Introduction to Newcastle upon Tyne
Introduction to the City
Linked by seven bridges, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on
the south bank of the river) have been transformed into a single vibrant and cultural visitor destination:
NewcastleGateshead (think Buda Pest).
Rich in the arts, architecture and history with a great reputation for shopping, a cool, thriving nightlife and a
world-class programme of festivals and events, it’s no wonder NewcastleGateshead has once again
claimed its place as the UK’s favourite English city break destination and is now drawing visitors from
across Europe and beyond.
The breadth and scope of things to see and do in NewcastleGateshead surprises even the most welltravelled visitor; you’ll find a taster of 10 below…
1. Touch the feet of an Angel
The Angel of the North is a multi award-winning 200-tonne sculpture created by artist Antony
Gormley and has become a contemporary icon for NewcastleGateshead. Standing at 20m high, it
is seen by more than 33 million people every year passing by road and rail. Striking from a
distance, the Angel of the North is most breathtaking close up and is well worth the 15 minute drive
from the city centre. Stroll around the grass mound on which the Angel stands and don’t leave
without perching on its giant feet.
2. Watch the bridge wink
Gateshead Millennium Bridge – or the ‘winking eye’ as it is sometimes called – is the world's first
tilting bridge. Situated on the banks of the River Tyne, linking Newcastle Quayside and Gateshead
Quays, it has won a multitude of awards not least the country's top architecture prize. Check out
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/bridge before you visit to find out scheduled tilting times (there are
also information boards at each side of the bridge displaying these times). A spectacular sight, the
Gateshead Millennium Bridge turns on pivots on both sides of the river to form a magnificent
gateway arch resembling the opening and closing of a giant eyelid – have your camera ready!
3. Go Potty about Harry
Further along Newcastle Quayside towards the mouth of the River Tyne is the Ouseburn Valley,
an area which is being transformed into a thriving cultural quarter. Here you’ll find Seven Stories
the Centre for Children’s Books, the only attraction of its kind in the UK offering a unique visitor
experience. This £6.5 million literary project has seen a grade II listed Victorian granary
imaginatively converted into a modern, family friendly and interactive centre, dedicated to the
exploration and celebration of children’s literature. Avid readers of all ages will be delighted to pore
over JK Rowling’s original hand written drafts of the very first, and now very famous, installment of
Harry Potter.
4. Be a culture vulture
No visit to NewcastleGateshead would be complete without soaking up some world-class culture in
two high profile venues, the iconic architecture of which now dominates the Gateshead Quays’
skyline. The Sage Gateshead, a spectacular glass and steel Sir Norman Foster building, is an
international music centre with top notch acoustics. It features performances of all genres – from
folk and classical to jazz and pop. BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, just two minutes walk
along the quays, is based in a converted 1950's grain warehouse. Housing five galleries it offers a
changing programme of contemporary art exhibitions and has a fine-dining roof top restaurant with
amazing, panoramic views of Tyneside. Both are free to enter and well worth exploring.
5. Buy your own masterpiece
The Biscuit Factory is the biggest commercial arts space in Europe, based in a beautifully restored
Victorian building that was indeed once a biscuit factory.
Prices for paintings, sculpture, ceramics and glass range from £20 to £20,000 – whatever the
budget or taste you’re sure to find your very own unique piece of original art to take home.
6. Admire the architecture
Grey Street, in the heart of NewcastleGateshead’s historic Grainger Town, was voted the Best
Street in Britain by listeners of national station BBC Radio 4 and the area boasts more listed
classical Georgian buildings than anywhere else in England, other than Bath and the capital. As
you’re exploring Grainger Town make sure you look up to enjoy the dramatic architecture on offer.
And whilst you’re in this area keep your wallet handy for some of the city’s designer boutiques and
a cluster of fashionable shoe shops.
7. Gourmet Geordies – eat out in style
NewcastleGateshead has been recognised at a national level as a new hotspot of emerging
culinary talent and gourmet excellence having recently scooped two high profile Restaurant Remy
Awards. The outstanding range and quality of the city’s restaurants never fails to surprise first time
visitors, perhaps expecting stottie bread and a bottle of Newcastle Brown as standard Geordie
fare! But a trip to Black Door or Secco Ristorante Salentino (both award-winning venues) will
challenge any outdated preconceptions and is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds. Why not grab
a cocktail or two first in one of the many stylish new bars springing up at almost every corner.
8. Climb the real ‘New Castle’
Newcastle Castle Keep is the site of the ‘New Castle’ built in 1080 which gave the city its name
and was founded by Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror. It overlies the Roman
fortification Pons Aelius. For just £1.50 (adults – or 50p for concessions) climb to the top of the
keep and enjoy some of the best views over the city.
9. Shop till you drop
MetroCentre, Gateshead is once again the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe following
completion of the new Red Mall last year. MetroCentre offers a huge array of high street outlets,
department stores and speciality shops, all under one roof, as well as fun for all the family:
MetroCentre has its very own indoor theme park – the New MetroLand – complete with
rollercoaster, eleven screen cinema and megabowl.
10. And finally…
After a Saturday night out enjoying NewcastleGateshead’s vibrant nightlife – why not relax and
recover gently. Jump on a Metro train to the suburb of Jesmond and enjoy a leisurely coffee in one
of the many pavement cafes on Osborne Road. It’s a bustling little place to relax and watch the
world go by. Stroll across to Armstrong Bridge for the arts and crafts market (every Sunday until
4pm), packed with stalls selling unusual and affordable locally made wares. Then wander through
the wooded valley of Jesmond Dene which is threaded with walks and pretty bridges - complete
with waterfall and a pets’ corner.
Key awards and accolades for the City
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Grainger Town won the Academy of Urbanism’s coveted ‘Great Neighbourhood’ Award 2008 at
a ceremony on 9 November 2008. It beat off stiff competition from London’s Soho and Dublin’s
Temple Bar at the ceremony, which recognises the best urban areas of Britain and Ireland.
NewcastleGateshead Quayside was also named as a finalist in the ‘Great Place’ category.
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North East England has been tipped as a must-see destination for the coming year in the new
edition of Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008. The region is one of only 30 places around the world to
make it into the ‘Go List’ section detailing the up-and-coming destinations.
Newcastle ranked one of the best places to live in Europe in August 2007. According to a poll
carried out by Gallup on behalf of the European Commission, Newcastle was ranked third in
terms of quality of life.
Newcastle Central Station was named the best in Britain winning Britain’s Station of the Year at
the National Rail Awards 2007. It was also voted best large station.
Newcastle was voted ‘Best City in the North’ by Daily Telegraph readers in April 2007.
Readers of leading lifestyle magazine Condè Nast’s Traveller voted NewcastleGateshead the
easiest UK destination to get around in August 2007. NewcastleGateshead also came fourth over
all in the favourite UK cities category just behind Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.
NewcastleGateshead was voted favourite English city break from 2002-05 in the
Guardian/Observer Travel Awards.
Highest scoring city in 2007 survey conducted by Readers Digest to find the best place to bring
up a family in Britain.
Dance City was winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RBIA) awards in May 2007.
According to the Jury Chair the building ‘sits well in its context, brings cohesion to a piece of the
city, and is a delight to be in.’
The streets surrounding Grainger Town were named some of the greatest in England by the
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in May 2007.
The Royal Quays Marina, awarded five Gold Anchors by the Yacht Harbour Association in June
2007, is the only coastal marina in the whole of North England and Scotland to be rated so
highly.
Digital voted fifth Best UK Club (over 800 capacity) – and fifteenth in the world - in the Best of
British Awards hosted by DJ Magazine in May 2007.
Named UK Capital of the Arts in a survey conducted for TV Channel Artsworld in January 2007.
Arts and Leisure News Service (America’s first independent soft news service which goes out
nationally, reaching nine million people across the US) named NewcastleGateshead as ‘Arts &
Leisure News Service 2006-07 favourite city in the United Kingdom’
Location, Location, Location magazine named NewcastleGateshead the North’s hottest property
spot since 2001 with prices rising by 50% (2007).
Recommending a list of 35 top attractions, the Rough Guide to Britain (published in 2006) put
nightlife in NewcastleGateshead at number one.
The Times newspaper named The Sage Gateshead the ‘most exciting music venue in Britain’ in
its assessment of the best British orchestras (2005).
Angel of the North named one of the Seven Wonders of Britain by Sunday Times in 2005
Named one of ‘Europe’s Secret Capitals’ by Time magazine in 2004
Named ‘New Capital of Britain’ by The Times in 2004
Experiencing a ‘brain gain’ in cultural and media industries according to a 2003 study by Demos
(Northern Soul)
Things to do
Newcastle is famous for being a diverse City with attractions to suit everyone’s interests. The Eldon
Square Shopping Centre contains a huge number of shops and is located right in the middle of the
City. Keen shoppers might also like to visit the MetroCentre which can be accessed by bus from the
City Centre.
The City is also famous for its range of bars, nightclubs and restaurants – many of whom may offer
you a student discount. The main areas to visit are:
The Gate – an indoor complex with a number of bars and restaurants as well as a cinema.
The Quayside – you can also see the famous Tyne Bridges
The Bigg Market
There are a huge number of different types of restaurants, including Italian, French, Turkish, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Thai, Greek, and Mexican.
Places to visit
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Metro Radio Arena – hosts music concerts - http://www.metroradioarena.co.uk/
Theatre Royal – stages a diverse range of plays, musicals, pantomimes and Shakespeare http://www.theatreroyal.co.uk/
Northern Stage - http://www.northernstage.co.uk/
Newcastle United Football Club - Championship Football Club located in the centre of the
City - www.nufc.co.uk
The Discovery Museum – The ideal place to find out about life on Tyneside through the
years - http://www.balticmill.com/
The Laing Art Gallery - http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing/
The Centre for Life - http://www.life.org.uk/
The Sage - http://www.thesagegateshead.org/
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art – An exciting art gallery http://www.balticmill.com/
Tyneside Cinema http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/attractions/109/Tyneside_Cinema.html
You can also use our excellent transport links to visit a range of exciting cities by train, including;
Durham (approx 15 mins); York (approx 60 mins) and Edinburgh (approx 90 mins). We are also only 3
hours away from London Kings Cross.
Sources of further information
You might find it useful to visit some of the following websites:
http://www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com/
http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/ecs.nsf/whatson?
http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/2114/NewcastleGateshead_Walking_Guide.html - to access
walking guides to enable you to get to know the City
Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University
You can find out more about our Business School by visiting the website at
www.newcastlebusinessschool.co.uk. You can find the following information:
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An introduction to the business school
Our latest news – what are we doing?
Information about the staff that will teach you
You can also visit the main University website at www.northumbria.ac.uk which contains lots of
information such as:
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Maps of our campuses (The Business School is located in City Campus East)
Directions to help you find our University for the first time
Details about the support that is available for our international students
Additional information about student support services
Information about our sports facilities
Introduction to our library and IT facilities – including how you can use your own laptops to
access the internet in the Business School
Link to the Students Union website