What Was Classed as Newtown


Why were the streets on the other side of the Railway Bridge not included in the Newtown Project? asks Paul Stacey

 
Paul Stacey has drawn attention to the fact that there were many  streets on the other side of the Railway (off Adam Street) were recorded as being part of Newtown circa 1800. He wants to know why these streets were excluded when the Newtown Association was set up. 

Paul Duggan has responded as follows:

 Paul you are right, up untill about 1860 the streets to the north of the main railway line were in an area called Newtown. These streets included Noah st, Princes st., Duffryn st., Gath st., Taff st. and Morgan st. Indeed the bridge into town under the the Taff Vale Railway was called Newtown Bridge.

However, after this date and the completion of the streets to the south of the main line, the name Newtown was used to describe the streets to the south of the main line and its unique identity was conceived. As you probably know, from the outset the area was almost all Irish and almost all Catholic and quite insular. It was certainly physically isolated by the railway lines but our nearest neighbours would have been those living on "the other side of the tracks".

Unfortunately we have no information that binds the two areas on ethnic or religious grounds and certainly within living memory, Newtown was only the seven streets that this site celebrates. I was quite surprised some years ago to see a map dated 1851 showing 

 

15 November 2010