Reviews Barnabas Arts House

A truly lovely, comfortable place with a great vibe. Often hosts quality exhibitions alongside an ever-changing display of art in a beautifully converted former chapel with balcony. Also sells jewellery, pottery and other pieces for very reasonable prices. The cafe is brilliant with super friendly staff and a great menu, plus they’ll rustle up most requests too! Free parking outside. Do visit. One of the few places that wins a Highly Recommended from me!

Lovely venue, lovely food, lovely service. Best hot desking place around!

Thursday 27 October 2022 , a fabulous evening at Barnabas Arts House . Canapés and drinks upstairs allowing you to take in the splendour of the place with an eclectic mix of artwork adorning the walls. Jan Martin the owner and genial hostess kept your glass topped up and provided useful information about the Artists whose works were on display. You do not have to be Charles Saatchi to afford the pictures , all reasonably priced. We all then went downstairs for the showing of a wonderful short film about Newport Transporter Bridge and Pill. Pobl Housing Association presented the premiere and Sam from Pobl made a short eloquent speech before the showing putting in context the film and importance of Pill as a multicultural, diverse community. The first part of the Film concentrated on the employees of the Transporter Bridge and their individual histories and connect to the Bridge. Steve “ Sammy “ Sims the former British Featherweight Champion also featured as the stamina he built up running up and down the Bridge in the early 1980s was integral to his fitness and durability sustaining him in the latter stages of hard , gruelling Championship bouts. Steve in the picture attached was interviewed afterwards and the evening was an emotional rollercoaster for him taking him back in time evoking memories of winning a British Boxing Title , a feat only matched by two other boxers from Newport , Johnny Basham and David Pearce. The second part of the Film focussed on the Pill Carnival , it’s rich history and it’s importance to community spirit. The end of the showing brought quiet reflection and some tears illustrative of how a short film can bring home to the viewers the importance of community and the coming together of disparate groups for the greater good. Teas and coffees with delicious Welsh Cakes brought the curtain down on a memorable night. We are very lucky to have Barnabas Arts House in Newport and in its proprietor Jan Martin a versatile , talented lady with a vision that extends beyond her Arts House to ideas for regenerating , re energising Newport that should be heard by the Local Authority. I highly recommend a visit to this Oasis of Culture in Newport.

Fantastic venue for my mum's birthday party. Room was perfect for a smaller sit-down gathering, particularly as we wanted somewhere a little different and quirky. Jan was incredibly accommodating and welcoming making the organising and set up of the party run smoothly. Francesca who runs the cafe upstairs catered my mum's birthday party at Barnabas and the food was all delicious and plentiful. Everything was prepared with care and made fresh with wonderful ingredients. We couldn't have asked for more. She understood what we wanted from the outset and delivered a fabulous middle eastern menu for us that kept our family of foodies very happy indeed. I just wished we lived closer as we'd be eating at her cafe all the time!

One of the best places to go in Newport to relax and have something to eat & more ❤️