32-574: John Frost Square is a large public space in the centre of Newport , South Wales , named after the Chartist leader, John Frost . It was redeveloped as part of the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex in 2014 and 2015. Major features on John Frost Square include the Newport Museum, Library and Art Gallery , the north entrance to Kingsway Shopping Centre and the headquarters of
64-612: A pedestrian underpass in Newport , Wales. It commemorated the Newport Rising of 1839, in which an estimated 22 demonstrators were killed by troops. It was 115 feet (35 m) long and 13 feet (4.0 m) high. The mural was demolished in 2013 amid considerable controversy and misinformation. The original decision to remove the artwork was taken in 2005 by the Labour -controlled Council to allow Modus development company to build
96-530: A 240 hectare Glan Llyn housing development on the old Llanwern Steelworks site. The Chartist Mural was demolished by the city council, despite protests, in October 2013. Shops on the east side of the square were closed and John Frost Square was demolished in January 2014, in preparation for a £100 million refurbishment of the city centre and a new shopping and leisure complex, Friars Walk . Friars Walk and
128-588: A Grade II- listed building . Kingsway/Usk Way is a boulevard on the west bank of the River Usk linking Newport Castle the Riverfront Theatre and the University of South Wales to the western ends of City Bridge and Newport Transporter Bridge . The city centre is currently being expanded to include areas on the east bank. The area between Newport Bridge and George Street Bridge is included in
160-655: A car park with over 1000 spaces. It offers a range of high street and privately owned shops, adjoining Newport Museum, Art Gallery and Central Library. It is close to Newport bus station, and was redeveloped in 2008. The Cambrian Centre is a small shopping centre in Cambrian Road in Newport city centre. Among other units, it houses one of the city's Wetherspoon's public houses, the John Wallace Linton . A planning application by Holder Mathias Architects
192-486: A new memorial, with £50,000 of funding provided by Newport City Council. It was later clarified that Sheen would serve in an advisory capacity to the commission rather than as a member. In March 2014, former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said that destruction of the Chartist Mural in Newport was "a sad blow for the city". Williams, who lived in Newport for almost 11 years, was one of three members of
224-435: Is Commercial Street , which forms part of the north–south axis of High Street, Commercial Street and Commercial Road, linking the heart of the city with Newport Docks . The streets were laid-out in 1807 by Sir Charles Morgan's Tredegar Wharf Company to connect the expanding docks with the main roads in the centre. The area between Commercial Street and the river used to contain a mixture of railway lines and river wharves so
256-512: Is both absurd as well as tragic." An editorial in the South Wales Argus on 31 October commented that "there is a lack of transparency and accountability at the top of the council that has now reached a stage where it is damaging Newport's reputation in the outside world. The timing and manner of the mural demolition was just plain stupid. It resulted in damaging publicity across the media, locally and nationally...". On 26 November,
288-472: Is the Chartist Tower, a 15-storey office block, built in 1966 and the tallest building in Newport. It features a secure underground car park. Radio transmitters and mobile phone masts are situated on the roof. During the 2014 NATO summit a security forces command and control team was housed temporarily in the building, with the top floor and roof being used as an observation post. In 2017 the building
320-674: Is traditionally regarded as the area of Newport , Wales bounded by the west bank of the River Usk , the George Street Bridge , the eastern flank of Stow Hill and the South Wales Main Line . Most of the city centre is contained within two conservation areas : the central area and the area around Lower Dock Street. Most of the city centre is located in the Stow Hill district. The main shopping thoroughfare
352-480: The Friars Walk shopping centre. Modus were removed by the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition Council after taking control in 2008 and replaced with Queensbury Development Company Friars Walk. The mural comprised 200,000 pieces of tile and glass. It was designed by Kenneth Budd and erected in 1978 at an entrance to John Frost Square , which had itself been created through redevelopment and named in
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#1732780329616384-682: The Monmouthshire Building Society . John Frost Square was completed in 1977, following 16 years of planning. In 1978 a mosaic mural by artist Kenneth Budd , commemorating the 1839 Chartist uprising , was added to the underpass in the northeast corner of the square. Following the 1992 National Garden Festival (held in Ebbw Vale ), a public clock created for the event was moved and relocated in John Frost Square. Designed by sculptor Andy Plant and called "In
416-508: The Newport Unlimited master plan as a new high-density combined commercial and residential area, joined to the west bank by Newport City footbridge . The plan shows a strong urban form along the riverfront, emphasised with tall landmark buildings. The city's major sports stadium, at Rodney Parade on the east bank of the River Usk , is a short walk from the city centre via Newport Bridge or Newport City footbridge . Many of
448-411: The pedestrianised High Street , Commercial Street and adjoining roads. Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex and, linked by John Frost Square , the adjoining Kingsway Shopping Centre are the main under-cover shopping areas. The city centre has suffered from competition from Cwmbran Centre and out-of-town shopping areas at Newport Retail Park to the east and retail parks around Maesglas to
480-662: The 1960s. The mural celebrated the Chartist uprising of 1839, when John Frost led a march of thousands of protestors to the Westgate Hotel which was fired on by troops; some 22 demonstrators were killed. Budd researched the Chartist rebellion for four months in consultation with experts at the Newport Museum and Art Gallery . He then created the mural in hundreds of square panels in Kent which were later assembled on site. The mural showed: In 2007, an introductory panel
512-421: The Chartist movement", in a more accessible location. Paul Flynn MP said that "a serious job has to be done to rebuild trust between the people of Newport and its council." The council's Chief Executive, Will Godfrey, apologised to councillors for not informing them in advance of when the demolition was to occur, and stated that the process "was not underhand or undemocratic as has been suggested in some parts of
544-502: The City Council approved a motion expressing "sincere regret to residents of the city of Newport regarding the handling" of the mural's removal. In November Michael Sheen spoke at a conference in Newport to mark the 175th anniversary of the events, and was invited by city council leader Bob Bright to chair a commission on the proposed replacement of the mural. It was announced that an independent trust would be set up, to commission
576-492: The Nick of Time", the clock deconstructed itself at the top of each hour as model figures paraded around it. With skeletons holding hour glasses it functioned as a modern memento mori . The Lonely Planet guide to Wales described it as "a hilarious clock tower that falls to pieces on the hour". The clock was dismantled in 2008 and put into storage, until 2011 when it was sold to local property developers for £10,000 to re-erect on
608-405: The commission established by the city council to find a replacement for the mural. He said "It did seem to be a sad blow to something of Newport's self image and self confidence.. There was a real need to gather up literally and figuratively what was left and ask the question: how can Newport now celebrate this crucial part of its history? ... The Chartist legacy is surely one of the great elements in
640-484: The media". On 18 October Newport-born actor Michael Sheen published a full-page open letter, in local newspaper the South Wales Argus , in which he described the "irony of something that was created to celebrate those who risked much for the good of all, being wiped out without consulting the people themselves, and under the auspices of a Labour -led City Council serving the needs of profit above all else,
672-514: The mural drew national as well as local condemnation, with Rob Williams of The Independent describing it as "indicative of the lack of regard for Welsh history and the triumph of the brute stupidity and disregard for the views of their constituents that many in authority have." A spokesman for Newport council stated that the mural "has served to remind us of Newport's past, but we must now focus on Newport's future." The council has said that it will commission "an alternative solution to commemorating
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#1732780329616704-484: The non-retail city centre businesses are located on Bridge Street. In 2014 Admiral Insurance opened a large newly constructed office opposite Newport railway station. The 16 storey Chartist Tower is the tallest building in Newport, and is currently undergoing a £10m redevelopment into a mixed use building by developers, set to include a hotel, 30,000 sq. ft of office space and 18,000 sq. ft of ground floor retail space. Newport's city centre shops are concentrated along
736-473: The northern end of Newport city centre is Westgate Square, named after the Westgate Hotel . Here, the five roads of Commercial Street, Stow Hill, Bridge Street, High Street and Skinner Street converge. This is generally regarded as the centre although the actual centre, as measured on road signs, is further up Bridge Street outside the Queen's Hotel where most OS maps pin point the centre. On Upper Dock Street
768-403: The original would be impossible to preserve and too expensive to reconstruct. In May 2013, The Twentieth Century Society asked Cadw to list the mural as of "architectural and historical interest", but Cadw declined to do so, stating that "The quality of the building to which the mosaic is attached is poor and the underpass itself has no intrinsic design merits. It was also felt that there
800-445: The pride that people ought to take... I did think the destruction of the mural was a great sadness." On 4 November 2019, exactly 180 years since the Chartist uprising, a new mural was unveiled in Newport. The new mural is a copy of the original, but smaller and in four panels. It was created by Oliver Budd, son of the original mural's creator. The panels are located on Cefn Road, Rogerstone. It also includes an information board telling
832-581: The redesigned John Frost Square were opened to the public in November 2015. New restaurants and a Cineworld cinema face onto the square. The cinema has subsequently closed. The stone steps leading from Kingsway to John Frost Square are inscribed with the six political reforms demanded by the Chartists. 51°35′11″N 2°59′38″W / 51.5863°N 2.9939°W / 51.5863; -2.9939 Newport city centre Newport city centre
864-485: The street pattern in this area was never fixed. On the removal of the railway lines and wharves in the 1960s the large John Frost Square (1977) and Kingsway Shopping Centre were built, close to Newport bus station . This area has been redeveloped to provide the Friars Walk shopping and leisure complex which was opened in November 2015. As part of this redevelopment, the Chartist Mural was destroyed. Towards
896-425: The west. The protracted development of Friars Walk was also cited as a reason for high street stores, such as Marks and Spencer , leaving the city centre during the 2010s. Friars Walk is a partially under-cover shopping centre and leisure complex with several levels, and a range of high street shops, eateries, a bowling alley and a soft play area. Kingsway Shopping Centre is an under-cover shopping centre and
928-436: Was approved in 2007 by Newport City Council for an £87 million redevelopment and refurbishment to be known as City Spires but it was mothballed in 2008 before construction started. An alternative redevelopment plan was started in 2012. The first phase of development, Admiral House, was opened in 2014. Chartist Mural The Chartist Mural was a mosaic mural designed by Kenneth Budd and created in 1978 in
960-527: Was no specific association between the location of the mural and the Chartist uprising." Petitions and online campaigns were made in opposition to the planned destruction of the mural, and a protest demonstration was arranged. The council stated that it had to take immediate action because of concerns over safety ahead of the demolition of the adjoining building. Contractors demolished the mural on 3 October 2013. The planned public demonstration took place on 5 October, attended by 200 people. The demolition of
992-409: Was removed, and it was proposed that the whole mural would be demolished as part of a city centre redevelopment scheme. Proposals to demolish it were restated in 2012. Alternative proposals were made that it could be recreated on ceramic tiles and displayed at Newport Central Library , or that Kenneth Budd's son Oliver could recreate a section of the mural elsewhere. Newport City Council stated that
John Frost Square - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-477: Was sold as party of a £6.5M deal and has now been developed into a 163-bed Mercure hotel. From Bridge Street, the two roads of High Street and Cambrian Road run in parallel towards Newport railway station . Joining the two roads is the covered Victorian Newport Arcade. At the western end of the arcade is the Cambrian Centre which is being redeveloped. To the east of High Street is Newport Market ,
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