Nostalgia: Pubs in Newport which are long-gone

How many more could be added to the list?

The original story was written by Martin Wade.

A PUB is a landmark of the past - a point from where bearings could be taken. As old buildings were demolished to make way for new, they were one of the few signs of continuity across the years.

But no longer. If a time-traveller came from Victorian Newport and arrived a couple of decades ago, he would recognise many of the boozers here. If he arrived now, he would have a harder job.

So as you cry into your beer, here are ten places in Newport that will serve no more.

1) The King

The King Hotel, which was once known as the King of Prussia, was used as a base by Newport County. Before Somerton Park had changing rooms teams would change at the pub then walk across Somerton Road to play. The club would hold social gatherings and do their laundry there.

It was naturally a popular place for a pre-match drink for fans. The pub, once described as "magnificent" had been left for many years before it was bought for £140,000 in 2013.

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2) Corporation Hotel

Known as the Corpa, The Corporation Hotel was another favourite for County fans, close as it was to Somerton Park.

Councillors gave permission to plans to convert the Corpa into 16 one-bedroom flats in 2010.

3) The Kings Arms

Iconic Pill pub The Kings Arms was built in 1830 and later rebuilt in 1890.

It was owned by Bass through the Mitchells & Butlers brewery.

It boasted a hydraulic lift system and ornate tiling.

The corner pub on Commercial Road had lain empty for more than 15 years and was the target of anti-social behaviour and arsonists before being set on fire in 2012.

It was demolished in 2015 to make way for a housing project.

4) Salutation Inn

Pill had many handsome Victorian hotels, of which some, like the Waterloo, survive today.

The first pub to be built on the road to Pill was the Salutation Inn, or The 'Sally', as it was affectionately known.

Although built at opposite ends of Pill, both enjoyed were popular with merchant seaman. The place where the Sally once stood is now occupied by Newport’s main police station.

5) The King William

The King William pub on Cardiff Road was better known as the King Billy. The pub’s name didn’t reflect a sectarian allegiance, and the pub's walls were even painted in the colours of the Irish tricolour to welcome Celtic fans when they came to Newport using the pub as their base.

The pub had been empty for several years before it was renovated by Newport City Council with money from the Welsh Government's multi-million pound ‘Vibrant and Viable Places Scheme’ to regenerate ailing areas of the city. It now hosts a coffee shop, and apartments.

6) The Lord Raglan

This stout Victorian pub graced Commercial Street in Newport, all sturdy pillars and classical arches. The sign outside the pub proclaimed it as a place where Bass beer could be had and it was famed as a place where the Bass was decent.

7) The King's Head

This 200-year-old hotel started off as a small coaching inn in the centre of Newport but closed due to a "severe" downturn in trade in 2012 with the loss of 20 jobs.

The hotel was a popular music venue and hosted concerts by Van Morrison in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Earlier Jerry Lee Lewis played here too.

Like the Lord Raglan, a good pint of Bass could be had here too, especially from the bar at the back of the hotel called Kings Head Tap.

8) The Old Green Hotel

Another pub to be found nearby was The Old Green Hotel. It was part of the cluster of pubs and shops demolished in 1970 to make way for the Old Green roundabout.

9) The Castle Inn

Across the Old Green crossing was the Castle Inn.

Like the Old Green Hotel, it was an Ansells pub.

Its delicate bow front and plain arched windows mark this out as an earlier building than many of the elaborate Victorian pubs in Newport.

10) The Engineers Arms

The name of this once famous Baneswell pub honours those who dug the Great Western Railway tunnel next door more than 160 years ago. It was once the heart of a bustling jazz and music scene, when the famed Roger Boswell was landlord in the 80s and 90s.

The pub shut down and reopened several times before closing for the final time in June 2012 to be turned into housing.