Newport Bridge, Newport
- For the bridge in Rhode Island, United States, see Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
| Newport Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Newport Bridge in 2011. | |
| Carries | Motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians |
| Crosses | River Usk |
| Locale | Newport |
| Official name | Newport Bridge |
| Maintained by | Newport City Council |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Five-span Arch bridge |
| Total length | ? feet (? metres) |
| Width | Four-lane carriageway, two cycle/footpaths |
| Longest span | ? m (? ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 22 June 1927 |
Newport Bridge (colloquially called Town Bridge though Newport is a city) connects High Street and Clarence Place across the River Usk adjacent to Newport Castle in Newport city centre.
The 1800 bridge
The first stone bridge on the site was a bridge of five arches, erected in the year 1800 by David Edwards (son of William Edwards). It was widened and improved in 1866.
The original foundation stone bearing the inscription "This bridge was erected at the expense of the County by David Edwards and his two sons William and Thomas. Completed AD MDCCC." is now set into the stonework of Caerleon Bridge.
Paddle Steamers
A blue plaque on the bridge erected by Newport Civic Society commemorates the Newport harbour commissioners landing stage and states "Paddle steamers of P&A Campbell's famous white funnel fleet regularly sailed from near this point. Opened in the 1880's, extended in the mid 1890's and closed in the 1950's".
Houdini
On 5 March 1913 the famous escape artist Harry Houdini jumped off Newport Bridge with his hands manacled & feet shackled. He was arrested the following week by the police for obstructing a public highway and for holding a public entertainment on the bridge.
The new bridge
By 1920 even the widened bridge had become inadequate, so work began to replace it entirely with a new structure.
To best achieve this a temporary wooden bridge was erected alongside it and all power and gas lines were re-routed onto it. Even the town's tram lines and their accompanying overhead power system were moved over.
The old bridge was then demolished and the new one erected.
On 22 June 1927 the new bridge was complete and opened to traffic by the Transport Minister Wilfrid Ashley.
The Stone Roses
The new bridge has the stone cherub and shield on four of the pillars that were modelled after the coat of arms of Newport and mounted on the bridge.
In 1994 John Squire, guitarist of The Stone Roses designed the cover of their hit single Love Spreads based on a photograph of a stone cherub on Newport Bridge. The song was the bands biggest selling single, reaching number 2 in the UK charts. The cherub design was found on many pieces of Second Coming merchandise, the album from which Love Spreads is taken.
See also
External links
Coordinates: 51°35′26″N 2°59′38″W / 51.590509°N 2.993774°W