 New Passage was for many years the location of a ferry crossing to and from South Wales, running from Chiswell Pill near Pilning to Black Rock at Portskewett in Monmouthshire.The route provided an alternative to the centuries-old Aust ferry two miles (3 km) upstream, known as the "Old Passage".The New Passage, which offered a more direct route to South Wales, was probably in operation from 1630, when the New Passage Ferry Company was formed.