For more than a hundred years, the South Wales Argus has covered the strange, remarkable and frequently unsettling tales emerging from the former Gwent area.
Below are several reports from five and ten decades past.
April 20, 1976 – Housing improvement programme approaches finish
Newport’s Maesglas housing project was approaching its conclusion in April 1976 (Image: Newsquest)
A four-year initiative to transform Newport’s Maesglas estate was drawing to a close, with just 25 per cent of the 616 dwellings still requiring attention.
Budget constraints prompted Newport Borough Council to alter its strategy for the remaining 154 houses, choosing to tear down and reconstruct rather than upgrade them.
This adjustment came after the Welsh Office reduced improvement grant funding earlier in the year.
Originally budgeted at £2,329,141, escalating expenses meant that spending for that particular year alone had hit £1.5 million.
The updated proposal, which retained the current street layout, was anticipated to reduce rebuilding expenditure by £500,000 and bring the total cost for the final 154 homes to £1,278,328.
The renovation programme commenced in July 1972 following the discovery of significant structural problems, including bulging and fractured walls, in properties less than half a century old.
The initial eight households returned to their upgraded residences before the festive season that year, and two years saw a third of the work finished.
April 20, 1976 – Mark Phillips criticised for hunting stance
A Caldicot farmer named Colin Titcombe corresponded with Captain Mark Phillips to object to his justification of foxhunting, labelling the activity as morally unacceptable.
Reports indicated that during an interview, Captain Phillips described Mr Titcombe as an irritant.
Captain Phillips and Princess Anne had attracted RSPCA disapproval after accompanying the Duke of Beaufort’s hounds in Gloucestershire the preceding November.
In his correspondence, Mr Titcombe maintained that elimination by skilled marksmen, rather than communal hunting, represented the most compassionate method of managing fox populations.
He expressed frustration at the persistence of comparisons that suggested eating meat and hunting foxes were equivalent practices.
April 20, 1976 – Elderly residents’ new caravan proposal progresses
In 1976, the Family Care and Gwent Pensioners Holiday Caravan Project introduced actor David Kossoff. According to Kossoff at the Beechwood Presbyterian Church, Newport Julian Hando, ten, and Sian Clark receive a sneak preview from Mr. Kossoff. (Image: Newsquest)
Gaer senior citizens moved closer to obtaining a replacement holiday caravan after a fundraising event headlined by actor David Kossoff generated approximately £150.
The collective required £500 by late April to secure their spot at St Mary’s Well Bay in Penarth.
David Hando, leader of the Gaer Community Centre, calculated that combined with existing funds, they still needed to raise an additional £200 within the next few weeks to reach their target.
Mr Hando had contacted 25 charitable organisations and businesses, with six providing assistance thus far.
Proceeds from the Kossoff function were divided equally, with half designated for the caravan fund and the remainder supporting the Newport organisation Family Care.
April 19, 1926 – The Smiling Boy
Councillor C.T. Clissett, Newport’s mayor in 1926, photographed with Wilfred Pheasey who coordinated a presentation in the mayor’s honour (Image: Newsquest)
Councillor C. T. Clissett, Newport’s first citizen, received recognition from former classmates during a ceremony at the Town Hall arranged by the National Schools Old Boys’ Association.
His former school companion and MP J. H. Thomas addressed the gathering, speaking about public responsibility. Thomas emphasized that regardless of one’s position or role in life, individuals serve as stewards for their nation. He suggested that despite potential fatigue and worry, the mayor would find meaning in these gifts not for their material worth but because they represented the genuine affection and friendship of young people. Thomas observed that many become confused or dazzled by honors, when true recognition derives from service that benefits others.
Mr Thomas handed over a bureau bookcase and a larger photograph of St Paul’s National School to the mayor.
Councillor Clissett expressed appreciation for the sentiment behind the gifts and acknowledged Mr Thomas’s work in advancing harmonious industrial relations.
April 20, 1926 – Revival scenes
Seven days of evangelical meetings in Bedwas concluded with large audiences, street hymn singing and domestic prayer gatherings.
The Rev. David Matthews, who conducted the services, delivered a vivid account of the crucifixion during an immersive retelling of Christ’s trial.
The events occurred under the auspices of the Bedwas and Trethomas Evangelical Council.
April 20, 1926 – Additional facilities required
Newport’s Free Libraries, Museum, and Art Gallery Committee was set to address the absence of lending services at two important reading rooms.
Temple Street and Lyne Road lacked lending libraries, requiring Pill and Crindau inhabitants to journey to Dock Street to obtain books.
Committee members observed that both districts had substantial populations and had long deserved superior library access.