Frontier towns, often forgotten and desolate, can possess a certain seediness and vice. These towns, intended to be strongholds and boundaries, are typically porous and uncertain. Travelers often pause before deciding their next move. Frontiers have historically caused trouble in the UK, such as the Channel, Offa’s Dyke, Hadrian’s Wall, and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. However, every city and region has its own edges, and even seaside resorts can be seen as borders. These five towns, which are rarely chosen as holiday destinations, resemble the backdrop of Graham Greene’s novels and short stories, had he been a working-class writer rather than a public schoolboy with a colonial complex. While they may be familiar to non-natives as road signs or stopping points, these towns are worth exploring and taking your time to appreciate.
Stoke-on-Trent, the UK’s only polycentric city, is much more than just its edges. Hanley claims to be the city center, with its Primark, TK Maxx, banks, and bus station, but this honor should be passed around to the other four centers – Burslem, Tunstall, Fenton, and Longton. Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly referred to as Stoke, is even located within Stoke-on-Trent itself. The confusion continues as these five (or six) towns merge with Newcastle-under-Lyme to the west, making it difficult to distinguish where one town ends and the other begins. The absence of green belt has allowed for this merging to take place.
During my visit to Stoke, I felt disoriented, much like a cipher in a JG Ballard novel. Instead of sightseeing, my search for old pottery felt more like an archaeological expedition. I came across an intriguing old factory, but it was too late to turn back. I relied on my satnav and ended up in a peculiar semi-private estate, the opposite of the kind of place where one would want to wander. Eventually, I discovered Middleport in Burslem, also known as “the Mother Town of the Potteries.” This authentic craft center was filled with redbrick buildings, kilns resembling bottles, and a canteen serving lobby, a delectable Staffordshire stew similar to the iconic scouse of my native Lancashire. A barge on the canal proudly displayed the name “Mersey Weaver,” as the finest bowls and plates were once transported to Liverpool for use on liners. Stoke was at the heart of the ceramics universe. Middleport is now home to a reputable training school, where I couldn’t resist purchasing a couple of exquisite bowls that I cherish too much to use for soup. The recent popularity of The Great Pottery Throw Down has brought a new wave of tourists to Stoke, which is undoubtedly beneficial for the town. After all, why else are there so many roads leading here?
In Newport, everyone takes away a distinct memory of the place. For me, it has always been the sight of the brown Usk River, which seems to be perpetually low as I arrive by train. Under the heavy skies, this part of Wales is known for its deep, mud-walled trenches that resemble industrial waste sluices, forgotten canals, or giant ditches. In stark contrast to the magnificence of the Severn Bridge or the beauty of the Black Hills, Newport appears as a desolate and rundown border town. Yet, when I consider everything the river has witnessed on its journey from Bannau Brycheiniog national park, it becomes clear that Newport has a gritty and tumultuous history that cannot be washed away by spring water.
As a city located in close proximity to both Wales and England, Newport once possessed a castle, now reduced to ruins beside the main B4591 road and the railway bridge. In ancient times, it served as the stronghold of a Marcher lordship, as reflected in its name derived from the Latin term “margo,” meaning margin or boundary. In 2002, the remains of a medieval ship were discovered buried in the west bank of the Usk, likely built in the Basque region and used for trade between Wales and Portugal.
Newport reached its golden age during the industrial period when it was a significant hub for coal exportation and iron smelting. The grievances of the hardworking laborers led to the 1839 Chartist Rising, the final armed conflict to occur within the borders of Wales. Docks were constructed starting in the 1840s and continued to expand over the years. In 1914, Newport shipped over 6 million tons of coal annually. Today, the docks, old bridges, and lighthouse are located along a 23-mile stretch of the Wales Coast Path. Newport remains an industrial center, albeit on a smaller scale, focusing on the production of semiconductors and microelectronics. The grand mansion of a former coal magnate now houses Celtic Manor, a massive golf hotel towering over the M4 motorway. The managers of the chipmaking industry frequent this establishment.
Interestingly, a Roman-era pottery was discovered under the golf course, emphasizing the area’s connections to different historical periods. Across the Usk lies Carlaeon, an area with Neolithic, Iron Age, and additional Roman archaeological sites. Newport is not only significant in terms of its industry and history but also for its influential authors. Arthur Machen, born in Carlaeon in 1863, had a profound impact on artists ranging from Jorge Luis Borges to The Fall’s Mark E Smith. Machen, who worked as a journalist, magazine publisher, amateur historian, and actor, is best known for his fantasy and horror fiction. His writings blend the tantalizing boundaries of history and reality. While uncovering these hidden gems for my “off-the-beaten-path” articles, Machen’s words resonated with me: “And it is utterly true that he who cannot find wonder, mystery, awe, the sense of a new world and an undiscovered realm in the places by the Gray’s Inn Road will never find those secrets elsewhere, not in the heart of Africa, not in the fabled hidden cities of Tibet.”
However, Newport’s most intriguing author is WH Davies, born in 1871 and known as “Super-Tramp.” His works, including The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, inspired the name of the famous prog rock band. Davies embarked on a journey across the Atlantic, spending six years train-hopping around the US and Canada, seeking casual labor and surviving through panhandling. Although he gained a wealth of experiences and worldly knowledge, he lost a leg in an accident. The bronze sculpture, Stand and Stare, located on Commercial Street, embodies his free-spirited and adventurous nature, loosely tied to a tree of life, with two birds ready to accompany him on his next adventure. Davies’s poem Leisure contains the iconic line, “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to…”.
When I think of Newport now, I no longer see the desolate lower Usk but rather envision the wandering spirit of Davies and the enigmatic world created by Machen as they sit down for lunch in Newport, sharing tales of their astral and real travels.
Noteworthy sights in Newport include the Fourteen Locks on the Monmouthshire Canal, Newport Market, Newport Transporter Bridge, and the Tiny Rebel taproom and brewery.
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