Then and Now: A now-vanished view of Newcastle’s Bigg Market in 1970 - and the scene today | Chronicle Live

Then and Now: A now-vanished view of Newcastle’s Bigg Market in 1970 - and the scene todayNewcastle’s old Town Hall stood between 1858 and 1973, gaining a reputation as one of the city’s

most unloved buildingsCommentsDavid Morton Nostalgia Editor16:20, 15 Nov 2024Newcastle's Bigg Market and old Town Hall, c1970(Image: Newcastle Libraries) This now-vanished view of

Newcastle’s Bigg Market is one that was familiar to Geordies for more than 100 years.

Central to the scene was the old Town Hall, its presence partly blotting out the view of St Nicholas’ Cathedral (or Newcastle Cathedral as it’s branded today). Completed in 1858, on the

former site of ‘unsightly’ medieval dwellings, the Town Hall was home to Newcastle’s council chamber from the mid-19th century until the opening of the new Civic Centre in the late 1960s.

‌ Our photograph, published courtesy of Newcastle Libraries, was one of many taken by Laszlo Torday which capture bustling Newcastle in the late 1960s and early '70s.

‌ This scene could have been very different. At the time of the Town Hall’s construction, plans had been mooted by renowned Newcastle builder Richard Grainger to redevelop the frontages of

the Cloth and Groat Markets and leave the area between them as an open space, providing a panoramic north-to-south view. The council rejected his proposal by 32 votes to 17, and the Town

Hall was duly built, becoming one of Newcastle's most unloved buildings.

The equivalent view of Newcastle's Bigg Market in recent years(Image: ChronicleLive) Constructed to a design by John Johnstone and William Alexander Knowles, the new Town Hall was one of the

first in the country to make free use of classical and Renaissance features, breaking with academic styles. The southern view of the building, from St Nicholas’ Square, was perhaps more

pleasing on the eye than the northern view, from the Bigg Market, which saw it taper to a narrow frontage.

Article continues below The ground floor was devoted to shops, banking offices and a hotel. The council chamber was on the first floor, facing the cathedral. One floor of the building became

home to a music hall which could accommodate up to 2,400 people.

The Town Hall, however, attracted plenty of negativity. The Roman Wall scholar Dr Collingwood Bruce described it as “a huge pile of buildings of modern erection which greatly impedes the

traffic of the street and almost totally obscures the view of St Nicholas’”.

Another critic complained: “Looked at from the Bigg Market, the entire pile has a most mean and beggarly appearance. A tower has been erected which suggests the idea of a pigeon ducket.”

Article continues below Over time, the building fell into disrepair, and its tower was removed in 1930. A report from November 1965 declared: “Newcastle’s old Town Hall is a monstrosity to

begin with, but now derelict, dilapidated and filthy, it’s a nightmare.” Around that time, it even became home to a winter zoo which housed lions, tigers, monkeys, exotic birds and snakes.

In 1973, a few years after Laszlo Torday’s photograph was taken, the Town Hall was razed to the ground, and for a short while the view down the Bigg Market towards the cathedral was

unimpeded,echoing Grainger’s earlier vision. That empty space was soon filled with the period-design office, shop and leisure complex, One Cathedral Square, which stands to this day.

Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.

To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN