A day in Newcastle - Roman roots, medieval wool and charm galore

Why go to Newcastle? Newcastle upon Tyne, 300 miles north of London, is not on the usual tourist itinerary. As a result, visitors miss experiencing this fine city with its medieval castle, some beautiful streets, buildings, and iconic bridges spanning the historic River Tyne in Northumbria.

While the area surrounding the city has some of the highest unemployment in England, Newcastle itself, once an industrial center for coal exports and shipbuilding, has reinvented itself in recent years and today is a vibrant, thriving city known for its cultural institutions.

How to get to Newcastle?

Trains from London’s King Cross station take about three hours including a quick change at Newcastle station for the nine-minute journey to Newcastle Central Metro, the heart of the city. Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk for train schedules and prices. The popular Angel of the North, a rust-colored steel sculpture created by Antony Gormley in 1998, is the largest work of art in England. It is about eight miles from the center of Newcastle and can be seen from the right-hand side of the train traveling north from London.

Where to stay overnight in Newcastle?

The Vermont Hotel offers an ideal location on Quayside, with reasonable prices and frequent special offers. This independent hotel has views of the castle, which is just next door, from some rooms and views of the Tyne and Millennium Bridges from others. Other accommodation options, and a plethora of information about Newcastle’s attractions and events can be found at www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com.

How to spend a day in Newcastle?

With just one day, it is best to concentrate on Grainger Town and Quayside—two principal neighborhoods of the city within walking distance of each other. If time allows, visit Gateshead, on the south bank of the River Tyne just across from Quayside.

Grainger Town is the geographical heart of the city and contains many of England’s finest neoclassical buildings and streets. Grey Street, which many believe is one of Britain’s architecturally grandest streets, curves beautifully downhill toward the river. The street is dominated by Grey’s Monument, erected in 1838 and topped with a statue of Lord Grey, a local man who was prime minister from 1830 to 1834. The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas has some interesting medieval stained glass and a superb lantern tower. Stop into the Laing Art Gallery, which is home to an impressive number of major 18th- and 19th-century paintings and sculptures.

In the Quayside area, you can see outstanding views of all the bridges spanning the River Tyne. These include the High Level Bridge, the oldest of the existing structures, opened in 1849; the Swing Bridge, opened in 1976; the 1928 Tyne Bridge and the graceful Gateshead Millennium Bridge, which was opened in 2001 and is solely for pedestrians and cyclists. Standing regally above Quayside, the impressive Castle Keep was constructed during the reign of Henry II between 1168 and 1178 to defend Newcastle against Scotland. Today, this stunning building offers an interesting museum and a rooftop with outstanding views across the Tyne.

At the top of a flight of stone steps just above the waterfront is All Saints Church, which was deconsecrated in the 1960s, but is open to the public and is used today for offices. Built at the end of the 18th century, its spire, not part of the original structure, is a landmark in the city. Visit Bessie Surtee’s House, the site of a notorious elopement back in November 1772, to see its Jacobean façade and interesting interior.

Walk over the Millennium Bridge to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, housed in a reconstructed grain mill dating to 1950. The center is known for its frequently changing exhibitions of contemporary art from around the world.

Where to have lunch and/or dinner in Newcastle?

Two suggestions come readily to mind in Grainger Town. Secco at 86 Pilgrim Street offers very good Italian food at reasonable prices. The medieval dining room of Black-friars Restaurant on Monk Street is the oldest in the United Kingdom and makes for a lovely atmospheric meal break. On Quayside, award-winning Café 21 at Trinity Gardens is one of Newcastle’s finest restaurants, and its three-course early bird menu offers exceptional value.

Where to stop for an afternoon tea or coffee in Newcastle?

Tyneside Coffee Rooms on the second floor of 10 Pilgrim Street and Blake’s Coffee House at 53 Grey Street, both near the Grey Monument, are popular with locals and great choices for afternoon refreshments.

What to shop for in Newcastle?

Football is huge in Newcastle and visiting fans might want to pick up a few local souvenirs. Eldon Square is a major destination for shoppers; the recently created St. Andrew’s Mall with 1.4 million square feet of retail space is located there, along with branches of England’s major department stores.

Adjoining the square is Eldon Garden with many independent shops, including The Pen Shop, which opened its doors as a stationery store called T & G Allen in 1858. Today, The Pen Shop is a national chain devoted to writing instruments, but its flagship shop remains in Newcastle.  Established in Newcastle in 1984, Richard Sinton, also located on Eldon Garden, is well known for the contemporary and classic jewelry it sells.

Music lovers might stop into Windows at Central Arcade, in business since 1908, to wander around through three floors of music-related products, ranging from guitars and pianos to CDs and sheet music. 

Grainger Market, open Mondays through Saturdays, is a fine example of a covered market. It contains numerous stalls, including one called the Marks & Spencer Original Penny Bazaar—the world’s smallest branch of the iconic UK department store.

How to spend the evening in Newcastle?

Even those not interested in theater should try to attend a performance at the Theatre Royal in the heart of Grainger Town. The exquisite Palladian entrance offers entry to visiting productions from many of Britain’s finest theater groups, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. This theater, one of England’s most famous, was built in 1837 and reconstructed in 1901 after a devastating fire.

Designed by the well-known architect Norman Foster, the Sage Gateshead at St. Mary’s Square on the waterfront in Gateshead, just across the River Tyne, is a unique landmark and a venue for live musical performances. Take time to explore this building, which Anthony Sargent, its general director, describes as “sweeping glass and steel designs, which perfectly mirror the inspiring vastnesses of the sea and sky which define our region.” 

Or you can enjoy the evening at one of Newcastle’s many pubs including one of the city’s oldest, The Old George, located at Cloth Market.

What is one thing that you may not know about Newcastle?

Newcastle is known to its local population as “the Toon,” because the local dialect, a heavy regional accent called “Geordie,” pronounces the word “town” as “toon.” Newcastle United, the Premier League football team greatly revered here in the north, is called “the Toon army.”

* Originally published in 2016.