People have been sharing their stories of Newport on Twitter after comedian and writer Mark Steel put out a call asking what they knew about the city. Twitter users have been reminiscing about memories which include some unbelievable anecdotes about celebrity visits, the controversy around a well-known song parody, and a mural steeped in Chartist history.
Mr Steel said: "I have an urgent question. What do we know about Newport in Wales? To put this another way, it's in Wales but what else does anyone know?"
After people clarified that he meant Newport in Gwent, rather than Newport in Pembrokeshire, they responded with a mixture of memories from Newport in the 90s, stories about seagulls rescued from vats of curry sauce and much more. We collected some of our favourite stories here:
The much-loved venue which played host to rock royalty
Many of the replies referenced TJ's in Newport - saying it was "the best music venue ever," and "the soundtrack to my youth". The venue also hosted Wheatus in 2007 and is fondly remembered.
It was visited by Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love in December 1991 shortly after the release of Nirvana's legendary Nevermind album. Rumours have swirled around for years that Cobain proposed to Love at the gig, where Love was performing with her band Hole.
But Simon Phillips, one of the promoters who organised the gig (for which tickets were £4.50), isn't convinced that the proposal story is true. He said: "I think we knew about it before the gig, I think it had been reported in the NME."
He also said that TJ's owner, the late John Sicolo, thought about cutting up the bedsheets that the iconic couple used that night to sell in one-inch squares. Twitter user Claire Hopkin, who was at the gig, remembered: "We propped up the bar gawping at Kurt who was stood by the concrete tree!"
Although people reminisced about the music scene from days gone by, many were keen to praise the city's current venues. LePub, a live music venue still going strong after 30 years, came up several times as a firm favourite.
A mural which sparked fury when it was torn down
Newport's historic links to the Chartist movement are well-known. The working-class movement calling for voting reform in the 1800s came to a head in the Newport Rising in 1839 where thousands of Chartists marched into the city centre and a number were arrested and held at the Westgate Hotel.
The mural had stood since 1978 as a memorial to those Chartists and the 22 who were killed when British Army troops opened fire. But in 2013 it was demolished to make way for the Friars Walk shopping centre, which left locals furious. Onlookers reportedly shouted "despicable" and "vandals" at workmen taking the mural down.
Newport Council released a statement at the time saying it "[recognised] how important the Chartist history is to Newport" but that the mural was located in a "very precarious position, as it is attached to the wall of the multi-storey car park which is extremely unsafe". However, a small replica of the mural was later unveiled in Rogerstone.
The Clash's Joe Strummer and his unusual job in the city
You might have already known that The Clash's Joe Strummer lived in Newport after being inspired by a band playing at Newport College of Art students' union, but there are a few lesser-known parts of the story. He actually worked as a gravedigger at St Woolos Cemetery.
Richard Frame, who knew Strummer personally, said: "He thought he was fitter than he was, but he was useless as a gravedigger, sadly. He wasn’t actually strong enough to dig graves and eventually he got the sack when he was found asleep in a grave."
An iconic but controversial song parody - and a 'Newport-approved' reply
When talking about Newport, it's pretty hard to avoid hearing about the 'Newport State of Mind' parody of the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys hit 'Empire State of Mind' - although locals were quick to point out that the original was created by London-based creatives with roots in Cardiff and Pencarreg, and got a few key points wrong about the city.
Instead, they said the response - basically a diss track - by Newport-based Goldie Lookin Chain, 'Newport State of Mind (You're Not From Newport) is the superior version. It pokes fun at the original parody, with lyrics including "You're not from Newport / You've probably never been there either / I bet you a fiver."
A recognisable - and terrifying - Doctor Who filming location...
Fans of the BBC's Doctor Who will instantly recognise this house as the location of the spooky Wester Drumlins in 2007 episode Blink, which left viewers young and old hiding behind the sofa in fear of the Weeping Angels .
Kids of the 2000s haven't been able to look at a stone statute in the same way since - but you might not have known that since David Tennant's visit, the house (now known as The Fields Manor) has been completely redecorated and went on the market for £2m in 2020.
...and a real-life TARDIS (sort of)
A bit more low-key than the giant Wester Drumlins mansion, but a lot of people mentioned this one - Newport's very own TARDIS, which was actually a police box back in the day, with Cadw estimating that it dates back to the 1930s. It fell into disrepair but was returned to its full glory in January 2022.
It originally had a scarf painted on it in tribute to Tom Baker, the fourth - and many people's favourite - actor to play the Doctor. Over the years the whole box faded to a shade of dull blue - but was repainted by Newport City Council.
The famous curried seagull
A big news story at the time, this seagull - nicknamed 'Gullfrazie' - fell into a vat of chicken tikka masala and turned bright orange. It made national headlines after the bird had to be rescued from the container, which it fell into while trying to find food.
Lucy Kells, a veterinary nurse at the Vale wildlife hospital, told the Press Association in 2016: "He really surprised everyone here – we had never seen anything like it before. He had fallen into a waste vat of curry that was outside, it was chicken tikka masala.
"The thing that shocked us the most was the smell. He smelled amazing, he really smelled good."
Some great cycle routes
When you think of the world's greatest cities for cycling, you might be more drawn to Amsterdam than anywhere in south Wales. But Newport-based group Casnewydd Community Cycling was quick to point out that the city has its share of lovely cycling paths:
The Newport Helicopter
Credited to Newport-based reggae metal band Skindred, the Newport Helicopter basically consists of a bunch of people in the crowd at a gig taking their shirts off and spinning them around in the air. That might not sound particularly impressive until you see it - and what a sight it is.
Some people on Twitter even joked that the Lionesses' Chloe Kelly was attempting the Newport Helicopter with her celebration after scoring the winner against Germany in the Women's Euro final. You never know.
A dramatic goal and a handful of other football memories
If you were playing word associations with anyone outside Wales, they'd probably respond to the word "Newport" with the word "County" - especially after the club were 'exiled' to Gloucestershire in the late 1980s and early 1990s, earning the nickname of "the Exiles".
And when you're talking about the Exiles, one moment is especially popular. On what fans remember as "one of the best days ever", Mark O'Brien scored an 89th-minute winner which kept Newport in League Two on the last day of the season, after being 11 points adrift in the relegation zone in March.
People had other Newport County memories to share on Twitter, too. One remembered that County were "the width of a crossbar away" from the Cup Winners' Cup semi final in 1981.
Others had some less high-profile anecdotes: "Drew at Sutton on Saturday in a decidedly scrappy game," said one Twitter user.
The people
One response from Lisa kept it pretty simple and summed up what's great about Newport: "The people are salt of the earth. Hardworking, under the system cosh, good as gold.
"Amazing indie pubs (yes you Le Pub), loadsa bridges and Wrens Bakery makes the best onion bread known to humanity."
You can keep up to date with news from across Newport by subscribing to our daily newsletter here.
READ NEXT:
-
Cardiff pub landlord to open bottle shop, café and taproom in Newport
-
We spent a night at Newport's new luxury Mercure hotel and this is what it was like
-
The people behind the transformation of one of Wales' most deprived places
-
The story behind the controversial destruction of Newport's famous Chartist mural
