Newport & District History Society (a registered charity, Number 516162) is an active society researching the heritage of Newport town and its surrounding villages.
During the autumn, winter and spring months we invite speakers to talk on subjects of local history. We meet at Cosy Hall on Water Lane on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7.00pm (except summer time). Non-members are welcome!
Our Field Archaeology Group field-walk, metal detect and occasionally dig during Sumer months and as a result have a large collection of finds for research and display.
The group is well respected for its work and is often asked to help by regional and national groups.
We have a large archive available for members’ research at the Heritage Resource Centre Deli 45 Coffee Shop (3 High Street by the Guildhall) where the books and leaflets we publish can be purchased. These booklets can also be ordered on-line; see ‘Our Publications’ page.
Some of our members volunteer to work on the archives in the Heritage Resource Centre, cataloguing and digitising documents.
During the summer months (June to August), we visit places of historical interest.
Our programme of talks can be found on our ‘Events Page. A leaflet with the programme of talks can always be found in Newport Library and the Heritage Centre.
You may already have heard that the NDHS is conducting research on the historic Inns and Beer Houses in Newport. This work is to initially to contribute to a local walking guide on the Inns and later to form part of the Victoria County History Red Book series. If anyone is interested in this project or the architecture of such buildings, there will be a training session provided by a professional historian later in August. Please get in touch via info@newporthistorysociety.org, or contact Linda Fletcher or Cathryn Ross-Talbot. There will be plenty of work coming up!
History of Newport The New History of Newport, as part of the Victoria County History Shropshire, had its scoping study completed in April 2019 and is available here. The Volumes that will comprise this history will also be known as the Newport Red Book.
Read moreNEWPORT YARDS As preparation for writing a new history of Newport, one of our members, Dave Hodson, has fully researched the yards of Newport. Dave was interested in finding out more about his great grandparents who lived in Cock Yard alley and Bellman’s
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Members of the Archaeology Group at the Shooting Butts at Chetwynd.
Members operating the Identification service.
Volunteers at heritage resource centre
You are welcome to attend our regular Sunday morning field work, our monthly talks, or join our summer outings & events. You may be interested in helping with archiving, scanning photographs, research, or do your own project about the people, buildings and trades of Newport. Whatever it is, we will welcome you to our society.
Our archives, above the Deli 45 Tearooms at the Guild Hall, are manned on Mondays between 9 am and 12 noon.
We meet at the Cosy Hall, Water Lane, Newport, TF10 7LD on the third Tuesday of each month; there is usually a talk which starts at 7.30pm. We do not have Cosy Halls meetings during the Summer months, when we enjoy events such as historical walks. Details can be found on our Events Page.
There is also an informal get together at Deli 45 on the first Tuesday of each month between 7 and 9pm where anyone is welcome to join us for a coffee and chat
Henry I around 1100 AD
Newport itself has such a rich history dating back to the reign of Henry I but much of our archives relate to the surrounding area and villages through Anglo-Saxon and Roman times. School children or teachers wishing to explore periods of history with a more local focus will find plenty of scope for projects using material held by the Newport and District History Society. There are many varied activities that the History Society undertakes regularly that can support specific projects and our experience is that this can suit all our local residents either new or long established. New families may wish to know more about the town to which they have moved or the house they live in, including what existed on redeveloped sites previously. Established residents have lots of memories that can be nurtured by material we already hold, but you may also have information and memorabilia that will enhance our archives.
To do all this we need volunteers of all ages to support activities including simply becoming a member and coming to the regular meetings, to archiving, going on historical walks and donating money to ensure this priceless resource is maintained for generations to come. We look forward to meeting anyone who wishes to join us. The membership form is found at the top of this page and one of our team will be in touch to welcome you.
If you would like to support us through your normal shopping, please use the link to our easy fund raising site below: