Sights in Newcastle
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London Bridge Experience & London Tombs
London’s latest attraction marrying history with hysteria – ‘edutainment’ as it’s (unfortunately) becoming known in these parts – is far and away its scariest. Located in the vaults beneath so-called New London Bridge (dating back to 1831), the history part takes you on a whistle-stop tour of London’s most famous span – from the Romans to the Vikings, from Peter de Colechurch’s ‘Old London Bridge’ (1209) with all the shops, to the American Robert McCulloch, who paid US$2.5 in 1967 for the privilege of transporting the dismantled bridge to Arizona. This is essentially a kids’ show so there’s much focus on such personalities as ‘the Keeper of the Heads’ whose job it was to …
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Life Science Centre
This educational centre, part of the portentously named International Centre for Life (a complex of institutes devoted to the study of genetic science), is one of the more interesting attractions in town. Through a series of several interactive displays and the latest technology, you (or your kids) can discover the incredible secrets of life.
The highlight is the Motion Ride, a motion simulator that, among other things, lets you 'feel' what it's like to score a goal at St James' Park and bungee jump from the Tyne Bridge. There's lots of thought-provoking arcade-style games, and if the information sometimes gets lost on the way, never mind, kids will love it.
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Baltic-The Centre for Contemporary Art
Once a huge, dirty, yellow grain store overlooking the Tyne, Baltic-The Centre for Contemporary Art is now a huge, dirty, yellow art gallery to rival London's Tate Modern. Unlike the Tate, there are no permanent exhibitions here, but the constantly rotating shows feature the work and installations of some of contemporary art's biggest show stoppers.
The complex has artists-in-residence, a performance space, a cinema, a bar, a spectacular rooftop restaurant (you'll need to book) and a ground-floor restaurant with riverside tables. There's also a viewing box for a fine Tyne vista.
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Tyne Bridges
The most famous view in Newcastle is the cluster of Tyne bridges, and the most famous of these is the Tyne Bridge (1925-28), built at about the same time as (and very reminiscent of) Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The quaint little Swing Bridge pivots in the middle to let ships through. Nearby, High Level Bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, was the world's first road and railway bridge (1849). The most recent addition is the multiple-award-winning Millennium Bridge (aka Blinking Bridge; 2002), which opens like an eyelid to let ships pass.
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Bessie Surtee's House
The Tyne's northern bank was the hub of commercial Newcastle in the 16th century. On Sandhill is Bessie Surtee's House, a combination of two 16th- and 17th-century merchant houses - all dark wood and sloping angles. Three rooms are open to the public. The daughter of a wealthy banker, feisty Bessie annoyed Daddy by falling in love with John Scott (1751-1838), a pauper. It all ended in smiles because John went on to become Lord Chancellor. Today it is run in conjunction with English Heritage (EH).
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Newcastle United Football Club
Newcastle United Football Club is more than just a football team: it is the collective expression of Geordie hope and pride as well as the release for decades of economic, social and sporting frustration. Its fabulous ground, St James' Park (box office 261 1571) is always packed. Match tickets go on public sale about two weeks before a game or you can try the stadium on the day, but there's no chance for big matches, such as those against arch-rivals Sunderland.
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Discovery Museum
Newcastle's rich history is uncovered through a fascinating series of exhibits at this excellent Discovery Museum. The exhibits, spread across three floors of the former Co-operative Wholesale Society building, surround the mightily impressive 30m-long Turbinia, the fastest ship in the world in 1897. The different sections are all worth a look; our favourites were the self-explanatory Story of the Tyne and the interactive Science Maze.
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Biscuit Factory
No prizes for guessing what this brand-new public art gallery used to be. What it is now, though, is the country's biggest art shop, where you can peruse and buy work by artists from near and far in a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, glassware and furniture. Prices are thoroughly democratic, ranging from £20 to £25000, but even if you don't buy the art is excellent and there's a top-class restaurant upstairs.
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Seven Stories
A marvellous conversion of a handsome Victorian mill has resulted in Seven Stories, a very hands-on museum dedicated to the wondrous world of children's literature. Across the seven floors you'll find original manuscripts, a growing collection of artwork from the 1930s onwards and a constantly changing programme of exhibitions, activities and events designed to encourage the AA Milnes of the new millennium.
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Laing Art Gallery
The exceptional collection at the Laing Art Gallery includes works by Kitaj, Frank Auerbach, Henry Moore and an important collection of paintings by John Martin (1789-1854), a Northumberland-born artist.
Outside the gallery is Thomas Heatherwick's famous Blue Carpet (2002) with shimmering blue tiles made from crushed glass and resin.
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Castle Garth Keep
The 'New Castle' that gave its name to the city has been largely swallowed up by the railway station, leaving only the square Norman keep as one of the few remaining fragments. It has a fine chevron-covered chapel and great views across the Tyne bridges from its rooftop.
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Guildhall
Just across the street from Bessie Surtee's House is the rounded Guildhall, built in 1658. It now houses a branch of the tourist office.
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