Schmap Newcastle upon Tyne Neighborhood Guide

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Newcastle upon Tyne - Neighborhood Guide
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Newcastle upon Tyne Home
Schmap Newcastle upon Tyne guide and map

Newcastle is the unofficial capital of north-east England. A city of both tradition and innovation, where old and new comfortably co-exist, it inspires a fierce loyalty among its “Geordie” population. But it is a cosmopolitan place (famed for its hospitality), which has accepted many immigrant groups, and welcomed generations of students to its universities. Here is a look at some of central Newcastle's most notable areas.

Bigg Market

The area known as “the Bigg Market” actually comprises Bigg Market, Groat Market, and Cloth Market. The offices of the Newcastle's local newspapers are situated here. A small fruit and vegetable market operates three days a week in the recently prettified square, where wooden seating provides a welcome rest for shoppers. But it is after dark that the place really comes alive, offering the loudest, brashest, nightlife in the city. With 15 pubs you can have a pub crawl without walking more than a hundred yards. Takeaways selling pizzas, kebabs, Chinese food, and baked potatoes give ample opportunity for soaking up excess beverage. If you prefer to eat sitting down, choose Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. For something more formal there are Greek and Indian restaurants.

Grey Street

From its towering column, the statue of Earl Grey (who instituted major electoral reforms in the nineteenth century, but is probably best remembered for the tea that bears his name) gazes along what former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman once called the finest curved street in England. Although generally quieter than the bustling streets around it, it does have pubs, restaurants, cafes, and a few shops. It also boasts the Victorian splendour of the Theatre Royal, which is regularly visited by prestigious touring companies, most notably the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Haymarket

Adjacent to the main campuses of both universities, Haymarket understandably caters for students, with an academic bookshop (necessary evil), banks (for acquiring those overdrafts), takeaways (because students never cook), and an Oxfam shop (student heaven). Marks and Spencer is here, and also entrances to the Eldon Square and Eldon Garden shopping centres. There are several pubs here, most of them popular with students. Also in this area are the Newcastle Playhouse & Gulbenkian Studio Theatre, the Museum of Antiquities, and Haymarket Bus Station. The Hancock Museum is just around the corner.

Quayside

This is the oldest part of Newcastle, and was for many years in a state of decay. Recently, however, the decline has been reversed. Some of the old warehouses and residences (many dating back to the sixteenth century) have been converted into pubs, restaurants, and apartments without compromising the original architecture. Complementing the renovation there has been recent construction of hotels, offices, pubs, housing, and the Crown Court. Development continues, and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge now links the Quayside with the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art across the Tyne in Gateshead.

Every Sunday there is a street market, with stalls selling clothes, books, records, and much else. Perhaps less vibrant and varied than in former years, it is still worth a visit. Other attractions include the Live Theatre in Broad Chare which specialises in innovative productions, and Bessie Surtees House in Sandhill, a rare example of timber-framed Jacobean domestic architecture. But one of the nicest things to do at the Quayside is simply to stroll. There are broad paved areas fronting the river, with seating, and a number of intriguing sculptures to look at.

The area has very few shops, but with a couple of dozen pubs, varying from the trendy to the traditional, four night clubs, a handful of hotels, and more than twenty restaurants offering various cuisines and spanning the spectrum from the affordable to the exclusive, the Quayside is the place for anything from a quiet business lunch to a noisy Saturday night out.

Stowell Street

Newcastle's Chinatown, where even the litter bins and telephone kiosks resemble pagodas. With more than fifteen varied restaurants and an express takeaway, there should be something here to suit all palates and all pockets. There is also a Chinese supermarket, a craft shop that offers advice on Feng Shui, a couple of oriental herbalists, and the offices of the North East Chinese Association. Chinese New Year is marked with colourful parades featuring dragon dances.

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City Centre

Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom

Newcastle's city centre is certainly not behind the times. The city centre has many shopping areas, including Eldon Square, where the largest Fenwick department store in the country is located. Northumberland Street was ranked as the most expensive shopping road in the U.K., outside of London, for sellers to rent out. The district also contains the largest music venue in the city, Metro Radio Arena, which seats 11,000. In addition to all the entertaining aspects of the city centre, it also plays host to the country's first Biotechnology Village, called the "Centre for Life." The city council considers it the first big step to making Newcastle the "science city."

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: A Burney

Photo: thierry1498

Photo: Mick Donnelly

Gosforth

Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom
Located north of the city centre, Gosforth houses two of Newcastle's 26 electoral wards: Gosforth East and Gosforth West. The district only became a part of the city in 1974. Waves of residential development over the years left Gosforth brimming with homes from many different time periods. Even today there is a high demand for new homes, as Gosforth is an upmarket area. Gosforth is considered the host of one of the best state schools in England and is located on the Great North Road, also called the A1, the longest road in Great Britain, running from London, England, to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: aeireono
Photo: Dan Brady
Photo: H Pettigrew

Grey Street

Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom
From its towering column, the statue of Earl Grey (who instituted major electoral reforms in the nineteenth century, but is probably best remembered for the tea that bears his name) gazes along what former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman once called the finest curved street in England. Although generally quieter than the bustling streets around it, it does have pubs, restaurants, cafes, and a few shops. It also boasts the Victorian splendour of the Theatre Royal, which is regularly visited by prestigious touring companies, most notably the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Steve Crawford
Photo: moaksey
Photo: Richard Gillespie
Photo: Alex Mayer
Photo: Ricco Scheepers
Photo: Chris Chambers

Jesmond

Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom
Situated just north of the city centre, Jesmond is a largely residential district. The homes here are among the most expensive in the city. Jesmond has a large student population, as many students attending the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumbria University call it home. Hotels along Osborne Road have become known for their bars and, because of this, the road is legendary among the partying, clubbing and drinking crowds. The largest shopping area in Jesmond, Acorn Road, was laid out before cars were common so the roads are very narrow.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Alex Mitrani
Photo: gar64wo
Photo: Hannah
Photo: Matt Keeble
Photo: Dave Dillon
Photo: Paul Rogers
Photo: Graham Craig
Photo: weardale one

Photo: Philip Booth
Photo: Paul McLaughlin

Quayside

Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom
This is the oldest part of Newcastle, and was for many years in a state of decay. Recently, however, the decline has been reversed. Some of the old warehouses and residences (many dating back to the sixteenth century) have been converted into pubs, restaurants, and apartments without compromising the original architecture. Development continues, and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge now links the Quayside with the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art across the Tyne in Gateshead. Every Sunday there is a street market, with stalls selling clothes, books, records, and much else. But one of the nicest things to do at the Quayside is simply to stroll. There are broad paved areas fronting the river, with seating, and a number of intriguing sculptures to look at.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Sally Anderson
Photo: Chris Graham
Photo: design by dicken
Photo: Mandy Charlton
Photo: Peter Wagener
Photo: Philip Cardiff
Photo: Steve Hobbs
Photo: Paul Curran

Photo: Robin L
Photo: Keith Hall
Photo: Dave Baker
Photo: Nick Woodfine
Photo: mark wears
Photo: Kevin Richardson
Photo: la_belle_hexe
Photo: Paul McDonnell

Photo: Paul Clayton
Photo: greginstockton
Photo: Left Angle Photographs

Stowell Street

Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom
Newcastle's Chinatown, where even the litter bins and telephone kiosks resemble pagodas. With more than fifteen varied restaurants and an express takeaway, there should be something here to suit all palates and all pockets. There is also a Chinese supermarket, a craft shop that offers advice on Feng Shui, a couple of oriental herbalists, and the offices of the North East Chinese Association. Chinese New Year is marked with colourful parades featuring dragon dances.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: yd 'whydee' leong

Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Newcastle upon Tyne - Neighborhood Guide"
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne - Historical Background
Newcastle upon Tyne - Where to Stay
Newcastle upon Tyne - Dining & Drinking
Newcastle upon Tyne - Art & Entertainment
Other nearby cities:
York (119 miles)
Leeds (130 miles)
Edinburgh (149 miles)
Manchester (174 miles)
Sheffield (179 miles)
Glasgow (192 miles)
Liverpool (199 miles)
Birmingham (277 miles)
Belfast (280 miles)
Cambridge (325 miles)

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