The Newcastle Drop - June 23, 2025
It's been a hot and stormy weekend in the city. Today's newsletter is a mix of crime, politics and sport, plus there's a pretty unusual property that's gone up for sale
Good morning Newcastle. Here’s today’s Newcastle Drop
🎡 Intense heat followed by an intense storm made for an interesting first few days of this year’s Hoppings. You can see some of the best pictures from the weekend here. - Iain Buist and Daniel Hall, ChronicleLive
🏛️ A flat in the gatehouse to Jesmond Cemetery has gone up for sale. The John Dobson-designed listed property - which has its own crypt - is on the market for offers over £130,000. - Owen Younger, ChronicleLive
🎤 A £1.8m recording studio could open in Newcastle by the end of the year. The North East Combined Authority is providing funding for the project in the Coronation Building on the city’s Quayside. - Jason Arunn Murugesu, BBC
🎭 The Tyne Theatre and Opera House had to close its 1867 Café Bar after a break-in caused significant damage. A plan to launch a pre-theatre dining offer, which had been due to begin next week, has been postponed until further notice. - Catherine Addison-Swan, ChronicleLive
There was also a break-in at the nearby Hanahana restaurant on Saturday morning. It is not known currently whether the two incidents are linked.
On this day: the opening of the Stephenson Works on Forth Street where many of the world’s first locomotives were made (1823)
🚫 All three of the city’s MPs voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in Parliament on Friday. But the votes of Chi Onwurah, Catherine McKinnell and Mary Glindon did not stop the bill passing its Third Reading. - Hansard
⚽ Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak has made a six-player shortlist for the Professional Footballers’ Association Men’s Player of the Year award. Isak scored 23 goals as Newcastle qualified for the Champions League and won the Carabao Cup. - BBC
Tino Livramento played for England’s Under-21s as they beat tournament favourites Spain to qualify for the Euros semi-finals. But teammate Will Osula saw his Denmark team lose out to France thanks to two late goals.
Newcastle United have announced a friendly with Spanish side Espanyol at St. James' Park on August 8.
Everything Is Black And White is a new newsletter from my colleague Ross Gregory that collates coverage of Newcastle United in one easy place. You can check it out here.
👮 Police have appealed for witnesses after a man had his bag stolen at the Mile Castle pub on Grainger Street. The thief grabbed a bag containing a laptop and other items while its owner was refilling his coffee. - Owen Younger, ChronicleLive
🏥 A Denton Burn man has been jailed for four months after groping a nurse who was helping to treat him. Darren Weatherson admitted sexual assault. - Alex Storey, Newcastle World
❤️ A makeshift shrine marking the spot where teenager Gordon Gault collapsed after being fatally stabbed has been removed. Newcastle City Council took away items from Sovereign Place and added a memorial tree in response to antisocial behaviour. - Sophie Doughty, ChronicleLive
🎨 A new mural featuring references to bands including the Velvet Underground, Primal Scream and the Rolling Stones has been unveiled by city centre pub The Dog and Parrot. The work has been done by popular local artist Mul.
🎓 Newcastle University has achieved £20m in savings without resorting to compulsory redundancies. The move has been welcomed by unions, who had been striking in a bid to avert forced job losses. - Austen Shakespeare, Local Democracy Reporter
👨⚖️ A man has been jailed after turning up at his father's house in Walbottle with a loaded gun. Daniel Percy admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and sending a threatening message. - Rob Kennedy, ChronicleLive
🔥 A man was taken to hospital after fire broke out in his flat caused by a phone power bank overheating. Kris Middleton breathed in toxic smoke during the fire at his flat in Benwell. - Sam Truelove, The Mirror
🥊 Cultured. North East writer David Whetstone reviews Carrying David (the story of world champion boxer Glenn McCrory) at the Theatre Royal. “It’s great to see a North East story told by North East people on a stage mostly given to big shows from elsewhere,” he says.
⚠️ A section of the city centre was cordoned off after debris fell from a building onto the ground. The police cordon on Grainger Street was later narrowed with a metal fence in place to direct people to keep away from the building. - Daniel Hall, ChronicleLive
If you have news you want to share with the city, please get in touch using this form.
📌 The Newcastle upon Tyne Bach Choir has launched a student composition competition. The winner will receive a cash prize and see their work performed at the choir’s Christmas concert. For more details, go here.
📌 Newcastle High School for Girls has been named as a finalist in the Debrett’s Education Award for Outstanding Pastoral Care. Headteacher Amanda Hardie said: “This is a powerful affirmation of the excellent pastoral care we deliver every day, supporting our girls in Junior and Senior School to flourish.”
📌 A debate on youth and masculinity is being hosted by Newcastle University next week. The event on July 3 at the Old Library Building has been organised by The Conversation UK and Cumberland Lodge. More details and tickets are available here.
📌 Newcastle school children got a taste of country life when they visited Hall Hill Farm in County Durham. Twenty-eight reception pupils from St Alban’s Catholic Primary in Walker swapped their classroom for the farmyard for the day.
The 100 best things in Newcastle
Number 19: Dog Leap Stairs
A route best not taken while drunk, Dog Leap Stairs are the evocative but very steep sets of stairs linking the Castle with the Quayside. Mentioned in the Dire Straits song Down by the Waterline, the stairs are supposedly where John Scott and Bessie Surtees eloped on horseback.
In every edition of the Newcastle Drop I’ll be sharing one of my favourite things about Newcastle. You can see the previous selection here. I haven’t got all 100 worked out yet and I’m working them out as I go, so feel free to make suggestions on what I should include. You can get in touch with your particular favourites.
Thanks for reading The Newcastle Drop - a newsletter that aims to bring together all of the news and community events from around our city. It’s brought to you by Graeme Whitfield, editor of The Journal and long-time resident of the city.
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