Le Pub (also known as Le Public Space) is a bar,

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

and

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

located in Newport,

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. It opened in 1992 on nearby Caxton Place, and became a popular live music venue as part of the Newport music scene along with TJ's, later relocating as a

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

on High Street.

History

Le Pub has been a popular music venue in the city for 30 years, though historically overshadowed by its more famed neighbour TJ's on Clarence Place, which had attracted names such as David Bowie and Kurt Cobain during the city's 'new Seattle' era. While the city enjoyed a thriving scene in the 1980s and 1990s, the decline of industry and the growth of the nearby Cardiff music scene had impacted Newport hard. TJ's closed in 2010 and at one point relocated as a legacy site named El Siecco's, also on High Street. However this only lasted a few months. Le Pub also faced difficulty during the 2000s. It existed at its home on Caxton Place for 24 years and 11 months but was forced to sell its site and move to new premises.

Present

With assistance 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 business restarted as a

community interest company A community interest company (CIC, pronounced "see-eye-see", or colloquially, "kick") is a form of social enterprise in the United Kingdom intended "for people wishing to establish businesses which trade with a social purpose..., or to carry on ...

offering shares to friends and patrons of the old venue, and providing it with necessary finance to refurbish new premises and re-open. It moved to High Street on July 29, 2017, on the site of the old The Page pub (previously the South Wales Argus office), aided by a team of volunteers. It opened offering space in the city for creative projects, a gallery, rehearsal rooms, office space and a small cinema space. It has now operated in Newport city centre for 30 years. In January 2025, the building was purchased by

Music Venue Properties Music Venue Properties is a charitable co-operative organisation in the United Kingdom which owns music venues on behalf of the community. Launched in 2022 by the Music Venue Trust, Music Venue Properties raises capital from community shares, do ...

to safeguard its status as a grassroots music venue. It opens until 2 am most weekdays and 3 am on Friday and Saturday evenings and offers a wide range of independent and international beers and spirits. It is also praised by Eat Out Vegan Wales as being a recommended vegan and 100% vegetarian eatery.

References

External links

Official website
{{Culture of Newport Newport, Wales Nightclubs in Wales Culture in Newport, Wales Former music venues in Wales Landmarks in Newport, Wales Music venues in Newport, Wales Community interest companies in Wales Pubs in Newport, Wales

History

Present

See also

References

External links