Local Info
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census. The town is situated slightly to the north of the centre of the Island, at the head of the navigable section of the River Medina, which flows northward to the Solent, and on which the town has a quay.There are signs of Roman settlement in the area, which was probably known as Medina, including two known Roman villas one of which, Newport Roman Villa, is excavated and open to the public.
There was little later use until after the Norman conquest with the first charter being granted late in the twelfth century. In 1377 an invading French force burnt down much of the town while attempting to take Carisbrooke Castle, then under the command of Sir Hugh Tyrill. A group of French were captured and killed, then buried in a tumulus later nicknamed Noddies Hill, a "noddy" being medieval slang for a body. This was later corrupted to Nodehill, the present-day name for a part of central Newport - a name confusing to many as the area is flat.
The town was incorporated as a borough in 1608. The town's position as an area of trade accessible to the sea meant it rapidly took over from Carisbrooke as the main central settlement, eventually absorbing the latter as a suburb. The borough ceased to exist in 1974 after the incorporation of the larger Borough of Medina, which was itself superseded in 1995 by a single unitary authority covering the whole of the Isle of Wight.
In recent times, Newport has undergone an influx of changes, with two shopping centres and all new road directions to show for the town's recent development efforts. Newport Quay has also been re-developed, with art galleries such as the Quay Arts Centre, and new flats converted from old warehouses.
The Queen Victoria Memorial was designed by local architect, Percy Stone (1856–1934).
Geography
An aerial photograph, showing Newport (bottom left).
Geographically located in the centre of the island at co-ordinates 50.701, -1.2883, Newport is the principal town of the Isle of Wight. Transportation connections link all major towns to Newport, making it the main shopping centre and location for public services on the island. The main A3020 and A3054 roads meet at the busy Coppins Bridge Roundabout east of the town centre.
Newport railway station was the hub of the island's rail network until the mid-20th Century, but it closed in 1966 and the site is now occupied by the A3054 Medina Way dual carriageway.
The nearest city to the town is Portsmouth, located approximately 13 miles north-east on the mainland. More locally, Ryde, the island's largest town is located to the north-east, with other towns Sandown and Shanklin located to the east, and Cowes to the north.
The River Medina runs through Newport, at which point it becomes a navigable tidal estuary.
Distance from surrounding settlements
Cowes - 4.55 miles, 7.3 km
East Cowes - 5.01 miles, 8.1 km
Ryde - 6.73 miles, 10.8 km
Shanklin - 9.47 miles, 15.2 km
Sandown - 10.05 miles, 16.2 km
Ventnor - 11.32 miles, 18.2 km
Yarmouth - 9.76 miles, 15.7 km
Prisons
The town's suburb of Parkhurst is home to three prison sites: the notorious Parkhurst Prison itself, Camp Hill, and Albany, all of which make up HMP Isle of Wight, the largest prison in the UK. Parkhurst and Albany were once amongst the few top-security prisons in the United Kingdom.
Amenities
Seaclose Park in Newport, located on the east bank of the River Medina, has since 2002 become the location for the revived Isle of Wight Music Festival, which is held annually.
St. George's Park is the home of Newport Football Club, the most successful of the Island's football teams, currently playing in the English Southern League. It has a capacity of 3,000. The Isle of Wight County Cricket Ground is located at Newclose, on the outskirts of the town.
Newport is home to the Postal Museum, possibly the largest private collection of vintage postal equipment and post boxes in the world.
Newport bus station is the town's central bus terminus, with all routes in the town serving it. Newport is the hub of the Southern Vectis network, with routes from across the Island terminating there to connect with other services. Wightbus also operate services.
Directions/Getting Here - book ferries ahead on-line for the cheapest deals:
From London and the South East:
By Car take the Wightlink Ferry from Portsmouth Harbour www.wightlink.co.uk (sign-posted to Gunwharf Quay) to Fishbourne then it's 10 minutes drive to us in Newport where we have secure on-site parking included in your package.
On foot or Bicycle take the train to Portsmouth Harbour Station and the FastCat to Ryde Pier Head Busses (No.9) every 15 minutes to Newport bus station and 5 minutes walk. www.islandbuses.info
From the Midlands and the North:
By Car or Bicycle take the Red Funnel ferry from Southampton www.redfunnel.co.uk to East Cowes and then it's 15 minutes drive to Newport.
On foot take the train to Southampton Central www.TheTrainLine.com then a free (yes free!) bus to Red Jet Terminal 2 for a high speed trip to West Cowes, then the No.1 Bus to Newport, ask the driver to stop at the bottom of Crocker Street.
From Wales and the West Country:
By Car take the Wightlink Ferry www.wightlink.co.uk from Lymington to Yarmouth then it's 20 minutes drive to Newport. This is the most scenic route and our favorite!
On foot or Bicycle, train to Lymington Harbour Station and then dodge the cars up the ramp of the car ferry (another story) as a foot passenger.
So although we don't have a bridge or tunnel you can still get here quite easily.
