Steelworkers memorial relocated to club that was home to many
A MEMORIAL paying tribute to Newport steelworkers who died in both world wars has been relocated to the former social club many of them attended.
Hundreds of men from the Orb steelworks joined the war effort in 1914, with 852 enlisting at the outbreak between August and December alone.
Ten years later a plaque was unveiled in the grounds of the steelworks to commemorate the names of 121 of the men who died in the conflict.
A second plaque was added after the Second World War with the names of a further 27 who died.
The vast works – left by its final employees after 122 years in operation last month – were created when the firm, owned by the Lysaght family then, moved from Wolverhampton to build a factory on the east bank of the Usk in Newport.
And in 1928, the Lysaght Institute in Orb Drive was built by John Lysaght Ltd and its employees, to celebrate the contribution of the workforce to the success of the Orb steelworks.
Standing in more than eight acres of its own grounds, it boasted a popular ballroom, billiard room, skittle alley, public bar and lounge.
Many of the men who worked on the steelworks visited the ‘Stute’ as a social club, or queued around the block with visitors from across South Wales to attend a dance.
After news of the Orb steelworks closure, it and Tata Steel have gifted the cenotaph to the Lysaght Institute, which reopened following a restoration by Linc Cymru in 2012.
It was relocated to the Institute in May, and retrospective planning permission has now been granted by Newport City Council.
“For the Cenotaph to be moved to Lysaght Institute is a moving and fitting tribute to the men who used to socialise at our venue,” said Bethan Blackburn, general manager at Lysaght Institute.
“We are grateful to the Orb steelworks for transferring the
Cenotaph to us and are pleased that the local community will be able to visit it here and pay their respects.
“At Linc, we place great significance on the history of Lysaght Institute and it is vital that we continue to remember all those that made the venue such a key part of local history.
“The Cenotaph will serve as a reminder of the great sacrifice made by the men it commemorates for many years to come.”
A council report said the cenotaph was originally located at the Institute and is considered “a welcomed addition to the site given the historical context”.