Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre

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Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre, or more commonly Newcastle City Centre or colloquially as The Toon, is the central business district of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England.

It can be basically divided clockwise from north into the areas of Haymarket, Manors, Quayside, Central Station, Grainger Town, Monument, Chinatown and St James'

[edit] Areas

[edit] Haymarket

Newcastle Civic Centre

Haymarket is the northern edge of the city centre bordered by Spital Tongues and Jesmond. It is the location of Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Haymarket Bus Station and the City Pool, and is mainly a business area. The Church of St Thomas the Martyr is a prominant landmark in the area opposite the Metro station where the northern end of Northumberland Street, the city's main shopping street, is.

As of 2008, the area around Haymarket Metro station is currently undergoing renovation works to modernise the station.

[edit] Manors

Northumbria University's City Campus East, which is now completed, in the Manors area

The area surrounding Manors Metro station, in the east of is the location of buildings and student accommodation of Northumbria University. It is bordered by Byker and mainly a residential and educational area. The Laing Art Gallery is located here.

[edit] Quayside

Quayside

Quayside is the most southern point of the city centre, at the bottom of a hill on the southern bank of the River Tyne. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge and Tyne Bridge, leading to neighbouring Gateshead, are the most prominent landmarks on Quayside. It is mainly a residential and commerical area with hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs and pubs towards the Tyne Bridge end. The Newcastle Law Courts are located near the Millennium Bridge.

The QuayLink bus route links the area with Monument and Haymarket and there is no Metro station nearby. The nearest station is Central Station.

The path along the river forms part of a cycle route toward North Shields and Tynemouth.

[edit] Central Station

Newcastle railway station

The Central Station surrounding the city's railway stations is known for its bars and clubs. Towards the western end is the city's gay district. The Centre for Life, Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Cathedral, The Discovery Museum and The Journal Tyne Theatre are all located in the vicinity, as is the city's coach station.

[edit] Grainger Town

The building housing the Grainger Market

Grainger Town forms the area between Central Station, Chinatown and Monument. It was built in the mid 1800s and today is an area of shopping, nightlife and most notably dominant architecture. The Theatre Royal is situated on Grey Street. Towards the south eastern end is the Grainger Market and The Gate, an retail and entertainment centre. Bigg Market is in the western end of the area and is an area of restaurants, bars, clubs and shops.

[edit] Monument

The area centred around Grey's Monument is located in the heart of the city centre surrounded by retail and commerical units. It is the location of Eldon Square and Eldon Square Shopping Centre, the city's largest shopping centre, with the adjacent Eldon Square Bus Station.

[edit] Chinatown

Chinatown arch

Chinatown is a small district on the western edge of the city centre between Central Station and St James'. It is centred around Stowell Street with a number of Chinese restaurants and the rear entrance to The Gate. The distinctive red arch marks the entrance to the district from St James'.

[edit] St James'

St James' is a small area surrounding St James' Park, the stadium of Newcastle United F.C, and St James Metro station. The are a small number of pubs in the area but it is not a major area of residence, business or retail. Behind it is Leazes Park.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Metro

Monument Metro Station South Entrance

Running north to south, Haymarket, Monument and Central Station are all stations in the city centre on the Tyne and Wear Metro. The are on both the Green and Yellow lines northbound towards the Airport or Whitley Bay and southbound to Sunderland or South Shields.

St James' is the western terminus of the Yellow Line and precedes Monument (Interchange) and Manors. Trains run to North Shields. All five city centre stations are underground.

[edit] Bus

Newcastle's two bus stations, Haymarket Bus Station and Eldon Square Bus Station, are hubs of bus travel locally and regionally. Many roads in the city centre are for buses only or have bus lanes. The notable QuayLink service, with its bright yellow electric buses, has two routes - Q1 from Haymarket to Quayside and Q2 from Central Station to Gateshead. Bus stops are dotted all over the city.

[edit] Rail

Newcastle Central railway station is the city's mainline railway station with local, regional and national destinations served directly. Manors railway station is the only other station in the city and is a much more minor one.

[edit] Taxi

Taxi ranks are located all over the city centre particularly at Haymarket, Theatre Royal, Central Station, Quayside and The Gate.