The Cluny

The Cluny is a live music venue, pub and café, on Lime Street, in the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Based in a former flax spinning mill, The Cluny occupies part of the wider building at 36 Lime Street, sharing the space with artists, offices and recording studios. The Cluny is a regular fixture in the top 100 list of World’s Best Bars, and is currently the only pub in Newcastle upon Tyne to make the list.

The building of 36 Lime Street was completed in 1848, when it was opened as a flax spinning mill. The building was commissioned by Messrs Plummer & Cooke, and was designed by John Dobson. Lasting just 12 years, it was re-opened in 1860 as a steam-powered flour mill by Henry Proctor & Co. At some point in its history, the building became a Scotch whisky bottling plant called the Cluny, hence the current name. In 1982, Bruvvers Theatre Company purchased the building and it became an artists’ space. A section of the building was opened as The Cluny Bar in 1999, and the same space was taken over by The Head Of Steam Limited in November 2002, when its current incarnation came about. The Cluny now operates as a bar and live music venue, with food service provided by The Cluny Kitchen, and 36 Lime Street itself is a Grade 2 listed building

The Cluny is located in Newcastle upon Tyne’s Ouseburn Valley, an area of intense regeneration in recent years. Whilst the area was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in Newcastle and was once home to many thriving (and very dirty) heavy crafts and industries, it fell into disuse and dereliction by the mid-twentieth century. The current incarnation of the Valley as a cultural regeneration hotspot was initiated by the Ouseburn Trust, in partnership with the local authority, in 1996. The Trust remains a landlord and developer in the Ouseburn, and seeks to involve people in the heritage and regeneration of the area through its programme of free walks, talks and volunteering activities

The regeneration of the Ouseburn Valley has seen several artistic and cultural enterprises move into the area. These include children’s literature centre Seven Stories, Ouseburn Farm, Stepney Bank Stables, The Star & Shadow Cinema, Northern Print and art galleries; The Biscuit Factory, Mushroom Works and Art Works. These complement the already-established pub-trade which has long served the area, including The Free Trade, The Tyne, The Cumberland Arms, The Ship Inn and The Tanners. The valley is named after the Ouseburn river, which flows into the River Tyne, and is just yards from the door of The Cluny itself.

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