ONE of the jewels in Newport’s Crown, the Lysaght Institute has been part of Newport’s history for decades and is still going strong.

ALICE ROSE looks at its rich history.

LYSAUGHT Institute was first built in 1928 by the joint efforts of the firm of John Lysaght Ltd and its employees, of the Orb Steelworks, of which there were 3,000 in its heyday.

It was then known as “The Stute”, and first opened its doors on December 7.

Standing in over eight acres of grounds, it boasted a large amount of rooms, including a public bar, smoke room, saloon lounge, large billiard room with two tables, a reading room, ladies room and recreation room.

The north side of the building had shower baths, bathrooms, dressing-rooms and a skittle alley. The building also had three staircases and verandas on both the north and west side.

A reading from Newport Encyclopedia in 1937 says: "On the ground floor is a beautiful hall laid with maple wood. It is reputed to be one of the finest of this kind in the country.

"The grounds are now laid out with tennis courts, bowling greens and a putting green. Hundreds of trees of all kinds have been planted, and flower beds made. It is rapidly becoming one of the beauty spots of the town."

The venue provided Orb Steelworkers and their families with a wide range of social activities and events for many years, and regular nights out were held there.

There are still many people living in Newport and Gwent who remember the institute, and who all have fond memories of it.

Jeanie Burrows, 83, who lives in the Willowbrook Community Home, used to visit regularly for dancing when she was young.

She said: “I used to go over there dancing, solely for the dancing which was wonderful. On a Tuesday we used to go and it was two shillings and on Thursday it was half a crown. It was amazing.

“They had live bands and there was a beautiful dance floor as well, it was just wonderful. Thinking of the Lysaght brings me lovely memories.

“Back then there wasn’t a thing such as tights until the Americans came over in 1942, so we had to use gravy browning on our legs.”

One of the main parts of the Lysaght that many people remember back in the 40s and 50s is the tiled dance floor and balcony leading outside.

Crystal Rees, 93, who worked at the Lysaght for many years said she remembers every last detail.

“I was 16 when I started singing at the Lysaght, and that was the beginning of the war," she added. "I sang there until I was 36 as well.

“I think I got asthma through singing there with all the smokers, because that’s all they did was smoke and dance.

“There was no drinking upstairs, just a cup of coffee and tea or soft drinks. There was a corner by the dancefloor and it had all those drinks on there. You could only go downstairs if you wanted alcohol.”

Mrs Rees, who also lives at Willowbrook with her husband John, described the time as the ‘best of her life’.

“It was amazing, I only started singing there because my friend pushed me to enter a singing competition at the nearby chapel where I lived," she added.

Mrs Rees and Mrs Burrows said their favourite part of the building was the balcony upstairs, which Mrs Burrows described as ‘perfect after a long dance’.

“Everyone used to go out on the balcony to cool down," she said.

“It was mainly used by couples who wanted to get away from the dance floor and it was an absolutely beautiful balcony.”

After being open for more than 70 years, the Lysaght Institute closed its doors in 2001, and the building began to deteriorate.

But it was then purchased by Linc-Cymru, a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and a registered social landlord regulated by the Welsh Government, in 2008, and reopened it in November 2012.

A spokeswoman said: “Linc-Cymru spent £3m on getting the Lysaght Institute back into a good condition again.

“Two parts of it had to be knocked down, so a part of it was lost, but many bits were preserved and put back into its original condition.

“It was brought back to how it should have been, a community centre for the community of Newport.”

Executive director Nicola Smith, said the refurbishment of the Lysaght was due to a 'true partnership', with the local community involved in the refurb from the start.

She said: "The local community really got behind it from the start and helped to shape many of the decisions that were taken along the way. We know how important the place is to the community and Linc has made a long term commitment to securing the future of the Lysaght, which holds so many fond memories for the people of Newport.

"Our vision for the future is for a facility that continues to adapt to the needs of the local community and provides a focal point for local people of all ages.”