For the first time in 50 years, we can now see down Newcastle's historic Pilgrim Street

Once the rubble is cleared and the dust settles, city centre shoppers and workers will be rewarded with an unobstructed view down Newcastle's historic Pilgrim Street for the first time in more than 50 years.

Universally regarded as a city centre eyesore, Commercial Union House is in the final stages of demolition. Around 9,000 HMRC staff will move from their current bases in Longbenton and Washington by 2027 into the new Pilgrim’s Quarter complex which will occupy the demolished site of Commercial Union House and the Stack leisure hub. The work is part of wider plans to transform much of down-at-heel Pilgrim Street and New Bridge Street West.

The former office block - which in more recent times became a space for the arts and cultural projects - was a product of late 1960s and early 1970s modernism, a time when Newcastle's planners were also dreaming up bold architectural statements such as Swan House (today it's 55 Degrees North) and Westgate House (which would be demolished in 2007).