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Newcastle

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Newcastle
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Newcastle Travel Guide

  • About Newcastle
Firmly ensconced as one of the most vibrant cities in northern England, Newcastle upon Tyne continues to flourish as a visitor destination. Once a struggling post-industrial centre, it now boasts a fabled nightlife scene and some top cultural attractions, set within a compact city centre.The warmth and humour of the Geordie spirit is legendary (as is the citywide passion for Newcastle United Football Club, or “The Toon”) and visitors can expect an animated experience.On the outskirts, Antony Gormley’s instantly recognisable Angel of the North looms over the landscape, its broad steel “wings” recalling the area’s industrial past. The theme continues in the city itself: much of Newcastle’s renaissance has emerged around the River Tyne with smart new hotels and restaurants looking out onto attractions such as the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art (a former mill) and the still-iconic arch of the Tyne Bridge.Alongside these, however, gleaming projects such as the Millennium Bridge and the remarkable Sage Gateshead bring things spinning into the present day. Collectively, Newcastle and Gateshead have helped stimulate cultural interest in the north east.For history buffs, the city has plenty to offer too with a heritage dating back to Roman times. Newcastle has close links to Hadrian’s Wall and remnants of the stone barricade still survive around the city. Elsewhere, the Castle Keep dates back to the 12th century, while the beautiful Georgian and Victorian facades of Grey Street, including the Theatre Royal, are among the finest in England.That much-vaunted nightlife scene shows no signs of dimming in intensity either – the Bigg Market area is the best known for its after dark antics, but it’s by no means the city’s only hotspot. Then there’s the designer shopping, riverside markets and a lively events calendar that all contribute to Newcastle being one of England’s greatest cities.
  • Newcastle History
Industrial prowess saw its fortunes rise, only to tumble into rapid decline, but Newcastle has reinvented itself with gritty resilience.The Roman emperor Hadrian founded Newcastle between AD120 and AD128, and a sizeable chunk of his famous wall is visible close to the city.After the Romans left, Newcastle became part of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom called Northumbria. In 1080, Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, built a wooden castle in the area, from which the name New Castle derives.A 7m-high (25ft) stone wall was built in the 13th century to keep Scottish invaders at bay. In the following century, Newcastle successfully fended off Scottish attacks three times.Its military strength stimulated trade and the town developed into a major port. From the 16th century, coal replaced wool as the mainstay of the economy.In 1642, when civil war broke out, Newcastle sided with the king but two years later, a parliamentary army laid siege to the town. Newcastle surrendered in October 1644.By the 17th and 18th centuries, other growing industries included rope making, shipbuilding, glass-making and eventually, iron and steel.Shipbuilding and heavy engineering turned the city into a 19th-century industrial powerhouse, and the opening of Robert Stephenson’s High Level Bridge in 1849 linked Edinburgh and London by rail to Newcastle.But unemployment shot up during the 1930s and heavy industries declined in the 20th century. The city’s last coalpit closed in 1956 and was followed by the demise of the shipyards. By the 1970s, the city’s fortunes had slumped.Regeneration has turned the city around. The revitalisation of the Quayside together with the creation of an innovative tilting bridge and joint tourism initiatives with Gateshead in the promotion of the Foster-designed Sage music centre, BALTIC art museum and Angel of the North sculpture have all boosted tourism.
  • Did you know?
Lucozade was originally a health drink created by a Newcastle chemist in 1927. The Tyneside Cinema was built in 1937 by Dixon Scott, great uncle of Ridley and Tony Scott. In 2011, the BALTIC was the first non-Tate venue outside London to host the Turner Prize.
  • Weather in Newcastle
Newcastle has milder temperatures compared to southern England. In the summer (June to September), temperatures are typically around 20°C (68°F), whilst the mercury can fall close to freezing in the winter (December to February). Despite its coastal location, Newcastle is one of the driest cities in the UK because it is in the shadow of the North Pennines. A mixture of music festivals, food shows and art exhibitions take place in the summer months with the annual Great North Run busying the streets each September.

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