Why visit Newport
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails and 4 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Audley End House and Fry Art Gallery.
Weather in Newport
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About Newport
Newport is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It lies 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Saffron Walden, its post town. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 2,936.
From the Wikipedia article Newport, Essex (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Audley End House
Museum · 2.5 mi
Country house in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, United Kingdom
Fry Art Gallery
Museum · 3.0 mi
Art gallery in Saffron Walden, United Kingdom
Saffron Walden Castle
Monument and historic site · 3.1 mi
Former medieval castle in Essex, England, UK
Saffron Walden Museum
Museum · 3.1 mi
Museum in Essex, United Kingdom
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes4
Churches and places of worship8
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Church · 3.0 mi
Church building in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, UK
St Peter's, Littlebury Green
Church · 3.3 mi
Church in Littlebury Green, Essex, England
Chapel of St Helen, Wicken Bonhunt
Church · 0.7 mi
Church building in Wicken Bonhunt, Uttlesford, Essex, England, UK
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Church · 1.5 mi
Church in Wendens Ambo, Essex, England, UK
History
A settlement may have existed here under the name Wigingamere which King Edward the Elder, engaged in the reconquest of the Danelaw, ordered to be refortified in 921 (or possibly 917). However, the author of the paper that associated Wigingamere with Newport wrote a subsequent paper in which he indicated that this idea was "no longer tenable."
The earliest mention of Newport is in 1086 in the Domesday Book, in the hundred of Uttlesford. The name is thought to be of Anglo-Saxon origin and is thought to mean new town or market, rather than a modern-day seaport. "Port" was often a name for a market in Saxon times, and Newport did have a flourishing market in this period.
The village prospered until around 1300, after which it declined and its market ceased; it was overtaken in importance by the neighbouring town of Chipping Walden (known today as Saffron Walden). Newport used to contain a very large royal fish pond and hence was known as Newport Pond, but the pond had dried up by the 16th century and that name has fallen into disuse. Its namesake is 25 acre Newport Pond, located beside Tracy Road (Route 6) west of Witherbee in Essex County, New York.
Until the 20th century Newport was mostly dependent upon agriculture in addition to local trade of leather, woolcombing and in later years, malting.
Read more of the history
There are many attractive old buildings in the village, a characteristic of the area. The church, St Mary the Virgin, dates from the late 14th century. Perhaps the two most interesting other buildings are The Crown House (mostly late 16th century), and Monks Barn, a Wealden type house dating from the 15th century.
In 1588 Newport Free Grammar School was founded by Dame Joyce Frankland; although it retained its name it began to take boys of all abilities in 1976, but is now called Joyce Frankland Academy and is fully comprehensive as well as co-educational. The village also has its own primary school.
In 1660, diarist, Samuel Pepys stayed overnight, whilst visiting Lord Braybrooke at Audley End House.
On the creation of a turnpike trust in 1744 the main road was greatly improved. This brought new people and new trade to the village, as did the arrival of the railway in 1845.
The greatest changes have occurred recently. One hundred years ago about 900 people, largely agricultural workers, lived in some 220 dwellings. By 1971 the population had increased somewhat to over 1,200. Since then all the livestock farms have closed, fields, orchards and farm premises in the centre of the village have been built over, and more than 2,200 people now occupy over 900 houses.
From the History section of Newport, Essex on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Newport
- Tex BanwellBritish soldier of WW II (1918–1999)
- Ernest LongstaffeBritish composer
Born in Newport, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Healthcare1
Map of Newport
23 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
London Stansted Airport (STN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Saffron Walden 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Great Chesterford 6 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Bishops Stortford 8 mi south, about 13 min by car
- Whittlesford 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Fowlmere 10 mi northwest, about 15 min by car
- Great Bardfield 10 mi east, about 16 min by car
- Royston 11 mi northwest, about 18 min by car
- Little Hallingbury 11 mi south, about 17 min by car
- Steeple Bumpstead 11 mi east, about 17 min by car
- Haverhill 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Newport
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Newport high street 2, Cmglee, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Mary the Virgin, Newport, Essex, Marvinthefish, CC BY-SA 3.0
- NEWPORT, St Mary the Virgin Ext (51103240008), The National Churches Trust, CC BY 2.0
- Newport Essex church, Cruccone, CC BY 3.0
- 1196114 I AUDLEY END HOUSE, AUDLEY PARK, E front Saffron Walden 20250614 0008, Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1297737 I WALDEN CASTLE, MUSEUM STREET Saffron Walden 20260530 0002, Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1025118 II SAFFRON WALDEN MUSEUM, MUSEUM STREET Saffron Walden 20260530 0004, Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1196237 Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Churchyard Saffron Walden 20240518 0076 DxO, Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden, Libby norman, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Peter's, Littlebury Green - Interior, Alex.brad, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, essexboy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
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