This is a very amazing building that over the last few years I have fought with the owners and Newport council to get restored. This building is now been moved to Grade two listed status and with many threats from the council. Saying that they would put a CPO on the building and restore it themselves Peter Bance the current owner has now started restoring the building and is coverting it into flats and shops.
Since I started campainging to have the building restored I have now been given full access to the building and any ongoing work that is taking place.
I have taken a few people in the building before, even when the group that I was with gave a guided tour by a tramp that was living in the building. This was the first time I went in the building and involved an elaberate assult course through a flooded basement and through a hole in the wall.
It feels very weird now that I know I can walk up to the builders and they give me free roam of the building. But finally my goal is achived and the building is being restoresed.
Here is a brief history of the building.
The University has a rich and varied history and can trace its roots back to the formation of the Newport Mechanics Institute in 1841.
In 1870, this gave birth to Schools of Art and Science in Newport which in turn became Newport Technical Institute, based in Clarence Place, in September 1910
The Technical Institute expanded during the first half of the twentieth century and as a result, a separate College of Art and a College of Technology were formed in 1958 with the latter being jointly administered up to 1974 by Monmouthshire County Council and Newport Borough Council.
Newport College of Art was one of the first colleges in the country to be allowed to award the new degree equivalent qualification introduced to replace the NDD - Diploma of Art and Design in 1963. When the Diploma was itself replaced in 1973 the College was approved to offer honours degrees in Fine Art and Graphic Design.
The Monmouthshire Training College, better known as Caerleon College, opened in October 1914. The college became co-educational in 1962 and the admission of women contributed to the very rapid expansion of the college during the 1960s, from 140 to 750 students.
Expansion was easily accommodated on a large and imposing site (currently 32 acres) standing above the Roman town of Caerleon, which permitted major building and ensured the future of the college as a leading provider of trained teachers in Wales.
In 1975, the Gwent College of Higher Education was formed as a result of the merger of the Caerleon College of Education (the former Monmouthshire Training College), Newport College of Art and Design and Gwent College of Technology.
Each brought to the merged institution established regional and national reputations. The College was administered by the Gwent County Council from September 1975 to April 1992 when it achieved corporate status.
During this period the greater part of its Further Education portfolio was transferred to Further Education colleges and it became firmly established as the only Higher Education institution in Gwent and one of the major providers of Higher Education in Wales.
In terms of the range and level of courses, it became the most strongly polytechnic in character of all of the public sector institutions in Wales.
In 1992 the Caerleon campus was ravaged by fire - fortunately, leaving the landmark clocktower unscathed.
Gwent College of Higher Education was granted taught degree awarding powers by the Privy Council in April 1995 which resulted in its admission to the University of Wales as the University of Wales College, Newport in April 1996.It became a full Constituent Institution of the University of Wales in 2003.
Here is a collection of my photos.
Since I started campainging to have the building restored I have now been given full access to the building and any ongoing work that is taking place.
I have taken a few people in the building before, even when the group that I was with gave a guided tour by a tramp that was living in the building. This was the first time I went in the building and involved an elaberate assult course through a flooded basement and through a hole in the wall.
It feels very weird now that I know I can walk up to the builders and they give me free roam of the building. But finally my goal is achived and the building is being restoresed.
Here is a brief history of the building.
The University has a rich and varied history and can trace its roots back to the formation of the Newport Mechanics Institute in 1841.
In 1870, this gave birth to Schools of Art and Science in Newport which in turn became Newport Technical Institute, based in Clarence Place, in September 1910
The Technical Institute expanded during the first half of the twentieth century and as a result, a separate College of Art and a College of Technology were formed in 1958 with the latter being jointly administered up to 1974 by Monmouthshire County Council and Newport Borough Council.
Newport College of Art was one of the first colleges in the country to be allowed to award the new degree equivalent qualification introduced to replace the NDD - Diploma of Art and Design in 1963. When the Diploma was itself replaced in 1973 the College was approved to offer honours degrees in Fine Art and Graphic Design.
The Monmouthshire Training College, better known as Caerleon College, opened in October 1914. The college became co-educational in 1962 and the admission of women contributed to the very rapid expansion of the college during the 1960s, from 140 to 750 students.
Expansion was easily accommodated on a large and imposing site (currently 32 acres) standing above the Roman town of Caerleon, which permitted major building and ensured the future of the college as a leading provider of trained teachers in Wales.
In 1975, the Gwent College of Higher Education was formed as a result of the merger of the Caerleon College of Education (the former Monmouthshire Training College), Newport College of Art and Design and Gwent College of Technology.
Each brought to the merged institution established regional and national reputations. The College was administered by the Gwent County Council from September 1975 to April 1992 when it achieved corporate status.
During this period the greater part of its Further Education portfolio was transferred to Further Education colleges and it became firmly established as the only Higher Education institution in Gwent and one of the major providers of Higher Education in Wales.
In terms of the range and level of courses, it became the most strongly polytechnic in character of all of the public sector institutions in Wales.
In 1992 the Caerleon campus was ravaged by fire - fortunately, leaving the landmark clocktower unscathed.
Gwent College of Higher Education was granted taught degree awarding powers by the Privy Council in April 1995 which resulted in its admission to the University of Wales as the University of Wales College, Newport in April 1996.It became a full Constituent Institution of the University of Wales in 2003.
Here is a collection of my photos.
The Rest Of My Photos On The College Can Be Found Here
