The NEON

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Newport Odeon
Grade II listed building
NEON, Clarence Place, Newport, Wales.jpg
NEON in early 2016
The NEON is located in Wales
The NEON
Location within Wales
General information
Architectural styleArt deco architecture
Town or cityBarnardtown, Newport
CountryWales
Coordinates51°35′29″N 2°59′26″W / 51.591474°N 2.990636°W / 51.591474; -2.990636
Completed1938
Renovated2003
ClientOdeon Cinemas
Design and construction
ArchitectHarry Weedon

The former Newport Odeon, currently trading as The NEON, is a large Grade II listed building in the city of Newport, South Wales.

It is located at the junction of Clarence Place and Chepstow Road on the east side of Newport city centre, near Newport Bridge. The building is one of the few true examples of Art Deco architecture in Newport.

History[]

It was opened in March 1938 as an Odeon cinema,[1] designed by Harry Weedon. The cinema closed in 1981, fell derelict in the following years and was facing the possibility of demolition. It became Grade II listed in 1999.[2]

Subsequent ownership[]

After many years of the ground floor being used as snooker hall, the building was bought by a local business-owning couple in 2003 and was transformed at a cost of over £1 million and renamed Newport City Live Arena. Features included a huge television screen to show live sporting events and a stage that hosted several famous music acts.

The building was sold, redeveloped and opened in February 2016 as a live music and vintage movie venue and named The NEON (Newport Entertains Our Nation). The name is a play on the original Odeon name (Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation).[3] The business is owned and run by English businessmen Ian Gilland and Andrew James Byers.[4]

Political events[]

In 2019 the venue sold out to over 1,000 people for a rally of the Brexit Party,[5] with figures including Nigel Farage, Ann Widdecombe, Nathan Gill and James Wells speaking to supporters ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections.

References[]

  1. ^ Odeon Cinema Newport
  2. ^ Former Odeon Cinema (Capone's Night Club), Victoria, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  3. ^ Ciaran Kelly (24 January 2016) "New live venue at site of former Odeon Cinema in Newport on track for opening next month", South Wales Argus. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  4. ^ "NEWPORT ENTERTAINS OUR NATION LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  5. ^ "'We won't give up the battle': Nigel Farage's pledge to Newport at his Brexit Party rally". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 2019-05-03.

Coordinates: 51°35′29″N 2°59′26″W / 51.591474°N 2.990636°W / 51.591474; -2.990636

See also[]

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