Stuart Forster gives an overview of galleries and art museums in Newcastle and Gateshead, and some of the best places to enjoy art elsewhere in North East England.
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Art museums in Newcastle and Gateshead
There’s much in Newcastle upon Tyne and neighbouring Gateshead to entertain art aficionados during a city break in northeast England. Highlights include The Biscuit Factory, The Hatton Gallery and the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle.
Over in Gateshead, on the south bank of the River Tyne, visitors will find the Shipley Art Galler, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music for performing arts. And contrary to the widespread misconception among people who’ve never visited the region, Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North sculpture is also in Gateshead (not Newcastle).
Thanks to the city’s many pubs and celebrated nightlife, Newcastle has long been regarded as one of Europe’s party capitals. Many a hen and stag party veteran will recall — perhap hazily — moments in the pubs and bars of the Quayside, Diamond Strip and Bigg Market. The city’s Ouseburn and Jesmond districts also offer their share of cracking destinations for a few drinks. Yet it’s not just the artists with glasses in their hands that people now associate with Newcastle and Gateshead.
The arts scene in North East England has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. This post outlines some of the best places to visit in Newcastle and Gateshead for art lovers.
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, in Gateshead, is an impressive space hosting temporary exhibitions. The riverside gallery occupies a building formerly used as a flour mill.
In 2011, the Baltic became the first non-Tate venue outside of London to host the Turner Prize awards ceremony. The centre’s shop is a good place to visit to pick up arty souvenirs and gifts or to browse for art-related books.
Contemporary art often polarises responses. Even people who make claims such as “‘my six-year-old nephew can produce better art than some of these so-called contemporary artists” are likely to acknowledge that the opening of the Baltic, in 2002, was a key point in the evolution of the art scene in north-east England.
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music
From the Baltic, it’s a short walk to The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, the performing arts and conference centre designed by Sir Norman Foster. The exterior of the building reminds me of a giant, silvery cocoon. The terraces by the centre’s doors present panoramic views of the River Tyne and Newcastle’s Quayside. Inside the Glasshouse’s spacious lobby, the Sir Michael Straker Café is a good spot to enjoy the view.
The Glasshouse hosts performances across a range of musical genres, including jazz and opera. It is the home of the Royal Northern Sinfonia orchestra. Frequently changing street art, painted in the arches of the nearby viaduct, is often impressive.
Shipley Art Gallery
Gateshead’s Shipley Art Gallery (Prince Consort Road) is a 25-minute walk from the riverside. The gallery opened back in 1917 to display artworks collected by solicitor Joseph Shipley, including paintings by Dutch and Flemish artists. Contemporary works include the Henry Rothschild collection of ceramics.
The pride of the artworks on display at the Shipley is Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet. It was painted by Jacopo Tintoretto, in the 16th century, to hang in Venice’s San Marcuolo church. The Blaydon Races, by William C. Irving, is displayed just a few paces from Tintoretto’s work.
Dunston Staiths and The Staiths Cafe
Like the idea of a head-clearing stroll between viewing artworks? It’s been decades since Dunston Staiths was last used to load coal on specially adapted boats, known as keels. They transported coal to London and elsewhere.
The vast wooden structure stands as a reminder of the industrial heritage of northeast England. It is one-and-a-half miles upriver from The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. The 30-minute walk along the riverside footpath, known as the Keelman’s Way, offers fine views of the bridges spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead.
The Staiths Cafe (1 Autumn Drive, Gateshead) is a lovely spot to enjoy a drink or bite to eat before heading back into town.
For more insights into the region’s industrial heritage, it’s also worth looking around The Discovery Museum at Blandford Square in Newcastle.
Laing Art Gallery Newcastle
Through applied art and paintings, the Laing Art Gallery, in central Newcastle, also provides insights into the region’s industrial heritage. It is named after Alexander Laing, a wine and spirits merchant, and housed in a grand building opened in 1905.
The Laing’s collection includes Pre-Raphaelite artworks by William Holman Hunt and Edward Burne-Jones.
In addition to its exhibitions, the Laing is also worth visiting for its afternoon teas.
Side Gallery for photography
Currently mothballed, following funding cuts in 2023, Newcastle’s Side Gallery opened in 1977 as England’s only venue dedicated solely to exhibiting documentary photography. It has exhibited works by some of the great names in documentary photography, including Chris Steele-Perkins, Simon Norfolk and Tim Hetherington.
When it is open, Side Gallery sells books of Sirkka-Liisa Kontinnen’s work, documenting life among the terraced houses of the Byker district in the 1960s and 1970s. Her multilayered work is a reminder of how times have changed since the shutter opened on the scenes depicted.
Hatton Gallery in Newcastle
Newcastle’s Hatton Gallery reopened in 2017 following a £3.8 million redevelopment. Located in a Grade II listed building on Newcastle University’s campus, the gallery features Kurt Schwitters’ Merz Barn Wall. The Hatton’s collection spans six centuries. It includes works by the likes of Francis Bacon, Prunella Clough, and Patrick Heron.
The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle
The Biscuit Factory (16 Stoddart Street) is regarded as the UK’s largest commercial gallery. Open seven days a week, it is a spacious two-storey venue in a former warehouse. Reminiscent of a loft gallery, with exposed brick walls and wooden floors, it is worth visiting to browse and buy works by up-and-coming artists or to search for original gifts.
Buildings in Ouseburn, the district of Newcastle that houses The Biscuit Factory.
Angel of the North
There’s a widespread misconception that the Angel of the North is located in Newcastle. Antony Gormley’s iconic rust-red sculpture is actually in Gateshead. It’s well worth visiting to view up close.
The sculpture was erected in 1998. At first, it received mixed reviews and even some disapproval. Locals have been won over and adopted it as a symbol of home. Gormley’s work has come to be respected and can be interpreted as a symbol of local metamorphosis.
Interested in visiting the Angel of the North? The iconic sculpture is about four miles from Gateshead town centre. The number 21 bus, from Newcastle’s Eldon Square or Gateshead Interchange, stops close to the landmark.
art museums in North East England
After visiting the galleries and art museums in Newcastle and Gateshead, why not head to the other leading art establishments in North East England?
From central Newcastle, Sunderland is a 30-minute ride on the Tyne and Wear Metro. Disembark the Metro at St Peter’s to visit the United Kingdom’s National Glass Centre, which features glassware exhibitions and hosts glass-making demonstrations. The centre is scheduled to close permanently in July 2026. The building by the north bank of the River Wear also hosts the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art.
Works by L.S. Lowry are displayed at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, which in 2019 hosted a major Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.
Middlesbrough, an 80-minute train journey from Newcastle Central Station, hosts the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. The institution is usually referred to by its acronym, the MIMA. Anish Kapoor’s sculpture Temenos stands close to the mouth of the River Tees.
Map of Newcastle and Gateshead
Zoom into the map of Newcastle and Gateshead to locate museums and art galleries:
Travel to Newcastle
Newcastle Central Station is on the UK’s East Coast Main Line. Rail journeys from London’s King’s Cross Station can take as little as two hours and 37 minutes. Newcastle is about 90 minutes’ rail journey from Edinburgh.
Newcastle International Airport is about 25 minutes from the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne using the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Hotels in Newcastle and Gateshead
Newcastle and Gateshead offer much for a colourful city break. Search for accommodation in Newcastle and the surrounding region using the map below:
Books about art and North East England
Interested in art and planning on visiting North East England? You can buy the following books from Amazon:
In Search of a Northern Soul by Stephen Wood
.
The Northumbrians: North-East England and Its People by Dan Jackson.
111 Places in Newcastle that you Shouldn’t Miss (including Gateshead) by David Taylor.
Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day by Brian Groom.
Five Hundred Years of British Art by Kirsteen McSwein.
Further information
Find out more about things to do and see in Newcastle and Gateshead on the NewcastleGateshead website.
Thank you for visiting Go Eat Do and reading this post about art in Newcastle and Gateshead. Planning on visiting North East England? You’ll find travel tips for visiting Newcastle and Gateshead in my post on Places to visit in Newcastle.
Stuart Forster is an award-winning travel writer based in North East England. Born and raised in the region, Stuart is available for freelance commissions and sponsored posts.
Illustrating photos are by Why Eye Photography.
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A version of this post was initially posted on Go Eat Do on 30 July 2020.
