In an unashamed attempt to persuade you all to purchase (for Xmas?) my latest book The Great North-East: An English History Tour, vol.4, I will, over the next two or three weeks, reproduce a handful of the articles contained therein. But, as this blog is primarily concerned with the history of Newcastle, I will keep the material Tyneside-based. The articles throughout the book are generally short, sweet and to-the-point, enabling me to squeeze over 130 separate pieces into the 200 page tome.
The first effort concerns a somewhat fortunate survival in a recently radically-redeveloped quarter of the city centre, thus:
The beautifully-proportioned Market Keeper’s House sits in splendid isolation in Newcastle’s Times Square, enveloped by the modern-day creation that is the Centre for Life. It once stood at the heart of – yes, you’ve guessed it – a thriving cattle, sheep and pig market that turned over around 10,000 animals a week until, well, pretty much within living memory.
The former ‘market’ area used to sprawl over a large portion of this corner of the city, before gradually falling into disuse during the twentieth century. Nearby, Marlborough Crescent Bus Station was built on part of the land in the 1920s (demolished 1990s); and around the turn of the millennium, the Centre for Life popped up on the site. But for all the dramatic changes, the old Market Keeper’s House remains intact.
Though the little heritage plaque tells us otherwise, the building is thought to date to around 1842, and was the handiwork of uber-famous architect, John Dobson. The ground floor originally comprised of two offices: one for the market keeper, and the other for the toll-collector; and upstairs could be found accommodation for their families. It fell out of use in the 1960s as the market itself fell into decline. Fortunately, it hung on, somewhat grimly, until the area’s redevelopment in the late 1990s, at which point it was itself spruced up.
It has since been used by a variety of small businesses.
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