Friars Walk is a partially under-cover

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre ( Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known colle ...

and leisure complex in

Newport city centre Newport city centre is traditionally regarded as the area of Newport, Wales bounded by the west bank of the River Usk, the George Street Bridge, the eastern flank of Stow Hill and the South Wales Main Line. Most of the city centre is containe ...

, South Wales. It has several levels and includes a range of

high street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

shops, eateries, a cinema, a bowling alley and a soft play area. The complex is linked by the redeveloped John Frost Square to the Kingsway Shopping Centre, Newport Museum, Art Gallery and Central Library and

Newport bus station Newport Central bus station ( cy, Gorsaf fysiau Canol Casnewydd) is a bus terminus and interchange located in the city centre, Newport, South Wales. It is the largest road transport hub for public services in the county. It is situated on the ...

. The complex is a short walk from the high street shops of Commercial Street and

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

Newport railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Newport_railway_station_MMB_32_43187.jpg , caption = Newport railway station looking eastbound. , borough = Newport, Wales , country = Wales , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid reference ...

is also a short walk away. The Friars Walk car park holds 350 cars and over 1,000 spaces are available in the adjacent Kingsway

multi-storey car park A multistorey car park ( British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a bui ...

, both accessed from the A4042 Kingsway. There are cycle racks located in Usk Plaza.

Development

The original plans by Modus Corovest were scrapped in 2009, because of the 2008 financial crisis but revived in a £100 million scheme by Queensberry Real Estate in 2012. Plans included a six-screen cinema, ten pin bowling alley, eight restaurants and a 350 space carpark. A new bus station was also included, with finance coming from a £90 million loan from

Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...

. The new design was by Leslie Jones Architecture. Construction began in April 2014. The scheme opened on 12 November 2015, raising Newport from 200th to 77th in the UK's retail rankings and heralded as a "lifeline for Newport". The total cost came to £117 million. In June 2017, the site's developer Queensberry Real Estate sold the centre to Talisker Corporation, the Canadian owner of Main Square in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, and

Canyons Resort Canyons Resort was one of three alpine ski resorts located in Park City, Utah. Prior to 2015, there were 19 chairlifts, of skiable terrain and an average of of snow each winter, making Canyons the largest ski and snowboard resort in Utah. The ...

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake Cit ...

Stores

As of January 2022, retailers include: * Next * Mabboo * H&M * EE * River Island * Damaged Society * Holland & Barrett * Sin City Comics * New Look * Sketchers * Tin Shed Theatre * JD Sports * Fabrix * Smiggle * Pandora * Vodafone * Super Bowl * Singar Beauty * Jeffries * New Pastures Home Food and drink services include: * Coffee Corner * Greggs * M&S Foodhall * Coffee No 1 * KFC * Tawa Indian Buffett * Taco Bell * Nando's * Las Iguanas * Drago Lounge * Zizzi * Le Bistrot Pierre * Wagamamas * Prezzo * Costa * Smokd * TGI Friday's * Bar Piazza

Chartist Steps

The steps connecting Usk Plaza to John Frost Square are inscribed with the six points of the People's Charter to commemorate the Chartist movement and the

Newport Rising The Newport Rising was the last large-scale armed rising in Wales, by Chartists whose demands included democracy and the right to vote with a secret ballot. On Monday 4 November 1839, approximately 4,000 Chartism, Chartist sympathisers, under ...

of 1839 led by John Frost.

Gallery of Friars Walk

Image:Friars_Walk,_Newport.jpg, Usk Plaza, Friars Walk, 2015 Image:Chartist Steps1 Newport.jpg, Chartist steps (upper), Friars Walk Image:Chartist Steps2 Newport.jpg, Chartist steps (lower), Friars Walk Image:Vision of Saint Gwynllyw Sculpture.jpg, Sculpture of Vision of Saint Gwynllyw by Sebastien Boyesen Image:Friars Walk, Newport viewed from Austin Friars.jpg, Viewed from Austin Friars, to the south west

References

{{Shopping centres in Wales Shopping in Newport, Wales Shopping centres in Wales Commercial buildings completed in 2015