Underwood - a village in south Wales

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom

Biography

"Underwood is a settlement in the city of Newport, South East Wales.[2] It is an early 1960s council housing estate that consists of houses,[3] shops, a leisure centre, Baptist church and the social club Iscoed Tafarn. The leisure centre is now privately owned and is not in use.

The Underwood Estate was originally developed from the former World War II Prisoner of War camp after the end of the war. A few surviving examples of the former PoW huts were still visible until the early 1990s when they were demolished. The original huts stood as early community buildings. In the early 1980s several huts and a water tower were also visible on the now Waltwood Park Drive area, this area belonged to the General Post Office and was used to house old telecommunications equipment until it was sold and demolished by British Telecom who took over the site when BT was privatised in the early 1980s. The land was subsequently sold to Westbury homes who built the Waltwood Park Drive Development of around 220 houses on the land.

The estate is situated in a natural land formation within the falls of a wooded area on the south and north side and a small drainage ditch or reen called "Monks Ditch" on the northern side of the development. Built in three phases, with the Waltwood Park Development being the last of the three phases.

Many people believe that the Underwood Estate was created for the local steelworks at Llanwern, as it was constructed at the same time as the Richard Thomas and Baldwins "Spencer Works" was being built. This has some truth, as originally people moved into the huts after the war. However the local council at the time, Magor and St Mellons Rural District Council, created the housing estate with post-war initiatives for more housing, hence why the second phase of the housing development consists of rapid construction poured concrete houses which are very sturdy in construction and much stronger than traditional bricks-and-mortar houses.

The Leisure Centre was considered to be one of the best leisure centres in the area, even though it has no swimming pool. In fact it was widely known as one of the first in Wales. It was built from funding provided by Richard Thomas and Baldwins, when the steelworks was constructed, built on land donated to the community by local farmer, Mr. Weeks, and still covered by a covenant on the land by the original donor. However, there are moves to change this donation to build upon the land, of which the local residents are ardently opposed to."^[1]

The current Underwood Community Centre building was planned and built by Bishton Community Council in 1990-91. It replaced two former POW huts from the former WWII Prisoner of War camp which were used as the first Community Centre and a boxing club. An extension was added in 1994 consisting of a gym and a meeting room which is managed by the community group: Active Underwood.^[2]

[Aerial film of Underwood]

[Aerial film of the reservoir and Underwood]

People of Underwood:

Crazy Cavan - Cavan John Grogan
John Patrick Savage - The first Doctor in Underwood.
[Michael Sheen]

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwood,_Newport
2. ↑ http://www.bishton.org.uk/Underwood_Community_Centre_16716.aspx