Newcastle City Guides

22/12/2024

Littlewoods, Northumberland Street, Newcastle, 1970s. Photo taken by Laszlo Torday. Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries.

22/12/2024

Looking for a Christmas present for a history fan or a treat for you?: Newcastle City Guides 2025 season tickets are now on sale! Special Price: £40/45 until 31st December 2024 (£45-50 afterwards).

Season tickets offer access to over 50 different heritage walks throughout the year, as well as the City Highlights tours, which run daily during the summer. Walking tours usually run on Sunday (afternoon) and Wednesday (afternoon or evening) from May till early November. They make wonderful gifts for anyone interested in the history, heritage and culture of Newcastle, Gateshead and the surrounding Tyneside area.

With Newcastle City Guides

22/12/2024

Gateshead High Street, Gateshead, 1880.

"These are some of the oldest shops on the High Street. They were probably built in the 1700s and house a variety of trades and businesses. From left to right is M.Loffe confectioner, J. Gaddes bootmaker, R. Preston brushmaker and T. McCoy furniture dealer. If you were to head down the alleyway between Preston’s and McCoy’s you would reach Plough Yard where horseshoes and clay pipes were made." (Gateshead Libraries)

22/12/2024

The Northumberland Street entrance to Eldon Square Shopping Centre, Newcastle, taken by the City Engineers, 1982. Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries. The Northumberland Arms is in the lane to the right.

21/12/2024

What's your favourite pub on Tyneside, past or present?

21/12/2024

Today is International Dalek Remembrance Day. The 21st December 1963 is when the Daleks first appeared on our TV screens. Here the Daleks cause havoc in Newcastle in 2015. Photo courtesy of BBC

21/12/2024

Pick and Mix. Can you guess where, when and other details about these pictures? Add the answers into the comments. The answers will be revealed later.

21/12/2024

Binns, 1966, Market Street

Binns occupied the corner of Market Street and Grey Street until 1977. The store then moved further along Market Street, to a premises which had been Bainbridges. Binns in Newcastle closed in 1996. TJ Hughes now occupies part of the old Binns shop.

What memories do you have of this store?

20/12/2024

The Grainger Market, Newcastle, 1965: who used to or still gets their fruit and veg at the Grainger Market? Which fruit do you like at Christmas?

(Image courtesy of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums)

20/12/2024

Grey Street, Newcastle, 1986. Who remembers Newcastle like this?

19/12/2024

The Black Gate, Newcastle, 1895. Photo (lantern slide) owned by J.P. Gibson of Hexham, taken by Edgar G Lee. Thank you for the comments for the extra information. Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries.

19/12/2024

The Callers Christmas Arcade, Northumberland Street, Newcastle, 1964: Can you remember it like this? Did you enjoy looking through the arcade? (Photo Courtesy: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums).

18/12/2024

This undated overhead shot of the Bigg Market and Cloth Market on a market day shows the back of the old town hall, advertising the Tyneside Summer Exhibition which ran between 1963 and 1987 in Exhibition Park. In the bottom left of the photo an awning at the back entrance of the old Bainbridges store provides sun shade. The photo is from 'More Memories of Newcastle' published in 2000.

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

Who remembers when it looked like this?

18/12/2024

Thanks to Steve Masters of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Buildings & Architects FB Page for this post and the photos.
Do you have any memories of this place?

This is a rare photo, taken in the 1970s not long before its closure, of 12-14 Leazes Park Road as a functioning synagogue. Today the building is occupied by House of Savannah, a salon and spa. Martin Oliver has provided further information about the building here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15RsCyxfam/

The interior shot is fascinating for those of us who remember the short-lived Leazes Arcade (1984-1989), a selection of shops which I seem to remember included a record store that specialised in world and folk music - can't remember it's name. Anyone esle recall the arcade or its shops?

The last photo (from Flickr) in the collage shows the same interior adapted for the arcade's purpose, and in comments I've included an example of publicity for the arcade (from Skyscrapercity).

The building has been, in more recent times Hyenas (comedy club).

Both of the exterior photos were taken by me in the last couple of weeks. The synagogue photo is from this website which also included much more information about its Jewish heritage:

https://unejh.humap.site/map/records/leazes-park-road-synagogue

18/12/2024

Thanks to Judith Stepney of the Newcastle upon Tyne History in Photographs FB Page for this post and photo.

'County Hall', the offices of Northumberland County Council from 1910 until 1981 was beside the Moot Hall. The photo shows the entrance to the Vehicle Licensing Department and is dated 1965. The building is now the Vermont Hotel.

17/12/2024

Thanks to Michael Preston of the Newcastle Upon Tyne History in photographs FB Page for this photo of ice skating on the Tyne, taken in 1900. Does anyone recognise where it was taken?

17/12/2024

On December 16th 1964, we were first introduced to Bob and Terry in what became a really popular series: ‘The Likely Lads.’ We then had the pleasure, a bit later on, of watching ‘Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?’ Who enjoyed watching these programmes?

16/12/2024

Christmas at Bamburgh Castle 2022.