Newcastle City Guides

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Newcastle City Guides We aim to provide entertaining and fully researched walks in Newcastle, Gateshead and Tyneside We are all well trained guides who volunteer our services free.

Thank you for your interest in our activities

Newcastle City Guides was set up in 1963 by Newcastle Libraries following a request from a local councillor. All money raised goes to maintaining and developing our programme on a year by year basis

We deliver a wide range of walking tours as above as well as site tours eg Grey’s Monument, the Guildhall and All Saints Church. Come on one of our walks

and you could discover;
- Quayside to view exciting developments on both sides of the Tyne
- Grainger Town the first purpose-built town centre in the country.
- Tyne Bridges - our matchless collection of bridges.
- Gateshead and its heritage and hidden history
- Themed walking tours – each season we deliver a variety of Heritage Walks e.g.discover Newcastle in the C18, see where it was trendy to be seen in the swinging 1960s, the men and women who influenced this area and beyond, or come on one of our graveyard tours – not gloomy at all! We continue to look at how we can bring the history and culture of the area to the public (locals and visitors)

We also provide private tours as well as working with schools, Universities and the Port of Tyne Authority. We provide information to members of the public, journalists, researchers and to NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI). We promote our activities via the NGI website and our Facebook site. In consequence of Covid-19, this year we have been adding photographs and information on a daily basis on our Facebook site. This will continue even when we are able to return to walking tours.

What do you think of this news item?
29/01/2025

What do you think of this news item?

The restaurant where the rich and famous dine out has its eyes on a Tyneside opening

A horse and cart with passengers crosses the sands at Holy Island around 1910. They are by the refuge box in rising tida...
28/01/2025

A horse and cart with passengers crosses the sands at Holy Island around 1910. They are by the refuge box in rising tidal waters. The end of the caption on the photo reads 'Nearly too late.'
Over 100 years later, people in cars are still being caught out by the rising tide on the causeway....

Thanks to Michael Preston of the Newcastle upon Tyne History in Photographs FB Page for this post.

The famous City Hall music venue back in 1977 😍We want to hear what your best night in the building has been over the ye...
28/01/2025

The famous City Hall music venue back in 1977 😍

We want to hear what your best night in the building has been over the years 🕺

(Mine was always the Lindisfarne Christmas concert!)

Thanks to Newcastle World FB Page for this post.

📸 Newcastle Libraries

More exciting updates for Grainger Market! 🚧✨As part of the transformation works, we’re now reviewing the final designs ...
28/01/2025

More exciting updates for Grainger Market! 🚧✨

As part of the transformation works, we’re now reviewing the final designs for the market's entrance doors. To do this, we’ll be surveying each entrance over the next few weeks, starting tomorrow (Thursday, 23 January).

To allow for this, entrances will need to close individually for up to two hours at a time, beginning with entrances 1, 10, and 13.

But don’t worry – with 14 entrances in total, you’ll still have plenty of ways to access our amazing market and enjoy all it has to offer! 🛍️

Thanks for your understanding as we work to make the Grainger Market even better.

Grainger Market

Thanks to Newcastle City Council for this post.

Doric House, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle, 1966 (designed by Robert MacKellar, who designed the Vermont Hotel) The buil...
27/01/2025

Doric House, St Nicholas Street, Newcastle, 1966 (designed by Robert MacKellar, who designed the Vermont Hotel)

The building was named after a brand of to***co called Ogdon's Doric Mix. Doric House was a shop opened in 1922. It had a steel frame, covered in terrazzo and marble chips set in polished cement. It was demolished in the early 1970s. Who remembers Doric House or the public toilets underneath?

Another instalment in the Newcastle - Beatles connection. But first .... I love views across the town moor that capture ...
27/01/2025

Another instalment in the Newcastle - Beatles connection.

But first .... I love views across the town moor that capture the feel of the open spaces on the edge of the city. This photo was taken from Richardson Road in November, the sign warning of and seeking to avoid liability for any injuries caused by the roaming livestock of freemen of the city!

In the background is Castle Leazes, the block of student digs that dates back to the mid-1960s. It is soon due to be demolished and replaced with a new student village. A highly unlikely claim to fame for Castle Leazes is that it hosted an early gig by Paul McCartney and Wings in February, 1972. He was only doing low-key university gigs at this point and as such his appearance at Havelock Hall was just his fourth concert proper since playing San Francisco with the Beatles in 1966.

Details of the new Castle Leazes redevelopment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c19kln8w3v8o

An enormously detailed report with pictures of the McCartney and Wings concert and their stay in Newcastle follows - to whet your appetite I've included Linda McCartney's handwritten notes on the expereince! https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/concert/1972-02-13/

Thanks to Steve Masters of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Buildings & Architects FB Page for this post.

Lovely photo of the entrance to Leazes Park. Beautiful ironwork. Thanks to Martin Oliver of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Buil...
27/01/2025

Lovely photo of the entrance to Leazes Park. Beautiful ironwork. Thanks to Martin Oliver of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Buildings & Architects FB Page for this picture.

26/01/2025

Which of the Tyneside landmarks do you love best?

The Dispensary, Nelson Street, Newcastle, Grade II listed,1927. The Dispensary opened in 1839, having moved from the Sid...
26/01/2025

The Dispensary, Nelson Street, Newcastle, Grade II listed,1927. The Dispensary opened in 1839, having moved from the Side and Low Friar Street. This building would later become a Fruit Exchange.

Metro Viaduct, Byker, 1980s: The elevated of the Metro sections included the 815 m (2,674 ft) Byker Viaduct across the O...
26/01/2025

Metro Viaduct, Byker, 1980s: The elevated of the Metro sections included the 815 m (2,674 ft) Byker Viaduct across the Ouseburn Valley, between Byker and Manors.

Postcard of Castle Stairs, Newcastle, 1904The view is looking up the stairs towards the Castle Keep, with shops on the l...
25/01/2025

Postcard of Castle Stairs, Newcastle, 1904

The view is looking up the stairs towards the Castle Keep, with shops on the left-hand side of the stairs.

Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries

The Mayfair, Newgate Street, Newcastle: The Al Shaw Trio, March 1962. Who remembers these? Photo courtesy of Tyne & Wea...
25/01/2025

The Mayfair, Newgate Street, Newcastle: The Al Shaw Trio, March 1962. Who remembers these? Photo courtesy of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

25/01/2025

Newcastle Central Station, featured in the TV programme the Architecture the Railways Built. Are you a fan of the station?

Swing Bridge, Newcastle, 1889, taken from Gateshead looking across the bridge to Newcastle. The Fish Market is to the le...
25/01/2025

Swing Bridge, Newcastle, 1889, taken from Gateshead looking across the bridge to Newcastle. The Fish Market is to the left of the Swing Bridge and Watergate Building to the right. The High Level Bridge is to the left of the Fish Market. In the background can be seen the Keep the Moothall and the spire of St Nicholas Cathedral. Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries.

Tyne Bridges at sunset, from the Newcastle side of the river, taken by the City Engineers around 1995. Visible are the T...
24/01/2025

Tyne Bridges at sunset, from the Newcastle side of the river, taken by the City Engineers around 1995. Visible are the Tyne Bridge, the Swing Bridge, the High Level Bridge and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries.

23/01/2025

The story of the Tyne Bridge, presented by one of our guides, Tony.

Bainbridge's restaurant in the Chevy Chase part of Eldon Square shopping centre, Newcastle, 1983.
23/01/2025

Bainbridge's restaurant in the Chevy Chase part of Eldon Square shopping centre, Newcastle, 1983.

The Arches, King's Road into Newcastle University Quadrangle, Grade II listed. Photo taken in 2021.The 3 storey building...
23/01/2025

The Arches, King's Road into Newcastle University Quadrangle, Grade II listed. Photo taken in 2021.

The 3 storey building was built in 1911 and designed by W. H. Knowles, as part of Armstrong College, which would eventually form the University. Visible on the picture is a statue of King Edward VII. Photo courtesy of Newcastle City Guides.

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Videos

Wishing all our followers a Happy and Healthy 2025! Thank you all for your continuing support-it is much appreciated. Laser light show video from New Year’s Eve last year.

Our ‘Save our Town Moor’ walk from yesterday afternoon was visited by BBC reporter Ian Reeve and a cameraman. Lead Guide Maria was interviewed by Ian, as were two brothers who were booked on the walk. The cameraman shadowed my group for part of the walk and did some filming of us and the scenery. All very exciting and good publicity for Newcastle City Guides! The video clip below is from yesterday’s ’Look North’ and gives us and our organisation a little bit of fame, as well as giving some Town Moor history and including some archive footage. We promise not to let this go to our heads, and we’re delighted we could be part of the experience!

Thanks to Andrew Robson for recording this video about our new walk, ‘Fog on the Tyne’, which debuted on June 20th, and celebrates the centenary of the passing of an Act of Parliament, which allowed a new bridge to be built across the Tyne. Of course this has become our iconic Tyne Bridge! The walk is a circular one and takes in the other bridges too. Fascinating background to the bridge’s construction and mechanics and how it was used as a 1920s employment scheme. Tony Flynn, our guide who wrote this walk, features in this clip, along with some of the many people who went on the walk with him and with other guides. If you were on this walk why not comment on it below! If you haven’t been on any of our walks yet, why not go to Eventbrite and look us up? Our Heritage themed walks continue through to November and we also do daily Highlights Walks. https://orlo.uk/DQq31

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For the love of our local history

Welcome to our guided walking tours of Newcastle, Gateshead and surrounding districts. Come on one of our walks and you could discover; Quayside – view our exciting developments on both sides of the river Tyne Grainger Town – walk through the first purpose-built town centre in the country. Tyne bridges –see our matchless collection of bridges. Gateshead – heritage and hidden history Themed walking tours – discover Newcastle in the 18th century, perhaps, see where it was trendy to be seen in the swinging 60s or come on one of our graveyard tours – not gloomy at all! In addition we open Grey's Monument to enable our visitors to look out over Newcastle and Gateshead.