Newport-on-Tay

Coordinates: 56°26′25″N 2°56′28″W / 56.44017°N 2.94103°W / 56.44017; -2.94103
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Newport-on-Tay
Newport-on-Tay is located in Fife
Newport-on-Tay
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Location within Fife
Newport-on-Tay is located in Dundee City council area
Newport-on-Tay
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Location near the Dundee City council area
Population4,210 (mid-2020 est.)[a][1]
OS grid referenceNO421279
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWPORT-ON-TAY
Postcode districtDD6
Dialling code01382
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°26′25″N 2°56′28″W / 56.44017°N 2.94103°W / 56.44017; -2.94103

Newport-on-Tay is a town in the north-east of Fife in Scotland. The Fife Coastal Path passes through Newport-on-Tay. The area itself has views of the two bridges that cross the River Tay and distant views of the Scottish Highlands.

History[edit]

Historical populations
Census
year		 Population
1755 751
1801 916
1851 1125
1901 4720
1951 3727
2005 7922
Newport on Tay Church of Scotland

The town was established near the endpoint of one part of a ferry route that itself was started in the 12th century.

In 1715 a new pier and inn were built, the work being funded by the Guilds of Dundee which resulted in the settlement being called "New Dundee". Thomas Telford built a new harbour in the 1820s, and the town expanded and grew into a commuter suburb of Dundee as the prosperous jute manufacturers, industrialists and the middle and upper working class of Dundee established fashionable residences in Newport.

The local war memorial dates from 1920 and was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.[2]

Newport-on-Tay formerly had two railway stations – the East and West stations on what was the Newport Railway. Both stations (and the Tayport-Dundee branch line) closed in 1969, having lost much of their business following the opening of the Tay Road Bridge in 1966. In fact, trains had ceased to run beyond Newport-on-Tay East station to Tayport on 22 May 1966 so that the railway line could be breached to build the bridge's southern approach road. The Dundee – Newport ferry also closed promptly later in 1966 on the opening of the Tay Road Bridge. However, the ferry terminal buildings and slipways still survive at the foot of Boat Hill as a boat repair yard.

Archaeology[edit]

An excavation carried out by Headland Archaeology[3] in the farm of North Straiton near Newport-on-Tay uncovered part of a Bronze Age cremation cemetery and a line of postholes. Five human cremations were found in a group of scattered disposal pits. Around 25m away was a line of postholes, one of which was also associated with cremated human bone. Radiocarbon dates from the features indicated that they had been created in the Bronze Age, from around 1700 to 2000 BC.

The line of posts was substantial and may have been associated with the cremations rather than a building or fence. It is possible that the posts may have been memorials or markers close to the pyre used to burn the dead. Part of a quern stone and some burnt animal bone suggested that the cremation ceremony also involved preparing food. A collection of pottery was found with the cremations. This included a complete accessory vessel and fragments from a larger decorated pot that covered it.

Present[edit]

Newport currently has a population of about eight thousand, mostly residing in stone houses built before World War II. The town centre comprises two main streets where may be found a small variety of shops and three public houses. The town has one primary school, Newport Primary School. It was built in 1977 by the then Fife Regional Council Architectural Department, with Donald George Beaton working as the school's architect.[4][5] Older pupils attend secondary school at Madras College in St Andrews, or at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar, or at the nearest independent schools, the High School of Dundee and St Leonards School.

Public bus routes are the 77 to Dundee, 92 to St Andrews, and the X54 to Edinburgh via Glenrothes (and Ninewells Hospital in the other direction)

Newport has been twinned with Zolotarovo, Ukraine since 20 July 2002.[6]

Local amenities[edit]

A view of Newport in about 1968 showing the BL Nairn, St. Fillans Church, and the East Station

Amenities on and around the High Street include food and drink stores, health and beauty outlets, trades and services, a variety of shops, an art gallery and a sports centre.

There are three churches:

A second Church of Scotland church, St. Fillans, originally a Free Church, was demolished in 1981.[10]

Newport-on-Tay and the arts[edit]

The arts have played a major role in the shaping of Newport and its neighbourhood. In 1905 the Tayport Artists' Circle was formed,[11][full citation needed] including James Douglas, Anna Douglas, Alec Grieve, Stewart Carmichael, William Bradley Lamond, Charles Adamson and the so-called "Painter's painter" David Foggie.[12] Led by Frank Laing, their aim was to have an influence through art on the industrial environment; this is explained in a letter from Laing to the town planner/architect Patrick Geddes.[13][full citation needed]

Many teachers of fine art in the University of Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design have migrated towards Newport-on-Tay and its north-west facing position for the incredible quality of light.[citation needed] Such heavy-weights in the Scottish art scene as John Byrne, Will Maclean and Marian Leven[14] are associated with the area. A local community arts centre, The Forgan Arts,[15] provides courses in arts and crafts. The Tatha art gallery opened in Newport-on-Tay in 2014.[16][17][full citation needed]

Notable people[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Includes neighbouring Wormit

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Dictionary of Scottish Architects Biography Report: (Sir) Robert Stodart Lorimer". www.scottisharchitects.org.uk. Edinburgh, Scotland: Historic Environment Scotland. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  3. ^ Stronach, Simon; Sheridan, Alison; Henderson, David (2006). "A Bronze Age cremation cemetery at North Straiton, Fife" (PDF). Tayside Fife Archaeological Journal. 12. Fife, Scotland: Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee: 1–13. ISSN 2632-2420. OCLC 1084407941. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2022.
  4. ^ Gifford, John (27 October 1988). McWilliam, Colin; Newman, John (eds.). Buildings of Scotland: Fife. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 336. ISBN 0-14-071077-9. OCLC 475440850.
  5. ^ "Dictionary of Scottish Architects - Newport Primary School". www.scottisharchitects.org.uk. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Town Twinning". www.fifedirect.org.uk. Fife Council. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Newport on Tay Church of Scotland Homepage". Newport on Tay Church of Scotland. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Newport-on-Tay, St Mary's". www.standrews.anglican.org. Perth, Scotland: Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  9. ^ "Home". Northfifecatholic.weebly.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ "St Fillans Free Church, Newport-On-Tay". www.leisureandculturedundee.com. Leisure & Culture Dundee. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  11. ^ The National Archives; BT58/12/Cos/1288A
  12. ^ "David Foggie: The Painter's Painter". www.dundee.ac.uk. University of Dundee. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  13. ^ University of Strathclyde archives
  14. ^ Annabel (2015). "Marian Leven". Glasgow, Scotland: Compass Gallery. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Home". Fife, Scotland: Forgan Arts Centre. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  16. ^ "TATHA Gallery opens Newport". creativedundee.com. Dundee, Scotland: Creative Dundee. 25 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  17. ^ London Times 8 May 2014 page 21
  18. ^ Millar, Alexander Hastie (1912). "Leng, John" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 2. pp. 454–456.
  19. ^ Tulloch, W. J. (1957). "George Ranken Tudhope. 7th July 1893-12th December 1955". The Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology. 73: 298–299. doi:10.1002/path.1700730138.
  20. ^ Heathcote, Tony (2002). British admirals of the fleet 1734-1995 : a biographical dictionary. Barnsley, England: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-835-6. OCLC 50175925.

External links[edit]

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