Grainger Town

Grainger Town is the historic heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Incorporating classical streets built by Richard Grainger, a builder and developer, between 1824 and 1841, some of Newcastle's finest buildings and streets lie within the Grainger Town area of the city centre including Grainger Market, Theatre Royal, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street. These buildings are predominantly four storeys, with vertical dormers, domes, turrets and spikes.

Richard Grainger was said to 'have found Newcastle of bricks and timber and left it in stone'. Of Grainger Town's 450 buildings, 244 are listed, of which 29 are grade I and 49 are grade II*.

Grainger Town covers approximately 36 ha, and the architecture is dubbed 'Tyneside Classical' architecture. One of the streets of Grainger Town, Grey Street, was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as 'one of the finest streets in England'. The area also includes a mediaeval 13th century Dominican friary, pieces of the historic Town Walls and many fine Georgian and Victorian buildings.

Almost all of Grainger Town is within Newcastle's Central Conservation Area, one of the first to be designated in England. The majority of the buildings are in private ownership. The area around Grey's Monument and Grey Street is expanding fast, with high quality shopping outlets, designer fashions and jewellery. The Central Exchange, containing the Edwardian Central Arcade, is located within this area.

Grey Street was built by Grainger in the 1830s with the aid of several architects, including John Dobson. The whole of the western side of the street was designed by two architects from Grainger’s office, John Wardle and George Walker. Dean Street, which continues south from Grey Street was constructed earlier, in 1749. Grey Street contains the Theatre Royal designed by John and Benjamin Green, the southern entrance to Monument Metro station and the Central Arcade. It is renowned for its Georgian architecture, and was in 2010 voted 'Best street in the UK' by BBC Radio 4 listeners.

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