Historic Newport landmark could be protected for generations

The black shed in Water Lane has been used for storage for decades, going back to when the stretch of canal going through the town was at its busiest.

Today it is one of the last remaining buildings of its kind in the county, and councillors are looking into the possibility of taking it over.

Over the coming weeks, Councillors Tim Nelson and Peter Scott will be weighing up the pros and cons of the project before reporting back to the town’s full council.

With the 99-year lease will come a obligation to keep it in good repair, and it could take tens of thousands of pounds to preserve.

But Councillor Scott said it was vital work if the shed was to be preserved.

“We feel like if someone doesn’t take it on, it will eventually fall down and we’ll lose it,” he said.

“Our aim is preserve it. It is used by Newport in Bloom, by the canal trust and the history society. We like the idea of taking it over in principle. Tim Nelson and myself have been charged with moving it forward and seeing what the next step is.”

The shed is currently in need of some work, and Councillor Scott said part of their research would include trying to get it to a reasonable state.

“We want to make sure we’re not buying a pig in a poke,” he said.

Ambitions

“It’s going to be a substantial investment. It’s probably one of the only ones left in Shropshire, and we need to preserve what’s there.

“What we won’t do is buy a money pit. We’re going into it with eyes wide open, to make sure we know what it is we’re taking on. At this stage we’ve just moved it to a point where we have to ask some people a lot of questions.”

It is part of a larger effort to preserve Newport’s stretch of canal. Dredging work was carried out on the canal earlier this year to benefit the area’s unusual fish.

“The more we put into preserving the canal and buildings around the canal, the better,” Councillor Scott said.

“It’s unlikely the whole thing will be opened up, but we feel by maintaining it it’s there for the future.

“The canal is one of the nicest walks in Newport. We’ve talked in the past about the ticket house that’s by the shed, turning into coffee house or a place to get ice cream in the summer.

“There are ambitions to do more with what we’ve got.

“Opening the canal is a huge undertaking and would take money we haven’t got.

“We want to make sure if people come to Newport and walk along the canal, it’s a pleasurable experience – a reminder of what was there going back 100 years.”