Newport Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1888 |
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| Location | Newport, Wales |
| Type | Local history and art |
The Newport Museum and Art Gallery is a cool place in Newport, South Wales. People sometimes call it the City Museum. It's not just a museum; it's also an art gallery and a library! You can find it right in the middle of Newport, near John Frost Square and the Kingsway Shopping Centre.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Collections
The Newport Museum first opened its doors in 1888. It was located on Dock Street back then. Later, in 1968, it moved to its current building, which was built just for the museum.
The museum has many different types of items. These include old tools from Archaeology, everyday objects from Social History, beautiful artworks, and items from Natural History.
Ancient History and Roman Times
Some of the oldest things you can see are tools. These tools were made by early people called hunter-gatherers. They lived near the Severn estuary many, many years ago.
The museum also has amazing Roman items. These were found during digs at the Roman town of Caerwent. They also came from the Roman fortress at Caerleon. You can learn a lot about Roman life in Wales here.
Medieval and Later Finds
You can also see items from the Middle Ages and more recent times. These include things found at local castles and old churches called priories. There's a special collection from Penhow Castle.
Important Social History Items
The museum has a very important collection about the Chartist uprising. This happened in Newport in 1839. You can see weapons, old newspapers, and silver items from that time.
There's also a special collection about the Transporter Bridge. This includes the original plans for the bridge. You can also see photos of how it was built.
Fine and Decorative Arts
The museum has many beautiful paintings. Some famous artists like Sir Stanley Spencer and L S Lowry have their work here. You can also see art by Welsh artists such as Kyffin Williams.
The Decorative Art section has cool items like the John Wait teapot collection. There's also a collection of porcelain and Wemyss ware. You can even see sculptures by Sir Jacob Epstein.
The Art Gallery
Besides being a museum, this building is also Newport's main art gallery. The gallery shows many British paintings. It also features watercolours and contemporary artworks. The biggest collection is called the John & Elizabeth Wait Collection.
A few years ago, there was a worry that the gallery's temporary exhibitions might stop. People in the community worked hard to keep them going. Welsh actor Michael Sheen even spoke up to help.
The last temporary exhibition was called Shift. It was by a Welsh artist named David Garner. He even made a special artwork inspired by the campaign to keep the gallery open.
Newport Central Library
The museum building is also home to Newport's main public library. It has many books and articles for everyone to use. This library is the main spot for all of Newport's libraries. This includes the Maindee and Caerleon libraries.
In 2012, there was news about the Chartist Mural. This mural by Kenneth Budd was in John Frost Square. It was taken down in 2013. Now, people are talking about how to create a new memorial in its place.
See also
