Newcastle Civic Centre
Newcastle Civic Centre
General information
LocationNewcastle upon Tyne
AddressCivic Centre
Barras Bridge
Haymarket
Newcastle upon Tyne
Coordinates54°58′44″N 1°36′39″W / 54.9790°N 1.6109°W / 54.9790; -1.6109
Completed1967
Inaugurated14 November 1968
OwnerNewcastle City Council
Height200 ft (61 m)
Design and construction
Architect(s)George Kenyon
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameCivic Centre
Designated16 November 1995
Reference no.1242692

Newcastle Civic Centre is a municipal building in the Haymarket area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.[1] Designed by George Kenyon,[2] the centre was built for Newcastle City Council in 1967 and formally opened by King Olav V of Norway on 14 November 1968.[3] It is a listed building with Grade II* status[4] and is the joint-eighth tallest building in the city, standing at a total of 200 feet (61 m).[5]

History

River God Tyne, with the seahorse heads on top of the tower in the background

Plans to build a new city hall[6] on the site at Barras Bridge had been proposed prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, to the point of holding an architectural competition, although these were halted by the war;[7] and due to post-war restrictions on capital expenditure, it was not until August 1956 that authorisation to begin construction was granted. During the interim period, the demolition of houses and a former Eye Hospital on the intended site was implemented.[3] The building was designed by the city architect, George Kenyon.[2]

The construction work, which was undertaken by Sir Robert McAlpine,[8] commenced on the building in May 1960, and the foundation stone was laid by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Mrs Gladys Robson, on 30 November 1960. The total construction cost was £4,855,000.[3] The building was completed in 1967 and was formally opened by King Olav V of Norway on 14 November 1968.[9] Newcastle's Victorian Town Hall which stood in St Nicholas Square (between the Bigg Market and the Cloth Market) was demolished in 1973.[10] On 6 May 1977, the Civic Centre was visited by the 39th President of the United States Jimmy Carter, who delivered a speech famously containing the Geordie phrase "Howay the lads!"[11] A stone commemorating the event was placed in the Civic Centre grounds.[12]

The council leader's office was used as a filming location by a Japanese production team in 2014 for a drama set in 1960s Tokyo.[13]

Sculpture and art works

The Civic Centre is also notable for its modern sculptures, in particular the "River God Tyne" and "Swans in Flight", both by David Wynne and the seahorses on the top of the tower by John Robert Murray McCheyne.[14] The cashiers reception of the former rates hall, now the Customer Service Centre, has two abstract murals by Victor Pasmore.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Official website". Newcastle Council. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Newcastle Civic Centre". Northumbria.info. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 "Civic Architecture and History". Newcastle Council. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  4. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1242692)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  5. ↑ "Newcastle Civic Centre". Emporis. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  6. ↑ Not to be confused with Newcastle City Hall, a concert hall
  7. ↑ Keiran Southern (15 July 2015). "Newcastle Civic Centre: A history of one of the city's most recognised buildings". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Civic Centre Barras Bridge Newcastle upon Tyne Unknown c.1960". Newcastle Libraries. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Newcastle Civic Centre at 50: A royal opening and green turtle soup!". Newcastle Chronicle. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  10. ↑ David Morton (22 May 2014). "Remember When: Newcastle's Bigg Market - then and now". nechronicle. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "US President Jimmy Carter said Howay and 'became a Geordie'". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Jimmy Carter stone". Newcastle Council. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  13. ↑ John Harris. "Is saving Newcastle a mission impossible?". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  14. ↑ ."Tyneside Life & Times". Newcastle Council. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
  15. ↑ "Public art - Haymarket". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
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