Cafe 16, Newcastle Cathedral

In what is commonly known as the Refectory of Newcastle's St.Nicholas' Cathedral is situated the excellent Cafe 16. My wife and I visited for the very first time the other day, and I thought I'd let you know a bit about it.

I'm going to be incredibly lazy here, actually, because all you need to know is contained on one of their menu cards, thus saving me the time and effort of re-typing it all. Here we go, then:

(click on images to enlarge)

And here is that wonderful ceiling (wife at front/middle):

It's called 'Cafe 16' in honour of the 1916 Royal Flying Corps station, which once stood on the site now occupied by HMP Northumberland at Acklington. And very nice (and reasonably priced) it is, too. So get yourself along there!

More info here.

The Great North-East: An English History Tour, vol.4

Regular readers of my drivel will be pleased to learn that I have released another book!!

Volume 4 of The Great North-East: An English History Tour is now available for purchase at Amazon - see here, or click on the image above. It is available as both an eBook and an old-fashioned paperback. The profit margin on each sale is about £1.50 profit - which, of course, goes to the Great North Children's Hospital. 

Like volumes 1, 2 & 3, the 200-page book takes an affectionate look at various aspects of the history of the region, from the Scottish border in the north to the River Tees / Cleveland in the south. Chapters this time around cover the following topics: Coast, Fame, War, Curiosities, Stories, Tragedy, Buildings, Modern-ish stuff, Remote stuff, and matters of Antiquity.

By visiting Amazon you can read a sample of the book before you commit to buy (by choosing the eBook/Kindle option you can access a sizeable chunk of the text - give it a try). It's all very laid back and informal, and will hopefully bring a smile to your face whilst learning a few new facts about the history of the country's most interesting region.

If you decide to buy a copy then may I offer you a big thank you from both the GNCH and myself. Pass the word on!

Note: It's highly likely that this will be the final book in 'The Great North-East' series. But I've not done too badly, as the complete four-volume set amounts to 800 pages!

Newcastle University Library, Maybe?

Researchers of Newcastle's past may not at first be aware of the local history holdings (and various other general historical stuff) to be found at Newcastle University Library's 'Special Collections & Archives' department.

It's many years since I last visited the same, but was prompted to examine the matter when I saw the institution's 'Digital Showcase' pop up on Twitter/X. Do click on the link and have a gander - and it's sure to expand in the months and years ahead.

You can also access the page in question via the archive service's homepage - where you can also find links to other helpful bits and bobs, including the 'Explore Our Collections' guide. You will also see a that there is a blog to be accessed, too, which features a fair few interesting articles on the city's past.

There's probably a good deal more, too, that I've missed, so do put aside an hour or two to have a browse.

If you get the urge to actually visit the Library, then please check out the guidance on how to do so as a member of the general public. It is possible to visit to consult their holdings, but you'll need to get yourself a pass first.

Happy browsing!

P.S. Oh, and their YouTube Channel can be found here.