The Morgan family guided Newport’s growth from a small coastal settlement to a major coal port. The local landowner Sir Charles Morgan helped introduce some of the key reforms before his death in 1846:
1790s connecting Newport by canal to the coal and iron works in the valleys.
1807 laying out the city centre, including the grand Commercial Street to connect the old town with the new Tredegar wharves and docks built at Pillgwenlly .
1840s setting up the Monmouthshire Railway, allowing the docks to export huge quantities of coal.
1840s constructing the Old Town Dock, allowing ships to load and unload without becoming stranded on the river mud at low tide.