If you told us eight years ago that the Bigg Market's then dilapidated and infamous public toilets would be turned into a wine bar, we'd have told you to ease off the drink.
But Steve Blair saw potential in the subterranean Gents' long after they closed their doors in 2012. Steve looked to London, where former underground public toilets have been repurposed. He saw the closed-down toilets in another light and decided to buy them give them a new lease of life as a wine bar.
On Friday, the playfully named WC - standing for Wine and Charcuterie or Wine and Cocktails - served its first customers, who came to spend a few pounds on wine rather than to spend a penny.
The four-year restoration project cost more than £100,000. As this before-and-after video shows, it's a remarkable transformation.
For Newcastle City Council and NE1, the conversion is a landmark moment in the on-going transformation of the Bigg Market.
Alex Slack, Bigg Market project manager at NE1, said: "This is the thing that’s caught people's imagination most. The WC is an important part of the Bigg Market, it sits right in the middle and has done since 1898.
"It’s quite symbolic because it’s the biggest transformation, taking something disused and bringing it back into use is a symbol for the whole project."
Take a look at the video to see the full effect of the renovation and transformation from its original purpose when built 122 years ago.
