Newport — Newport Map Poster & Print

המפה

Newport Map Poster & Print

From above, the River Usk sets the shape of Newport. It swings south through the centre in wide, muddy bends before it reaches the Severn Estuary. The Severn has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, so on a map the riverbanks look like broad margins more than sharp edges. Terraced streets climb the slopes on both sides, and the old town sits on the west bank around the ruins of the castle.

Further south, the street pattern gives way to the straight lines of the docks. These long rectangular basins were dug when Newport shipped coal down from the valleys. Beyond them the land flattens into the Gwent Levels, crossed by drainage ditches known locally as reens. The Transporter Bridge of 1906 stands near the river mouth. It is one of very few of its kind that survive anywhere, and its frame is easy to pick out on the plan.

The street plan also holds the city's history. Stow Hill rises from the centre to St Woolos Cathedral. Westgate Square recalls the Chartist rising of 1839, when marchers confronted troops at the Westgate Hotel. The M4 curves around the north of the city through the Brynglas tunnels, and newer crossings such as the City Bridge add pale lines over the water. A Newport map poster shows all of this at once: hill, river, docks and levels.