Grainger Town

The Georgian and Victorian commercial heart of Newcastle

The set-piece commercial centre of Newcastle, almost entirely rebuilt in the 1830s by builder Richard Grainger and architects John Dobson and John Wardle. Grey Street, the showpiece, curves from Grey's Monument down to the Tyne in a sweep of classical facades that has been voted England's finest street more than once. The Theatre Royal sits midway, its pillared portico still drawing carriages on opening nights.

Wander down Grey Street, through Central Arcade with its ornate Edwardian glass roof, and into the Grainger Market for cheap lunches. The whole quarter rewards a slow walk with the head tilted upwards: most of the architectural detail is on the upper storeys, above the shopfronts.

things to do neighbourhood
A story
Between 1834 and 1841 the speculator Richard Grainger rebuilt 40 acres of central Newcastle from scratch — Grey Street, Grainger Street, Clayton Street, the Theatre Royal and the Grainger Market all went up at once. Nearly half of central Newcastle's listed buildings sit inside the original Grainger plan.