What's On April 2008
North East England has played a crucial role in England’s history over the years: Lord Collingwood the man who won the battle of Trafalgar; Captain Cook and his voyage of discovery; Earl Grey, the Geordie prime minister who enjoyed a nice cuppa; George Stephenson who helped create the world’s first passenger railway and Jonny Wilkinson’s World Cup drop goal.
Hadrian’s Wall, Durham Cathedral, Holy Island and the Angel of the North are not only local landmarks but also icons of England.
Places to visit on St George's Day
Easter Holidays
Events
Places to visit on St George’s Day
Howick Hall, Northumberland
What could be more English than a good old cup of tea, and Howick Hall, former residence of Earl Grey is the ideal setting to enjoy the drink named after him.
The original Earl Grey tea was specially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, to suit the water at Howick, using bergamot in particular to offset the taste of the lime in it.
Lady Grey used it to entertain in London as a political hostess, and it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to others, which is how Twinings came to market it. It is now sold world wide and the Greys were sufficiently unbusinesslike not to register the trade mark; as a result, they have never received a penny!
Today the tea room serves teas, home made and local produce, snacks and light lunches.
In the spring and early summer Howick Hall’s Woodland Garden is particularly lovely with rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias. The formal gardens, including the herbaceous borders, are in front of the house and come into their own from June onwards. In April there are spectacular drifts of daffodils to be seen throughout the grounds.
Howick Hall Gardens has be rated by the BBC Gardener's World Magazine as one of the top 5 coastal gardens in the country and rated by the Independent Magazine as 'one of the Best 10 Gardens to visit this spring'.
Angel of the North
Named as one of the 12 official icons of England, The Angel of the North this year celebrates its tenth birthday. A multi award-winning 200-tonne sculpture created by artist Antony Gormley the Angel and has become a contemporary icon for NewcastleGateshead. Standing at 20m high, it is seen by more than 33 million people every year passing by road and rail. The Angel of the North is seen as the defining structural symbol of renaissance in NewcastleGateshead and in 2008 a series of special events will celebrate not only what the Angel symbolises but the very real impact it has made in North East England. The biggest free street party in the North East will form the centerpiece of the celebrations on Sunday 22 June at the Angel site. http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/Home.aspx
St George the Roman
Housesteads Roman Fort
19 - 20th April 2008
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/housesteads
St George's Dragon Trail
Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens
19 - 20th April 2008
Calling all young dragon hunters! Seek out the mini dragons around the site. Small prize for every child.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/belsay
Wylam Brewery Ltd, Northumberland
The Wylam Brewery Ltd was set up in an old farm dairy near Heddon-on-the-Wall. The first brew was casked in August 2000 and the brewery has grown steadily since then on its reputation for quality and flavour, winning several awards at festivals around the UK. A new 20 barrel plant was installed in new premises on the farm in Aug 2006 tripling production capacity.
A good selection is usually available at the Brewery Tap, The Boathouse Wylam, and in many pubs in the region. Bottled beers are available.
Beers include: Wylam Gold, The Rocket (named after George Stephenson’s famous locomotive. George was born in Wylam) and seasonal beers, Legless Santa and Winter Rally.
The 32nd Newcastle Beer Festival
Newcastle University Students Union
2 - 5th April 2008
The 32nd Newcastle Beer Festival, in an area that is home to one of the best loved beers in the world (the revered Newcastle Brown Ale) this festival of real cask ales and ciders is definitely in its spiritual home. Organised by the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the festival usually boasts well over 100 different beers, with exhibitors having shipped their brews from all over the country. A number of local microbreweries, such as Mordue, and Hexhamshire are also well represented
The Crown Posada
31-33 The Side, 0191 232 1269
Legend has it that this pub was bought by a Spanish Sea Captain for his mistress – however, the Crown Posada is a legend in its own right. Possibly NewcastleGateshead’s most famous watering hole, it regularly receives CAMRA awards and was named the Daily Telegraph and Abbot Ale Tyne and Wear perfect pub. Enjoy your pint whilst listening to the house gramophone.
The Bodega
125 Westgate Road, 0191 221 1552
A rare treat for lovers of real pubs and real ale. The Bodega boasts a traditional long bar, two stunning Victorian stained glass ceiling domes, elaborately tiled floors and loads of history. As CAMRA Newcastle and Northumberland Real Ale Pub of the Year 2005, expect the best.
The Cooperage
32 The Close, 0191 233 2940
The Cooperage is one of the most distinctive pubs in NewcastleGateshead. Dating from the 14th century and once a Cooper’s workshop in the 18th century, the pub is reputed to be haunted. It’s also renowned for its cask ales and good pub grub. Upstairs it really rocks with live bands, regular DJ sets and theme nights.
Captain Cook Museum, Tees Valley
Captain Cook, the world’s greatest explorer, was born in Marton near Middlesbrough.
You can discover more about Captain Cook’s life and his explorations in Australia, New Zealand and beyond at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum http://www.captcook-ne.co.uk/ which is hosting an exhibition by New Zealand Maori George Nuku, whose ancestors met the great explorer nearly two hundred and forty years ago.
England’s Green and Pleasant land: Head to Northumberland Coast, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is this year celebrating it’s 50th anniversary, head for a walk along one of the beautiful, unspoilt beaches or have lunch in a coastal village including the fishing village of Craster famous for its smoked Kippers.
Blackfriars
Friar Street, Newcastle, 0191 261 5945
Located in a 12th century refectory this is claimed to be the oldest purpose built restaurant in the country and today is recognised as one of the best restaurants in NewcastleGateshead, having gained an AA rosette and inclusion in the Which? Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide. Blackfriars offers quintessentially English afternoon tea, including home-baked pastries, freshly made sandwiches and of course scones and a choice of tea: Blackfriars Afternoon Teas (available 3pm to 5.30pm - book in advance) http://www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk/menu_afternoon_tea.htm
Coleman’s Fish and Chip Restaurant, South Tyneside
Founded in 1926 Coleman’s Fish and Chip shop is a local institution. Serving only finest quality fish sourced from sustainable fishing grounds it was voted best UK takeaway at the BBC food and farming awards and was named best fish and chip shop in North East England by Seafish.
If Colemans doesn’t satisfy your taste for seafood nearby Latimers Shellfish Deli rivals it for the number awards. The staff at Latimers are on hand to provide advice on recipes and you can always work up an appetite by talking a walk along Seaburn Bay.
NewcastleGateshead Walking Guides
For anyone new to NewcastleGateshead it is clear that what gives it its outstanding character is the successful marriage of historic and contemporary buildings. It’s easy to come across striking reminders of every era of NewcastleGateshead’s history as you traverse the centuries by just strolling the streets. So the perfect way for visitors to explore the city and its history is on foot with one of the series of free walking guides available from http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/. The guides are available to download as a PDF brochure and also as MP3 audio files so you can download to your PC or MP3 player and listen at your leisure. http://www.newcastlegateshead.com
Castle Keep
Castle Garth, St Nicholas’Street, 0191 232 7938
In 1080 Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, built the first wooden fortification from which the city takes its name – the ‘New Castle’. Today’s Castle Keep (1168-78) was built during the reign of Henry II and overlies the earlier Roman fort of Pons Aelius. It is one of the finest examples of a Norman Keep in the country and is now a Grade I listed building. The roof of the Castle Keep boasts fantastic views of the Quayside, its bridges and the city centre and it’s well worth climbing the 134 steps to the top! www.museums.ncl.ac.uk/keep
Easter Holidays
The Witches Bogey, ARC, Tees Valley
Tuesday 15th April
Baba Yoga is an evil witch who likes nothing better than eating sweet, young girls for dinner. Virtue is a sweet, young girl … when the two of them meet in this magical pop musical it can only wind up with someone coming to a grotty, dotty and quite possibly snotty end!
Based on the classic Russian tale of Baba Yaga the witch, the People’s Theatre Company reinvents it as a funky fairytale about good versus evil and the magic of family.
Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books
30 Lime Street, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle, 0845 271 0777
Shiny Scales and Lizard Tales Festival, Thurs 20 March – Sun 27 April. A lairful of fabulous creatures is waiting to be disturbed at Seven Stories this spring. From Easter weekend and throughout April you will find a festival of events based on your favourite dragon and dinosaur stories. Look out for special author and illustrator visits including Paul Stickland, creator of Dinosaur Roar on 18 and 19 April. Dragon and dinosaur storytelling, hands-on activities including hatching an egg, dragon ID and dragon charms, puppet workshops plus lots more for the whole family! Wake up the creative beast inside you and find out whether you’re a dinosaur at heart or a bit of a dragon.
For further details keep checking the events page at http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/ for all the latest details.
Dance City
Temple Street, Newcastle, 0191 261 0505
Learning to Fly with Hang Aerial (Circus) Dance (8-12 years) Sunday 6 April
£15 (8-16yrs), £20 (16+) 10:00
Come and hang out with Hang and learn skills and conditioning techniques on trapeze, corde lisse and cocoon in safe, well supervised conditions. This is a special beginner’s workshop and places are very limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Centre for Life
Times Square, Newcastle, 0191 243 8210
The Astronaut Dome Show, 05/04/2008 - 18/07/2008 The exploration of space is the greatest endeavour that humankind has ever undertaken. What does it take to be part of this incredible journey? What does it take to become an astronaut? Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner and outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Discover the perils that lurk in space as we subject ‘Chad’, our test astronaut, to everything that space has to throw at him in Life’s stunning high definition 360° domed theatre.
Events
EAST'08
Various Locations NewcastleGateshead NE1 3AZ
Until 12/31/2008
http://www.east08.com/
In the year that China hosts the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the North East will host a number of events ‘looking east’. As global markets and power shift eastwards, and as London prepares to receive the Olympic torch from Beijing, these events are designed to make connections with Chinese, Japanese and South Asian cultures and countries, and receive inspiration, ideas and co-operation from them.
EAST’08 will launch with the city’s Chinese New Year celebrations on Sun 10 Feb. Many of the first events within the programme will have a Chinese theme celebrating the best of contemporary Chinese culture. These include a photography exhibition and season of films at Side Cinema, indoor and outdoor screenings of Chinese artists’ film and video work around China Town, a dance event featuring the winner of the Chinese DMC Championships, and performances by Beijing Modern Dance Company and Shanghai Children’s Palace (see below).
In February The Sage Gateshead will present two performances by KODO Drummers as the first of a series of Japanese cultural events, celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the UK-Japanese cultural protocol.
Ticket prices vary, please contact event venues.
For full details please visit http://www.east08.com/
Joyce Hinterding - Aeriology
2/29/2008 - 4/11/2008
http://www.regvardygallery.org/
Twenty kilometres of copper wire will wrap the Reg Vardy Gallery to form an energy gatherer, constructed of coils, lines, flows and folds. These harmonising coils reveal unseen activity through sound. Aeriology is produced in partnership with AV Festival 08.
Opening times Monday closed Tuesday 10am - 8pm, Wednesday - Friday 10am - 6pm .
Lambing Time at Hall Hill
3/15/2008 - 4/30/2008
Hall Hill Farm, Lanchester Durham
http://www.hallhillfarm.co.uk/
See lambs and chicks, bottle-feed pet lambs. Tractor and trailer rides during lambing time. Lots of friendly animals including goats, donkeys, deer and llamas.
National Portrait Gallery - Bob Mortimer & Vic Reeves Portrait
3/29/2008 - 5/26/2008
Dorman Museum
http://www.dormanmuseum.co.uk/
The Dorman Museum will showing an unusual photographic portrait of local celebrities Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves, chosen from the NPG's collections, as part of the North East 10-venue regional exhibition project.
Darlington Cycling Festival
4/1/2008 - 9/30/2008
The Dolphin Centre
A long-established event in conjunction with Darlington’s Local Motion initiative to encourage people to increase their health and well-being through cycling.
This event runs between April and September with up to 20 different rides for all abilities. All one-day events start and finish locally, with some travelling as far as Cumbria, and up to 500 riders at the biggest event. The Cycling Family Fun Day is held in June at the recently refurbished South Park, including a ‘bikathon’ for the whole family.
Holy Island Harbour
4/2/2008
maryholyisland@aol.com
This walk covers the harbour area near the village at Holy Island. Birds, seals, navigation aids, fishing boats, ruined fort and priory are all packed into this area giving an insight into Holy Island past and present. The walk is moderate and at safe crossing times. Everyone is welcome, just turn up in suitable footwear.
Venue: Main car park at Holy Island at village exit. Always check safe crossing times.
Wear Valley Food Festival
4/12/2008
http://www.bishopaucklandtown.org/
Auckland Castle, the home of the Bishop of Durham, will once again provide the perfect setting for the Wear Valley Food Festival. The event, designed to highlight and promote the quality of local produce, crafts and food available in the North East, has grown in popularity over the last two years, attracting in excess of 12,000 visitors from all over the North East and North Yorkshire. Over 50 stalls selling crafts, locally produced food, paintings and photographs have already booked to attend. And there will be music, rides, displays and exhibitions running all day. A vintage bus will bring people to and from the Town’s car parks and another bus will run between the Festival, Harperley POW Camp and Locomotion.
You will also get the chance to see the historic Auckland Castle and its grounds.
Full information is on the Bishop Auckland town website: http://www.bishopaucklandtown.org/.
Scarecrows
4/16/2008
http://www.visitmiddlesbrough.com/
Come along to Newham Grange Leisure farm and have a go at making your own scarecrow. Please bring some old clothes (trousers, shirt, and a tie for a belt etc), straw supplied - please book in advance.
Evening Deer Safari
4/17/2008
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/
Deer Safari – Join the Ranger for a Stalk deep into the heart of the forest to seek out the elusive and elegant roe deer.
Tees Valley Half Marathon
4/20/2008
http://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/
The 26th half marathon is to be held in Redcar. The 13 mile route takes runners from Redcar through Kirkleatham, Marske and along the sea front. You can download an entry form from the website.
Haltwhistle Walking Festival
4/26/2008 - 5/5/2008
http://www.haltwhistle.org/
The festival gives you the opportunity to explore the highest point of Hadrian's Wall, take in Northumberland Park and the Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the historic market town of Haltwhistle and the remote South Tyne Valley. Walks range from 1 to 10 miles.
