Cherishedlandmarkhas an importantroleintown’slife

DANIEL MORRIS daniel.morris@mnamedia.co.uk

Thereare seeminglyendless walksinthe picturesque countryside that surroundshistoric Newport.

From awalkalong theNewport Waterwaystoastroll around Lilleshall Hall,fromthe Newport-to-StaffordGreenway RailTailtowalks through and around thetown; Newporthas somethingfor everything

Thereare many more within ashort distance of Newport, not leastAqualateMere, where visitors canenjoy apeaceful walk throughthislovelynature reserve. Aqualate Mere is ais designated underRAMSARas an internationallyimportant wetlandreserve forits habitats andoverwinteringwildfowlpopulations.Wildlifecan be viewed in closequartersfromthe public observationhideatthe eastern endofthe 72-hectareMere.

Themeresupportsadiverse fish population,large numbers of winteringand breedingwildfowl andthe reedbedsupports birdssuchasreed warbler, sedgewarbler andreed bunting with theoccasionalvisiting marshharrier andosprey, huntingbarnowl andbuzzard are also seen regularlyinthe area Mammalsfound here include otter, polecat, stoat, watervole, yellowneckedmouse,harvest mouse,and bats such as pipistrelleand Daubentons

It is situated threekilometres to theeastofNewport,atthe heartofaprivate estate,and is the largestnatural lake in the West Midlands

Oneofthe town’s most iconic buildings, Newport’s 15th century Guildhalltoday serves as thebasefor thetown counciland as avenue forweddingsand civil ceremonies.

As onewould expect from such a grandGradeIIlisted building,the Guildhallisdrapedin history, and likethe rest of Newport, hasits own rich storytotell.

Reportedly oneofthe earliest establishedguildhalls in England, thebuildingisastunningwindow into Newport’smedievalpastthat still retainsmanyofits originalfeatures.

Thecurrent Guildhallreportedly replaced an earlierbuilding on the site whichismentioned ina documentdated 1252.The southern part of thecurrent building was constructedinaround1400asa single room, possibly as ameeting placefor theGuildofNewport

Thebuilding wasbuiltintypical medieval-stylewithexposed timbers andbrick infilling whichhas been painted white. An intermediate floorwas addedtothe original hall at alater date.Testing of the beamsinthe roofhas suggested that thecurrent roofwas addedin around 1486

Moving forwardmanyyears, thenorthernpartofthe building wasconstructed in asimilar architecturalstyle in thelate16th century. Theinternalbeams on theground floorinthispartof thebuildingweredecorated with chevrons,antlers,acanthusleaves andpomegranates,withthe last of these beingassociated with Tudor queenand firstwifeofHenry VIII, CatherineofAragon.

Thetwo buildingswerenot in fact unified externally as asingle building with acontinuousroof- line untilthe early19thcentury.A beam visibleonthe frontelevation of thebuilding,withthe name ‘Wm Gregari’ anddated 1615,was nota featureofthe originalbuilding and it is suspected that this wastaken from alocal publichouse andinserted in thelate19thcentury to addan additional airofauthenticity. TheGuildhall wasusedasa meetingplacebyNewport Urban District Council, butceasedtobe thelocal seat of governmentwhen TheWrekinDistrictCouncil was formed in 1974

In June 1991,the building was acquired by theBoughey Trust, a trustcorporation establishedby Lady Bougheyinmemoryofher late husband, SirThomasFletcher

Fenton Boughey, 4thBaronet,who died in 1906

TheBoughey Trustmadethe Guildhallavailable,rent-free,to NewportTownCouncil whorestored it with thesupport of English Heritage anditwas officially re-openedtothe public by AlgernonHeber-Percy,Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, on March 25,1995. Ensuring this cherished building keptupwiththe times, improvementworks were carried outin2019involving anew boiler, carpets, paintworkand lighting Theground floorofthe southern sectionofthe building is currently usedasacouncil informationcentre,whilethe ground floorofthe northernsection hostsacharming tearoom. Meetings of thetown councilare normallyheldinthe councilchamber on the first floorof thebuilding,and it is said chamber that is also usedfor weddings. Thetowncouncil office is open to thepublicfrom10amto3pm during theweek.

NestledintheheartofNewport,theGuildhall isanenchantingweddingvenueforcoupleslookingfor somethingspecialfortheirbigday

TheGuildhallisavailabletobookatweekendsbetween 10am–4pm,TheGuildhallisalsoavailableforcivilpartnerships, babynamingceremoniesandvowrenewals.