Old Newcastle

I invite you to read my post about ‘Old’ Newcastle on the Broad Oak Magazine blog. You may also like to read my previous post there about Cragside.

Journey To…

…The Coach House at Crookham.

After an unexpected summer day in Tynemouth it was time to say goodbye to both Newcastle and Tynemouth and journey to our next destination.

Newcastle Moot Hall

A moot hall is a meeting or assembly building, traditionally to decide local issues:

In Anglo-Saxon England, a low ring-shaped earthwork served as a moot hill or moot mound, where the elders of the hundred would meet to take decisions. Some of these acquired permanent buildings, known as moot halls. However, many moot halls are on relatively new sites within later settlements.

Newcastle’s Moot Hall is situated directly opposite the Vermont Hotel.  It is currently used as a Court of Law, but it can be hired for weddings, events and filming:

Type of court:

Crown Court used for criminal and civil cases

Description:

Two large courtrooms with oak fixtures and fittings

Date and period:

Building is Georgian dating from 1812, with the courtrooms restored to Victorian design from 1875

Key features:

The entrance is up a broad flight of sandstone steps and Grecian portico to the entry hall and magnificent staircase beyond, leading to balcony on the first floor. The chandelier lit Grand Jury Room has splendid views over the river Tyne and it’s bridges. Two traditional oak Courtrooms dating from 1875 have trapdoors in the docks leading down to the cell area with original studded doors and shackle rings. Both courts have oak canopied Judges benches and extensive public galleries.

External features:

Described on completion as the most perfect specimen of Doric architecture in the North of England, the Moot Hall has a columned portico to the front, whilst the design of the rear is based on the Parthenon in the Athens.

A Quayside Stroll to Dinner

A Room with a Sunshine View

The Castle Keep – Chapel

The chapel lies below the main entrance stairway. In the middle ages it could only be entered from the outside through a small door to the left of the stairs. The chapel consists of a small nave set at right angles to the chancel, and was partly restored by John Dobson in 1848. It is now entered from within the keep by a doorway cut through the medieval masonry.

The Castle Keep

The castle at Newcastle is situated on a steep sided promontory overlooking the River Tyne.

It is a naturally defensible site, which archaeological excavations show has been occupied for nearly 2000 years.  Flint flakes and a stone axe head hint at prehistoric activity, and the grooves left by early ploughs – ard marks – have been found in the clay subsoil.

From the mid-2^nd century until the beginning of the 5^th century a Roman fort – Pons Aelius – stood here, guarding the river crossing below.  The name refers to the Roman bridge (pons) across the River Tyne, and to its builder, the Emperor Hadrian, whose family name was Aelius.  The site of the bridge was probably close to the present Swing Bridge.

The castle keep as we see it today is the product of a number of restorations over the years:

Despite these changes the keep remains one of the best examples of its type in the country.  The names used for the rooms in the keep in the medieval period are unknown: those used today were given by antiquarians in the 19^th century.  The keep has been open as a ‘curiosity’ or visitor attraction since 1812*

*Information from Newcastle Castle guidebook (Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne).

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Four

We packed our bags, had breakfast and checked out of the hotel before setting off for Tynemouth in glorious sunshine.  We enjoyed a short walk around the Spanish Battery and the towering Collingwood monument before visiting Tynemouth Priory & Castle.  The site contains interesting history including gun batteries that were used in the first and second world wars and a former coast guard station (not open to the public).  It was all very photogenic.

After the visit we strolled into town and had lunch in a bakery tea room which was sadly due to close down the following week and be turned into a Fish and Chip shop.  After lunch we left Tynemouth, following the coastal route towards Alnwick where we stopped briefly to visit Barter Books.  Some things just have to be done 😉

After a purchase or two we resumed our journey to the Coach House at Crookham.  It was lovely to see Leona again and the place still feels like home from home.  We dined in as we always do when we visit; the food is so good and there are always interesting people to talk to so there is no reason to look elsewhere.

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Three

After breakfast we set out for Durham in order to visit the cathedral and the Lindesfarne Gospels exhibition.  Unfortunately when we enquired at the visitor information centre about tickets to see the Gospels we were advised that the earliest time slot possible for that day was 7.30pm.  We didn’t fancy hanging around all day so we decided against it and chose to visit the castle instead.

When we arrived at the castle gates we were told that visits were by guided tour only and the last tour was in a few minutes due to a wedding being held there later that day.  The only snag was that tickets had to be purchased from the visitor information centre which is where we had just come from…  After some grumbling Mr C went back to purchase the tickets.  The castle tour was interesting and informative.  The hall and stairway reminded me of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter films.

After the castle tour, we visited the cathedral and had lunch in the undercroft.  I also spent some time in the book section of the gift shop.

We then made our way back to Newcastle where I went into M&S to quickly purchase a pair of trousers to replace the ones that had got soaked and muddy the previous day.  This was not to be.  The lengths looked different so I had to try them on.  The assistant reliably informed me that the lengths had been changed by what she called a ‘cuff length’!!  This means that M&S trousers no longer fit me as I am between lengths.

We returned to the hotel to freshen up before our evening meal.  The weather was fine and dry so we walked along the Quayside before settling on dining in Cafe Rouge.  After the meal we returned to the hotel for a cool glass of wine before retiring for the evening.

Newcastle & Crookham – Day Two

When I got up in the morning and looked out of the window I noticed that the weather had changed to rain.  After breakfast, equipped with raincoat and umbrella, I left the hotel and set off towards Grey Street to see the monument.  Luckily on this occasion the scaffolding had gone so I  could enjoy the view properly.  I didn’t take any photos though because it was raining too much.

When I turned the corner into Central Arcade I realised the scaffolding hadn’t gone, it had just moved around the corner!  After visiting the arcade Mr C and I made our way back towards the Castle Keep via the Vampire Rabbit and Amen Corner. The Castle Keep was very interesting and there were some spectacular views from the rooftop.  However during the walk to the keep, I had somehow managed to get one of my trouser legs soaked. This meant that after the tour of the keep I had to go back to the hotel to change before having lunch in the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas.  The Cathedral’s tea shop does very nice cherry scones and the young man who served me tried very hard to tempt me into having two.  I managed to resist the temptation!!

After lunch Mr C and I went back to the hotel where we had arranged to meet JD in its newly refurbished reception area .  He came bearing ‘mini’ gifts (thank you JD 🙂 ).  We again set out into the rain to the Side Gallery which was displaying old photographs of Newcastle.  They rather reminded me of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe’s work.

Afterwards, we walked to the Laing Art Gallery which contains some interesting art.  JD got talking to the curator and asked her about two pieces of art that used to be on display in the gallery but she couldn’t immediately recall them.  She must have been intrigued because, even though she was busy with a large group, she later caught up with us whilst we were enjoying a cup of tea and produced a catalogue of all of the artwork that is in the possession of Tyne & Wear’s galleries. JD found the two paintings listed in the catalogue, which delighted the curator. She mentioned that by prior arrangement they could be brought out of storage and viewed.

When we left the gallery, Mr C  and I parted ways with JD after which I got a bit carried away in Waterstones, ending up with three books and some ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ mini-bookmarks!!

In the evening we dined in a nice Italian restaurant after which we returned to the hotel lounge for a nightcap before retiring for the evening.