The Waterloo Conservation Area was designated in Spring 2000
View the Waterloo conservation area designation statement (pdf).
View a plan of the Waterloo conservation area (pdf)
The area of Pillgwenlly is named after the tidal creek which drained the marsh lands at the estuary of the river Usk, the Waterloo conservation area is situated on the west bank of the river and to the east of the North Alexandra Dock.
The designated area includes parts of Alexandra Road, Brunel Street, Watch House Parade and Mill Parade.
The industrial development of the Pillgwenlly area began in the late 18th century with the arrival of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal and the subsequent developments during the mid 18th century, most notably the arrival of the railway system and the construction of the Town Dock.
This dock supplanted the numerous riverside wharfs that had grown up on the banks of the Usk during the previous centuries.
The Town Dock was itself largely superseded by the north and south Alexandra Docks, which were completed in 1875 and 1914.
The new docks in Newport generated new businesses and associated buildings. Although the area had been developed during the mid 19th century much of what we see today dates to the late Victorian and Edwardian period although the earlier street patterns have generally been retained.
The Waterloo conservation area is intended to conserve a small neighbourhood of Edwardian development at the gateway to the Alexandra Docks, centred on the Waterloo Hotel, a major Edwardian public house and hotel on the corner of Watch House Parade and Alexandra Road.
The area is characterised by commercial uses on the Alexandra Road frontage with terraced residential development on the secondary frontage to Brunel Street.
Throughout the area the dramatic silhouette of the Transporter Bridge dominates the skyline and sets a distinguished backdrop for this area steeped in Newport’s rich maritime heritage.
Contact
Contact Newport City Council and ask for the conservation officer.