On 27 October, easyJet opened a line between Paris-CDG and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, giving you the opportunity to (re)discover this metropolis of 280,000 inhabitants in the North-East of England, situated on the border with Scotland. A destination steeped in history, thanks to its strategic position, and one that business groups visiting the area will be delighted to hear about. one of the most attractive cities of the kingdom. Its oldest church, dating from the XIIe It is dedicated to Saint Andrew, the patron saint of the Scottish people.
It was at this time that the medieval castle, built by William the Conqueror's son in place of a wooden stronghold, gave Newcastle its name. Although the castle still has its keep and its Black Gate from the Henry III period, the latter was never completed, as the increase in the number of inhabitants and the war with Scotland making it all the more urgent to erect ramparts around the town. A few sections of this wall still remain, unbroken during the Victorian era. In fact, it was during the reign of the famous Queen that the construction of the London-Edinburgh railway line almost led to the total disappearance of the castle, which has since been crossed by a long viaduct.
The 19th centurye century constituted Newcastle's Golden AgeThe town became one of the leading ports for the export of coal from the mines of Northumberland, with ships sailing up the River Tyne to its quays to load the precious ore. At the same time, the city was also a major centre for the production of steel for shipbuilding and the largest structures in the kingdom and empire. Starting, first and foremost, with the impressive bridges spanning the Tyne.
Newcastle has seven of these bridges, the oldest of which, the High Level Bridge, opened in 1848 as a feat of engineering, separating the traffic of horse-drawn carriages and the first trains thanks to its two levels. The completely red Swing Bridge, dating back to 1876, was one of the first swing bridges. As for Tyne Bridge, built in the 1920s, it is none other than the twin of Sydney's famous Harbour BridgeThe two were assembled almost simultaneously. Finally, the most recent, the Millennium Bridge, reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, was built to celebrate the year 2000, its deck rising up like a closing eye to allow boats to pass.
Although Newcastle has preserved a few houses dating from the XVe in the XVIIIe century, its wealth in the industrial era has given it a magnificent neoclassical town centre with long rows of Georgian and Victorian facades. This style, known as 'Tyneside Classical', has made it one of the most beautiful towns in England, visited by 11 million tourists in 2023.
Between this heyday and the present day, however, Newcastle has gone through a long economic crisis. It began in the 1950s and reached its climax under Thatcher, who closed England's coal mines after the great strike of 1984-1985. But Newcastle bounce backToday, the city's dynamism is based on new technologies, medical research and the presence of financial institutions and service companies, notably call centres. The city has renovated itself and reclaimed the banks of its river, lined with bars and restaurants, with a lively market on the Quayside every Sunday.
St James Park stadium, a key venue for events
A very compact city that's easy to get around on foot, Newcastle has around forty venues for trade fairs, meetings, seminars and team-building events. And it's got a lot to offer, better rates than in other British cities in terms of accommodation and catering. In 2023, the Newcastle Gateshead Convention Bureau supported some 200 events representing a total of 6,000 participants.
The number one venue for professional meetings is without doubt the St James ParkThe 52,000-seat stadium is home to Newcastle United. A number of French players have played here in the past: David Ginola, Ben Arfa, Moussa Sissoko, etc. Accessible in just a few minutes from a number of hotels - Sandman Signature, Indigo, Holiday Inn Express, Premier Inn, etc. - the stadium is unique in that it is located right in the city centre, with the clamour of the spectators echoing through the city streets on match nights. Thanks to this location, Saint James Park can host between 6 and 10 events each week, from 2 to 1,000 people, thanks to a multitude of spaces available for hire.
The stadium has around ten suites, the smallest of which seat between 10 and 20 people, while the boxes overlooking the stands and the pitch can be used as sub-committee rooms. The Sir Bobby Robson Suite, named after the former club legend, can seat 80 people. The Heroes Club, equipped with a bar, buffet and even a dance floor, can hold 250 people in a theatre or 200 for dinner. The fourth level is home to the largest spaces, with capacity for up to 900 guests for dinner or 200 people for a conference. All with a possible football theme, including a private tour of the stadium.
University for its studious or historical side
With 20,000 students, Newcastle University is one of the oldest in the UK. Its historic part, recognisable by its Royal Jubilee Exhibition Tower dating from 1887, houses the magnificent King's HallA 440-person theatre, adorned with wood panelling, paintings and an imposing organ. For the more studious side of things, it's best to opt for its new contemporary facilities, close to the stadium, which offer a wealth of solutions with dozens of rooms (from 20 people), auditoriums with 100 to 500 seats and foyers - the Frederick Douglass Centre has a reception area for 400 people - all of which are available for hire to companies.
Gateshead to rebalance Newcastle's MICE offer
Gateshead, on the other side of the Tyne, is undergoing major development. At a cost of £260m, the docks will be the site of the Sage International Conference Centre (ICC), which will include a Modular Arena from 1,500 to 12,500 seats, a 5,700 m² exhibition hall, a 900-seat auditorium and 17 conference and meeting rooms. Scheduled to open in stages between 2025 and 2027, the ICC is expected to host 300 events a year (cultural and musical) for a total of 750,000 visitors. It will benefit from the nearby presence of the Hilton Hotel (254 rooms and 3 meeting rooms, the largest of which is 595 m²), and the opening this year of the Dakota Hotel, a 118-room 4* hotel with reception facilities. Not to mention the planned opening of two Accor establishments under the Ibis and Novotel brands, the latter already present at the airport.
While we await the opening of this convention centre, MICE activity is already very much alive on this Quayside thanks to The Glass House, a music centre with a strange elongated architecture that houses two auditoriums with exceptional acoustics - one with 1,640 seats, the second with 330 - as well as a vast foyer for exhibitions, cocktails or dinners with a breathtaking view over Newcastle and the Tyne. But also with The Baltic, a a contemporary art centre housed in a former flour mill. The 6-storey, elegant brick building houses 3,000 m² of exhibition galleries, a 54-seat cinema, meeting rooms and an auditorium for up to 300 people, as well as reception areas for 250 guests. The restaurant at the top, extended by a vast terrace, offers a unique panoramic view of the Millennium Bridge.
A first 5* hotel with 90 rooms in 2025
In terms of hotels, Newcastle has around 6,000 rooms. The two largest hotels are the Hilton and the Crowne Plaza. Close to the station, the Crowne Plaza is a recent 4-star establishment with 251 rooms and suites. While the first floor is entirely devoted to MICE, with a vast foyer opening onto 8 rooms (from 50 to 150 people in a theatre and 120 people in a cabaret), its main reception area is located on the ground floor with its Stephenson Suite (450 people for conferences/320 for dinners). The hotel is located in the Robert Stephenson district, named after the genius inventor who built the first steam locomotive here. His workshop, with its industrial spirit, can be privatised for gala dinners for up to a hundred guests.
In the city centre, Hotel Indigo, part of the IHG group, offers a contemporary setting, with 148 rooms and a very good restaurant. Next spring, Newcastle will also see the opening of its first five-star hotelThe Gotham Hotel is the result of the transformation of a former fire station. From 60 rooms when it opened, it will be expanded to 90 in the autumn with the addition of the former police station next door and the historic Court Room, a courtroom turned bar and function room for 120 people.
Sports and gastronomic activities
There's no shortage of things to do in Newcastle, including a guided historical cycle tour of the city with Newcastle Cycle Tours, or a Football Tour, Pub Tour or Food Tour. A chance to push open the door of Fenwick, the local Bon Marché, to sample oysters from Lindisfarne, an island to the north of Newcastle, at Salt Water.
Grainger Market, the large covered market dating from 1850For 50 pence, you can even weigh yourself at the end of your meal in the old shop where traders used to weigh all the produce from the market.
The Black Friars restaurant, housed in a former Dominican brotherhood that was home to kings Henry III and Edward III, offers under its 13th-century vaultse century a craft breweryThere's also a private room with an astonishing round wooden table used in the days of the monks. All of which adds up to the possibility of organising a cookery workshop, a great setting for team-building activities. You should also explore the Ouseburn district, where former industrial workshops have been replaced by trendy cafés, concert halls, art galleries and second-hand fashion boutiques.
A kayak trip on the Tyne, a coastal escapade to the picturesque seaside town of Tynemouth, visits to the Roman ruins - the famous Hadrian's Wall and Arberia Fort - as well as the many castles in the surrounding area. Not forgetting the famous Angel of the North, a 20-metre high statue made of 200 tonnes of steel evoking the city's industrial past. This monumental work by Antony Gornley is reminiscent of those by Caesar.
