Around and about Newcastle
1. What is the city’s full name?
Newcastle is known as Newcastle-upon-Tyne (partly to distinguish it from Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town near Stoke). The Tyne is the river which flows through the centre of Newcastle.
2. Where is Newcastle-upon-Tyne?
It is situated in north-east England, just 18 km from the city of Sunderland (home to the North-East’s other Premier League team). Newcastle, Sunderland and the surrounding towns such as Gateshead comprise the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, named after the region’s two main rivers.
3. Where do Newcastle United play?
The team’s ground, St James’ Park, is right in the centre of the city, and has its own station on the Metro, Newcastle’s underground railway. It’s England’s third largest club stadium, and its city centre location means that everyone in town can hear the cheers whenever Newcastle score a goal!
4. What is a ‘Geordie’?
‘Geordie’ has two meanings: a Geordie (countable) has been defined as a person born ‘within spitting distance of the Tyne’. Geordie (uncountable) is the name of the dialect spoken in Newcastle, where for example, ‘house’ is pronounced ‘hoose’. There are also a few Geordie words, such as ‘canny’, which means nice or good. Some Geordies, such as pop star Sting, soften their accent when they move away from the region.
5. What are the classic images of Newcastle?
The bridges over the River Tyne are among the most iconic views of any English cities. And visitors are often amazed at the elegant neoclassical architecture of Newcastle city centre.
6. What else is Newcastle famous for?
Newcastle is renowned for its nightlife. In fact, the ‘Rough Guide to Britain’ recently described Newcastle’s legendary nightlife as Britain’s number one tourist attraction!
7. That must make Newcastle a very noisy place!?
Well, according to a study by University College London, Newcastle is the noisiest place in the UK, with noise levels that can impair residents’ hearing. However, the research was criticised because noise levels were measured in random places in different cities. In Newcastle, they measured noise levels by a motorway!
8. What festivals take place in the city?
With a sizeable Chinese population, Chinese New year is celebrated in style in Newcastle’s Chinatown, the area around Stowell Street in the city centre. And the annual Newcastle Mela is a festival of Asian arts and music which takes place each July.
