NewcastleGateshead is justifiably renowned for its grand cultural venues – the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, the Theatre Royal and the Metro Radio Arena – but look beyond these celebrated places and you’ll find plenty of other gems, all within walking distance.
Art lovers, for instance, should definitely find room in their itinerary to pay the Biscuit Factory a visit. Housed in a former Victorian warehouse, this is the largest art, craft and design gallery in the United Kingdom. Set over two floors, its beautiful interior houses contemporary fine art, sculpture and original prints, as well as jewellery and homeware – all of it for sale.
If you’re never happier than when your head is stuck in a book, then the Literary & Philosophical Society has a few: over 150,000 of them. The “Lit & Phil” (as everyone in NewcastleGateshead calls it) is the largest independent library outside London and its beautiful interior has remained largely unchanged since it opened in 1825. It also plays host to a variety of events from poetry readings to music concerts.
Situated down by the banks of the river Tyne, Live Theatre is the region’s premier new writing company. Originally founded as a radical theatre company in the early 1970s – whose work reflected contemporary working-class life – it is now housed in Grade I and II listed Georgian bonded warehouses and almshouses.
Actors strongly associated with the company include Tim Healy, Robson Green and Charlie Hardwick, and among the playwrights who have written work for Live are Tom Hadaway, Alan Plater and, more recently, Lee Hall, who went on to score huge success with Billy Elliot and The Pitman Painters.
Cinephiles who like to look beyond the multiplex should certainly find out what is being screened at the Tyneside Cinema. It opened in 1937 as a newsreel theatre, and is now the place in NewcastleGateshead to catch art-house, world and classic films. Originally modelled on a Persian palace, it has been refurbished to show off its 1930s features. The cinema also has an arts programme, holds music events, and its bars and cafes are always worth popping in to, even if you’re not seeing a film.
NewcastleGateshead has a huge array of live music venues – from an 11,000-seater arena to back rooms in pubs featuring up-and-coming acts – but if you hanker for something a bit different, a “little place that I know”, then be sure to check out the Jazz Café. Great for a snack during the day, and a relaxing bar by night, it also stages free jazz events on Saturday evenings, as well as paid gigs during the week. The inventive programme takes in everything from trad to bebop to experimental and its reputation attracts some of the hottest names on the scene.
