Newport Castle is a ruined 14th century castle in the centre of the the city of Newport, south Wales. It is this castle that - in the Welsh language - gives Newport its name, Castell Newydd, shortened to Casnewydd ('New Castle'). However, the castle was never a particularly important centre of government (it was only active for 200 years) and it exists today in a state of severe disrepair, with large parts demolished to make way for roads and railways. In 2003, it was sealed off from the public altogether because it is too hazardous to enter.
Only the castle's east side remains, squeezed between a busy modern road and roundabout and neglected for centuries. The high tidal range of the River Usk has caused considerable damage to the castle's remains over the years. The best hope visitors have of seeing its existing remains are from the nearby Newport Bridge or Riverfront Theatre. A footpath once ran nearby, but it too was closed in 2006.
While no plans for a physical restoration of Newport Castle are in any advanced stage, a virtual reconstruction of the building has been created by the University of Wales Newport's Institute of Digital Learning (IDL) and will go online on the IDL's Second Life island soon, alongside other virtual Welsh heritage sites and artefacts, including the Newport Ship.
'Reclaiming King Arthur' - a video produced by the University of Wales, Newport, aims to bring to life the legend of King Arthur, by examining historic evidence and the literary tradition which points to Gwent as the home of this famous character as well as to introduce an international audience to the history of this South Wales site. In the video - available for all to see on the University's Instititue of Digital Learning website - Dr Ray Howell examines the relevance of King Arthur as most widely known through legend, myth, historical evidence, literature and the literary tradition which include explanation of how Caerleon in Newport can stake its claim to Arthur’s round table, following 200 years of Roman occupation and how the legend has inspired writers throughout the centuries since... .
'Reclaiming King Arthur' - a video produced by the University of Wales, Newport, aims to bring to life the legend of King Arthur, by examining historic evidence and the literary tradition which points to Gwent as the home of this famous character as well as to introduce an international audience to the history of this South Wales site. In the video - 
