Newcastle-under-Lyme Friary

Transcription

For this city centre walk, we’re journeying to the North East of England, and the historic city of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. It starts in Grainger Town, heads past the Holly Jesus Hospital, through Manor and Northumbria University, past the Monument, through China Town and Blackfriars, before arriving back at the start. It’s about 4 ½ miles and should take about 3 hours – or slightly more with the excellent shopping! Arriving in the city by train means to best place to begin is Grainger Street, in Grainger Town – the historic heart of Newcastle. Based around classical streets built by local born developer Richard Grainger, Grainger Town features some of the finest buildings in the city. Of Grainger Towns’ 450 building, 244 are listed. The area features are grade 1 listed covered market, home to perhaps the smallest branch of Marks & Spencer – a market stall. We continue onto Grey Street , built in the 1830s by Grainger and the architect John Dobson – who later designed Newcastle Central railway station. Grey Street is the home of the magnificent Theatre Royal, with perhaps the finest Theatre facades in the UK. It was built in 1837 and opened 3 months before Queen Victoria came to the throne. It is rumoured the ghosts of 2 ladies haunt the theatre – one is of an actress who committed suicide in 1935, and the other a woman who was thrown over one of the balconies to her death. We carry on along Grey Street and turn left on to Mosley Road, and here at number 13, a young Joseph Swan joined John Mawson’s chemist business in 1846. It was Swan’s experiments here that led to his invention of bromide paper for photographic printing – a version of which is still used today. Swan’s other major invention - the incandescent electric light bulb – has only just begun to be phased out of use, some 140 years later. At the corner with the Pilgrim Street roundabout, we turn right, and head underneath the busy road via the subway, which brings us out beneath the impressive viaduct which carries the East Coast Main Line above parts the city. Around the other side, and in view of the famous Tyne Bridge built in 1928 are the remains of something rather more older – Newcastle’s medieval town walls. This is a corner tower, one of 17 along the 3 km or 2 miles long wall, with protected the town against the threat of invasion from Scottish armies. Much more of the old town walls survive in the west side of the city, and we’ll see more of them later. Back under the viaduct, and in front is the Holly Jesus Hospital, opened in 1682, and built on the spot once taken by an Augustinian Friary which existed here between the early 1300s and 1539. It wasn’t a hospital in the way we know today, but sheltered accommodation for the retired skilled workers and tradesman of the town – called freemen. Their widows and unmarried dependant children could also apply. Each room was home to only one person - all of the cooking, eating and sleeping was done in this room. At the time, the rooms were considered very large for one person and records show that it was normal for up to eight people to live in a room the same size on the quayside. The Holy Jesus Hospital was lived in until 1937, and today it is owned and cared for by the National Trust. Heading back under through the subway and onto Pilgrim Street, bearing North West, and on the left is Alderman Fenwick’s house – a Grade 1 listed early 17th century merchant’s house, which was greatly restored by the Tyne and Wear Buildings Preservation Trust in the 1990s. It is important as it is one of only two intact 17th century brick buildings that survive in the city – the other being the Holy Jesus Hospital. At the top of Pilgrims Street, we take a right onto New Bridge Street West and past the Laing Art Gallery, which houses an extensive collection of paintings by local artist John Martin. They also do a good cup of tea... From there, it’s over the very busy A167(M) towards Manors. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries which started in 1536, the Augustinian Friary which was on the site of the Holly Jesus Hospital was taken-over by King Henry 8th and the surrounding area became known as Kings Manor. Next, it’s a walk through the modern campus of Northumbria University – the original Newcastle Polytechnic. This City Campus East opened in September 2007, with this new footbridge opening in 2008. This is Number 4 Ellison Place, which was the birth place of Cardinal Basil Hume, leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales from 1976 until his sudden death from abdominal cancer in 1999. Just around the corner is the City Hall, which opened in 1927. Across the road is an often overlooked piece of public art on the side of BHS – depicting many events in the history of Newcastle through the ages.. It was made by Henry & Joyce Collins – whose work can also be seen in the BT Tower in London Resisting the call from the shops on Northumberland Street, we turn right towards Grey’s Monument – built in 1838 to acclaim Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey for passing the Great Reform Act of 1832, which introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the UK. The column is 40 metres high – that’s 130 feet – and was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green – with the statue created by the sculptor Edward Hodges Baily – Nearby on Blackett Street, is Old Eldon Square, which was built in 1824. It’s a lovely public square, and is the site of a war memorial and the location for the City’s Remembrance Day commemorations. At the traffic lights we turn left onto Newgate Street and are welcomed by the oldest church in the city – the parish church of St. Andrews, the oldest part of which dates back to the 12th century. There was possible an earlier church here dating back to Saxon times. The building contains more old stonework than any other church in Newcastle. The church tower received a battering during the Siege of Newcastle by the Scots and three of the cannonballs are still in the church. At the corner of the church, we turn right and head up St Andrews Street. The Chinese Gate was constructed in 2005 and is decorated to bring luck and prosperity... ...which is exactly what the fans of Newcastle United would like for their beloved Toon. Walking around the town wall finds us at one of the most important theatres in the country, the Journal Tyne Theatre, as it still retains its original 19th century stage machinery. Just outside the theatre is one of the best surviving sections of the Newcastle Town Wall, where the remains of four of the original 17 towers can be seen – along with the outer ditch, knows as King’s Dyke. Contining half way down China Town’s Stowell Street, and through the alleyway on the right, and here is remains of Blackfriars – a 13th century friary. The remaining buildings of the cloisters have been restored and now house a range of craft workshops and a restaurant. Turning left out of Blackfriars and then right takes us on to Newgate Street, the poisiton of one of the original gate in the town wall – and we’re back at Grainger Street ending this walk through Newcastle’s interesting past. Subtitles copyright 2011 Nova Subtitling