Newport Museum (known locally as the City Museum) is a museum and art gallery in the city of Newport, Wales. It is located in Newport city centre on John Frost Square and is adjoined to the Kingsway Shopping Centre.
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The museum is primarily concerned with history in South Wales focused on the ancient county of Monmouthshire. The museum itself is set on two levels and takes visitors from the prehistoric age to the late Victorian era. There is great emphasis on Isca Augusta, the city's Roman fortress at Caerleon. Other exhibitions of interest include artifacts from the Chartist Newport Rising of 1839 in which John Frost of Newport was a prominent figure.
As well as a museum, the building is home to Newport's principal art gallery. The gallery hosts a wide variety of British paintings, watercolours and contemporary artworks. The largest collection is known as the John & Elizabeth Wait Collection.
The bronze head of Newport born poet W.H. Davies by Jacob Epstein, from January 1917, can be found in the gallery. It is regarded by many as the most accurate artistic impression of Davies, a copy of which Davies owned himself.[1]
The museum building is also home to the city's central library. The headquarters of Newport's library network, it has a large collection of books and articles.
There are special events for children held regularly in the museum. The museum is not on ground level and so there is a lift for disabled people and pushchairs. There is the standard array of toilets and baby changing facilities. There is also a gift shop and a small café.
Newport Museum works together with other museums in and around the city. Close ties are kept with the National Roman Legion Museum and Roman Baths Museum both at Caerleon, the Riverfront Arts Centre, Tredegar House, Newport Castle and many others. The museum's collection is often swapped and exchanged with many of the other attractions' collections.
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