Spytty Pill and Monkey island and City Bridge

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Spytty Pill and Monkey Island and City Bridge

Does anyone know how Spytty Pill and Monkey Island became named? Spytty Pill is one of the many tidal inlets on the Usk and the land below it is known as Monkey Island. It is below Newport's City Bridge. It was opened in 2004 as part of the construction/re-generation of the Southern Distributor Road/A48 road in Newport.


copyright: Ace McCarron



The name Pill is defined as the tidal reach of a waterway, suitable as a harbour, but is only common along the Bristol Channel and the Severn Estuary. Here is the entrance to Spytty Pill. The Pill is larger than many on the Usk and divides to create two Reens. Liswerry Pill Reen is to the north. A reen is a running waterway that links a ditch or stream to a river and there are many in the Gwent Levels.  


River Usk and the edge of Spytty Pill, Newport
Viewed from the western side of City Bridge. Link
The gap in the river bank is the western end of Spytty Pill, a tidal inlet of the River Usk.
                              © Copyright Jaggery and licensed for reuse under  this Creative Commons Licence.
Monkey Island, is a promontory along the River Usk in Lliswerry. The piece of land was part of the Orb works off Newport's Corporation Road and got its unusual name because its shape resembles a monkey sitting up. Monkey Island is the area of land separated by the Usk on one side and Spytty Pill on the other side. When owned by the Orb Steel Works,
Monkey Island was used as a landfill site but was then adopted by Newport City Council as public open space. The Argus also informs us that there are plans to put cycle tracks on Monkey Island. It is a designated Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) due to its post-industrial grassland habitat. As for why Spytty Pill was so called, someone suggested that Spytty Pill was a corruption for the Welsh ysbyty meaning hospital. Does anyone know the answer?

In February 2021 Newport City Council commenced work on two new active travel routes in the city.

The routes at Tredegar Park and Monkey Island are intended to add to the city’s existing active travel network, on foot or by cycling. The work on a ramp on Monkey Island ramp has also commenced. The route through Monkey Island will include a connection footway to the nearby housing estate.

The City Bridge carrying the Southern Distributor Road over to Monkey Island
and across Spytty Pill (Source: Google Earth)
accessed  26/06/21


Proposals include a new ramp that will form part of the Active Travel route connecting the north footway of the A48, the Monkey Island open space area and the new housing estate to the south. The ramp will also provide direct access to the wildlife area, which at present can only be accessed by an underpass beneath the viaduct. Improving the access route and providing additional amenities would enhance recreational opportunities in the area and benefit local communities.

For the design for the ramp to Monkey Island see below. 

https://www.newport.gov.uk/documents/Council-and-Democracy/Consultations/Black-Ash-Monkey-Island/Monkey-Island.pdf



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