The tower

The tower of St. Marks Church Newport.

The tower of this Victorian church is a Newport landmark – a companion to the Civic Centre’s clock tower in the view from the vicinity of the railway station.

A new church was needed in the 1870s because the population of St Woolos parish was growing rapidly. Lord Tredegar donated land for the church, on condition that £4,000 for the building work was raised by the end of 1870. The fund-raising appeal was almost £1,000 short of the target by November 1870, but the foundation stone was eventually laid by Lady Tredegar on 20 July 1872.

The church opened in 1874. The vestry, chancel screen and reredos of carved oak were installed in 1902.

Inside the church is a memorial to the 39 victims of the 1909 Newport dock disaster. They were digging out the new South Dock when the sides of a deep trench collapsed onto 46 men. Seven survived, and a newspaper delivery boy called Tom Toya Lewis received a bravery award for his part in the rescue effort. You can read more and see photos on this page.