City guides
Throwback Thursday: Eldon Square, Newcastle

Eldon Square opened in 1976 and was built on the site of Old Eldon Square, a famous part of Georgian Newcastle designed by John Dobson in about 1824.
This redevelopment, which left only the eastern terrace standing, has been criticised, with one writer calling it “the greatest single example of architectural vandalism in Britain since the war”.
The centre’s official opening ceremony was carried out a year later in 1977 by Queen Elizabeth II during her Silver Jubilee. At this time, the largest city-centre shopping centre in the UK.
Some of the shopping malls were named after elements of local culture; notably ‘Chevy Chase’ was named after the medieval Northumbrian Ballad of Chevy Chase, and ‘Douglas Way’ was named after the Scottish Earl of Douglas who takes a prominent role in the ballad
In 1989 a new shopping centre, Eldon Garden, opened to the north of Eldon Square. Although separately owned and managed, they are connected.
When the centre first opened, the centre fashioned giant glass pods, mainly used for seating and dining. There were also many water features and fountains that really brought some character and life to the centre. Many children made a wish as they threw their pennies into the magical waters.
Check out these vintage pics, do you prefer these designs?
Do you remember the shopping centre looking like this?
City guides
Newcastle’s Summer ‘Screen on the Green’ Schedule Revealed!

Business
Popular Newcastle party bar set for a six-figure makeover this Summer

Since Revolution arrived to Newcastle in 2001, on the corner of Collingwood Street and Pudding Chare, they have established themselves to be one of Newcastle’s most loved bars and have served some of the city’s best cocktails and food for the last 21 years.
The UK’s premier vodka bar is reopening on 13th May, just in time for summer, showcasing it’s remarkable transformation. A £190,000 investment will make way for an eye-catching, open plan look, centered around a luxury, VIP, vibrant feel, perfect to capture those all-important Insta moments. Revolution will of course be paying tribute to their much-loved home of Newcastle, with new striking décor showcasing Newcastle’s very own Angel of the North with a vodka twist taking main stage.
The refurbishment brings a brand new ‘best seat’ VIP booth and updated seating areas with a new lighting show and DJ booth. This deluxe renovated best seat VIP booths will allow guests to get to the heart of the party and provide the perfect private place for any celebration or all-important special occasions with DJ’s and bespoke party packages.
The refurbished venue will be the perfect location to cater for lunchtime diners, after work drinks, evening get-togethers, and of course, late-night partying with the finest local DJ talent and events.
The brand is also continuing its mission to be carbon neutral by 2030, after hitting the headlines in 2021 for their forward-thinking tactics. One of just a handful of UK-based companies to sign up to the pledge to hit net zero, the Revolution Bars Group won the prestigious Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice for their commitment to the scheme.
One notable change for the brand was the decision to remove the passion fruit halves from its Pornstar Martini cocktail, replacing them with a rice paper alternative. Prior to removing passion fruit from their bestselling cocktail (Revolution sell over 1m across the UK each year), they were shipping 36 tonnes from South America to the UK, only for them to be used as garnish. The group has also continued their drive to reduce energy usage, dropping this by an impressive 19% since 2017.
With summer on it’s way, Revolution has also welcomed a brand-new special Cocktail menu – with 4 American-themed Cocktails to complement their classic concoctions. The bespoke menu is made up of the Malibu Beach Bae, Tennessee Cherry Sour, Hollywood Highball, and Gold Rush.
Revolution Newcastle Sales and Events Manager, Meagan Hill, said:
“I am super excited for the venue to reopen with its new look on the 13th May. The refurbishment includes an updated look to our beautiful Grade 2 listed building, highlighting the historic bank features, with a Revolution twist.”
“We can’t wait to kick off our relaunch with a huge agenda, starting on Thursday 26th May with the launch of our new Bottomless Dinner, on Friday we are hosting our corporate re-launch event and then going onto our main event of the week – our huge Saturday re-launch party. We have such an exciting line up of big entertainment including DJ’s, sax players, percussionists and so much more across the weekend – this will be a party like no other at Revolution Newcastle”
“We’ve spent a lot of time reviewing our guests’ feedback and we know that they expect great quality and excellent service. We have undergone a big recruitment push and training program to ensure our team, old and new, are ready to deliver the best party in town and welcome guests into our venue for our exciting launch party.”
City guides
Tyne Bridge to Close for Several Weeks for £41m Restoration

Several weeks of overnight closures are planned in order to allow engineers to assess how bad a state the Tyne Bridge is in, before it can be restored to its former glory.
The long-overdue restoration is estimated to cost £41m in order to restore the bridge and refurbish the Central Motorway.
According to a local authority report, the inspection is expected to require the famous crossing to be closed from 10pm to 6am from June 13 to July 1. A number of roads underneath the bridge on the Newcastle Quayside are also due to be affected by the works – with closures due between May 16 and June 10 on Quayside, Lombard Street, Queen Street, and Akenside Hill from 8pm to 6am.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “We submitted a bid for £41.4 million to Government which, if approved, will enable a four-year maintenance programme for the Tyne Bridge and the Central Motorway to go ahead. As part of the funding process, we are required to carry out some initial works on the Tyne Bridge.
“This includes a full inspection of the bridge, so we can assess its condition and the scale of works required to finalise the costings and project plans to fully restore and refurbish this major structure. This needs to be completed ahead of funding being approved.
“As we need to inspect the entire span of the bridge, overnight closures may be required on the bridge and roads underneath it, so engineers can complete this work safely. Details on the programming are being finalised.”
The Tyne Bridge has not had any major maintenance for two decades and its much-needed refurbishment has been at the top of council officials’ to do list for years, in the hope of ensuring it is looking its best once again by its 100th birthday in 2028. However, it has been warned that the grade II* listed structure may have deteriorated into a worse condition than currently known and council bosses have warned that, like on other major projects like the Grainger Market’s roof repairs, the refurbishment may take longer than expected.”
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