Visit Newcastle upon Tyne Places

Visit Newcastle upon Tyne Place – things to do & explore

  

Newcastle upon Tyne places overview by Walkfo

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Newcastle upon Tyne history

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Roman

The first recorded settlement in what is now Newcastle was Pons Aelius (“Hadrian’s bridge”), a Roman fort and bridge across the River Tyne . It was given the family name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who founded it in the 2nd century AD . This suggests Hadrian may have visited the site and instituted the bridge on his tour of Britain . Fragments of Hadrian’s Wall are visible in parts of Newcastle, particularly along the West Road .

Anglo-Saxon and Norman

After the Roman departure from Britain, Newcastle became part of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria . Conflicts with the Danes in 876 left the settlements along the River Tyne in ruins . Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, erected a wooden castle in 1080 . The wooden structure was replaced by a stone castle in 1087 .

Middle Ages

In 1400 Newcastle was separated from Northumberland and made a county of itself by Henry IV . A 25-foot (7.6 m) high stone wall was built around the town in the 13th century . William the Lion was imprisoned in Newcastle in 1174 .

16th to 19th centuries

From 1530, a royal act restricted all shipments of coal from Tyneside to Newcastle Quayside, giving a monopoly in the coal trade to a cartel of Newcastle burgesses known as the Hostmen . The phrase taking coals to Newcastle was first recorded contextually in 1538 . In the 1630s, about 7,000 out of 20,000 inhabitants of Newcastle died of plague, more than one-third of the population .

20th and 21st centuries

The city acquired its first art gallery, the Laing Art Gallery in 1904, so named after its founder Alexander Laing, a Scottish wine and spirit merchant who wanted to give something back to the city in which he had made his fortune . Council housing began to replace inner-city slums in the 1920s, and the process continued into the 1970s . Unemployment hit record heights in Newcastle during the Great Depression of the 1930s . During the Second World War, the city and surrounding area were a target for air raids as heavy industry was involved in the production of ships and armaments .

Newcastle upon Tyne culture & places

Nightlife

The Rough Guide to Britain placed Newcastle upon Tyne’s nightlife as Great Britain’s no. 1 tourist attraction . In the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Destination Awards, Newcastle was awarded third place in Europe (behind London and Berlin) and seventh place in the world .

Food

Osborne Road in Jesmond was awarded fourth place in the UK Google Street View awards for the “foodie” category . Newcastle is one of the seven UK cities with its own Chinatown, appropriately containing many Chinese restaurants . The UK’s largest bakery chain, Greggs, was founded and is headquartered in Newcastle .

Theatre

The original Theatre Royal in Newcastle was opened on 21 January 1788 and was located on Mosley Street . It was demolished to make way for Grey Street, where its replacement was built . Stephen Kemble of the well-known Kemble family managed the original theatre for 15 years (1791–1806)

Literature and libraries

The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne is the largest independent library outside London . The Morden Tower, run by poet Tom Pickard, is a major venue for poetry readings in the North East .

Festivals and fairs

In either January or February, Newcastle’s Chinatown becomes the focus point of celebrations for the Chinese New Year with carnivals and parades . Evolution Festival, a music festival that attracted tens of thousands of attendees, took place in May from 2002 until 2013 and was described as “the biggest festival Tyneside has ever staged” The Hoppings, the largest annual collection of travelling fairs in Europe, comes together on Newcastle Town Moor every June .

Music

The 1960s saw the internationally successful rock group The Animals emerge from Newcastle night spots such as Club A-Go-Go on Percy Street . Venom, reckoned by many to be the originators of black metal and extremely influential to the extreme metal scene as a whole, formed in Newcastle in 1979 . Andy Taylor, former lead guitarist of Duran Duran was born here in 1961 .

Concert venues

The largest music venue in Newcastle is St James Park, home of Newcastle United . The second largest venue is the Metro Radio Arena, which opened in 1995 . The Riverside music venue on Melbourne Street, open from 1985 until 1999, notably hosted Nirvana’s first European show in 1989 .

Independent Cinema

Newcastle has multiple independent cinemas, including the Tyneside Cinema, located on Pilgrim Street . It originally opened as the ‘Bijou News-Reel Cinema’ in 1937, and was designed and built by Dixon Scott, great-uncle of film directors Ridley Scott and Tony Scott .

Museums and galleries

There are several museums and galleries in Newcastle, including the Discovery Museum and the Great North Museum . The Laing Art Gallery has collections digitised on the Google Cultural Institute .

TV and film

The earliest known film featuring exterior scenes was On the Night of the Fire (1939) The Clouded Yellow (1951) and Payroll (1961) feature more extensive scenes filmed in the city . The gangster thriller Get Carter (1971) was shot on location in and around Newcastle . I, Daniel Blake (2016) won the Palme d’Or award at Cannes Film Festival and BAFTA for Outstanding British Film .

Newcastle upon Tyne geography / climate

The city is located on the north-western bank of the River Tyne, approximately 46 miles (74 km) south of the border with Scotland. The ground beneath the city is formed from Carboniferous strata of the Middle Pennine Coal Measures Group. Grey Street was voted England’s finest street in 2005 in a survey of BBC Radio 4 listeners. The city has an extensive neoclassical centre referred to as Tyneside Classical.

Ouseburn

The wooded gorge of the Ouseburn in the east of the city is known as Jesmond Dene . The springtime dawn chorus at 55 degrees latitude has been described as one of the best in the world . The dawn chorus has been professionally recorded and used in various workplace and hospital rehabilitation facilities .

Quayside

Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside is famous for its series of dramatic bridges, including the Tyne Bridge of 1928 and the Swing Bridge of 1876 . It is now a thriving, cosmopolitan area with bars, restaurants, hotels and public spaces .

Grainger Town

The historic heart of Newcastle is the Grainger Town area of the city centre . Established on classical streets built by Richard Grainger, a builder and developer, between 1835 and 1842 . Of the 450 buildings, 244 are listed, of which 29 are grade I and 49 are grade II*.

Housing

The Tyneside flat was the dominant housing form constructed at the time when the industrial centres on the Tyne were growing most rapidly . A new development in the Ouseburn valley has recreated them; Architects Cany Ash and Robert Sakula were attracted by the possibilities of high density without building high .

Climate

Data in Newcastle was first collected in 1802 by the solicitor James Losh . Situated in the rain shadow of the North Pennines, Newcastle is amongst the driest cities in the UK . The nearest weather station to provide sunshine statistics is at Durham, about 14 miles (23 km) south of Newcastle .

Environment

The city is located within the North East Green Belt, also known as the Tyne and Wear Green Belt . The green belt surrounds Brunswick Village, Dinnington, Callerton, Hazlerigg, Throckley, Walbottle, and Woolsington . Popular locations such as Ryton Island, Tyne Riverside Country Park and Newcastle International Airport fall inside the green belt .

You can visit Newcastle upon Tyne places and use Walkfo Newcastle upon Tyne to discover the history & things to do in Newcastle upon Tyne whilst walking with our free digital tour app. Walkfo Newcastle upon Tyne has 241 places on our Newcastle upon Tyne map with history, culture & travel facts that you explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Newcastle upon Tyne, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route – you choose where you want to go, when you want to go and Walkfo Newcastle upon Tyne will keep up.
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With millions of places including tourist walks, Newcastle upon Tyne travel destinations, National Trust locations converted to audio experiences, our Newcastle upon Tyne places AI guide will help you get the best from your visit to Newcastle upon Tyne & the surrounding areas. The Newcastle upon Tyne places app for iPhone & Android delivers hidden history, interesting culture and amazing facts in interactive audio stories in response to where you walk at National Heritage sites, tourist attractions, historic locations or city streets, with no predefined walk map requirements.

“The Walkfo AI has curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 241 audio facts unique to Newcastle upon Tyne places forming an interactive Newcastle upon Tyne map for you to explore.”

Walkfo’s Visit Newcastle upon Tyne Places Map
241 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Newcastle upon Tyne historic spot	Newcastle upon Tyne tourist destination	Newcastle upon Tyne plaque	Newcastle upon Tyne geographic feature
Walkfo Newcastle upon Tyne tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Newcastle upon Tyne

  

Best Newcastle upon Tyne places to visit

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Newcastle upon Tyne has many places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Newcastle upon Tyne’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Newcastle upon Tyne’s information audio spots:

Tyne Rowing Club Tyne Amateur Rowing Club (TARC) is the longest established rowing club on the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Milecastle 9 Milecastle 9 (Chapel House) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall. Its remains exist partially as a low platform, and are located in West Denton (to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne)

Milecastle 10 Milecastle 10 (Walbottle Dene) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall. It is located near to the modern village of Throckley in Tyne and Wear, northern England. It has been excavated several times and its walls located, though the remains have been damaged by ploughing.

Lemington Glass Works Lemington Glass Works was the site of glass production in Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, for over 200 years. All that remains now is its iconic last glass cone, a famous local landmark.

Milecastle 11 Milecastle 11 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall. No remains exist, but the measured position is the middle of the old village of Throckley Bank Top, under the Working Men’s Club.

Milecastle 8 Milecastle 8 (West Denton) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall. Its remains are located in West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne. The milecastle has two associated turret structures that are known as turret 8A and turret 8B.

Newcastle Racecourse Newcastle Racecourse is a horse racing course located at Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, owned by Arena Racing Company. It stages both flat and National Hunt racing, with its biggest meeting being the Northumberland Plate held annually in June.

Gosforth Park Gosforth Park is a park north of Gosforth in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. It houses Newcastle Racecourse, Virgin Money Unity Arena, a Britannia hotel, two golf courses, a garden centre and a football centre. It is also home to Gosforth Nature Reserve, a private SSSI managed by the Natural History Society of Northumbria.

Gosforth House Gosforth House now known as Brandling House is a Grade II listed building built as a mansion house. It is now serving as a hospitality and conference centre at Gosforth Park Racecourse.

Gosforth Nature Reserve Gosforth Nature Reserve is a wildlife haven in Tyne and Wear. It includes extensive woodland and wetland habitats. Access to the reserve is restricted to NHSN members and those in possession of a valid day pass. Dog walking and other recreational activities are not permitted on site.

Visit Newcastle upon Tyne plaques