3][6]

Modern day

The northern half of Commercial Street, from Westgate Square as far as Hill Street, is part of the Town Centre Conservation Area, including many listed buildings rising to three or four storeys, dating from the Victorian period to the early 20th century.[7]

In the 2010s several large national stores left Commercial Street, amongst them Marks and Spencer, Burton and Monsoon leaving empty shop units, charity shops or bargain stores in their place.[8][9]

Sources
  • Newman, John (2000), The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-071053-1
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References
  1. Matthews, James (1910), Historic Newport, Williams Press Limited, pp. 169/240
  2. "Historic Survey: Lower Dock Street" (PDF). Newport City Council. p. 2. Archived from the original (pdf) on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  3. Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, page 449
  4. Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, page 442
  5. "Now and Then: Commercial Street, Newport". South Wales Argus. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  6. "Now and Then: Commercial Street, Newport". South Wales Argus. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  7. "Town Centre Conservation Area". Newport City Council. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  8. Steven Morris (20 May 2013). "Newport fails to curb retail exodus as big names pack up shop". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  9. "Welsh high streets hit back at Tesco boss's claims of 'progress'". Wales Online. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2014.

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