Shattered glass and broken bits of wood line the floors of the once-beautiful ballroom upstairs in the impressive .
Previously a bustling hub of life in the heart of a , the massive building is an eerie shadow of its former self.
Famed for being the location of the Chartist Uprising in 1839 - the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in Great Britain - the Newport hotel went through plenty of changes over the years before it finally closed its doors in the early 2000s.
In 1839, 22 men were shot dead by the authorities outside the Westgate Hotel on Commercial Street during the uprising. Led by John Frost, the Chartists marched to Newport, fighting for better voting rights as per their six-point charter.
And now the Grade-II listed hotel is set to re-open for the launch of a Chartist-inspired graphic novel, Newport Rising.
The famous building has a long and varied history.
Dr Adam Coward, data enhancement assistant at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, explained: "The original building dates from 1709, and was rebuilt to design of E. A. Lansdowne in 1886 (not 1887 as reported in some sources).
However, the modern hotel, built on the site in the late 1880s, is rumoured to have retained pillars with bullet holes from the uprising in earlier in the century.
Dr Coward added: "The pillars, and the shot allegedly embedded in them, form something of a question in the records.
"Our and Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust’s argument that the pillars in question may still be the ones in place owing to the retention of the earlier Regency entrance does appear to have merit, especially as this description of the re-built building specifically notes the retention of the old pillars and the bullet holes."
But while the pillars may be original, the alleged bullet hole appears to be just that.
"You will hear many people in Newport tell you that the holes inside the porch of the Westgate Hotel are Chartist bullet holes," said Oliver Blackmore, the collections and engagement officer at Newport Museum and Art Gallery.
"In reality, they are simple railing holes.
"The present Westgate Hotel was built some 45 years after the Newport Uprising.
"It is said that when the old Westgate Hotel was demolished, lead bullets were found embedded in the timbers that supported the porch.
"This probably gave rise to the present myth."
David Daniel, is the project development officer at Our Chartist Heritage, the team who are fixing up the site for the launch of the graphic novel.
After a tour of the impressive, dilapidated building, he said: "The building was last in use, we believe, as Baltica night club in the early 2000s.
"Prior to that it was Toad - I think was a nightclub/hotel, before that it's kind of an unknown but certainly in the '80s and beyond it was in use as a main hotel in Newport; Masonic meetings, wedding receptions, things like that.
"Over a period of time, there have been a various refurbishments to the building. There's some damage to areas of the hotel, including the ballroom.
"It does still feature the legendary - some would say mythical - pillars with what some people say are bullet holes."
And if this look inside the famous hotel has piqued your interest, you can visit the site from July 12-20 when the Our Chartist Heritage team are welcoming members of the public to view Chartist artwork. The Newport Rising graphic novel will be available to view and purchase here too.
