Anyone who has visited St James' Park has no doubt looked up at the roof of the stadium towering 150 feet above their heads. It surely must be a spectacle to see the city from that height, but it's only once you're actually stood on the edge of the stadium roof that you can truly appreciate the views on offer.
A key component of the rooftop tours is using the extraordinary vantage point over Newcastle to talk about the history of the city. Though the tours take place above the football grounds, sport is not a focus of the tours and only plays a small part of the over an hour-long experience.
It will appeal to a very broad audience with a range of interests, so don't be put off if football isn't your thing. The tour should pique the interest of those who are curious to learn more about Newcastle, those who simply want to see the city from a magpie's perspective, and history buffs who want to learn more about the area in times since gone.
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Brian Spencer, one of St James’ Park Rooftop Tour Guides said, "i t’s really not a football tour. We have had people think it’s a football-related tour, we obviously bring them in this room where you can see the walls and explain that it’s really a general knowledge, trivia, a little bit of football in because we talk about the stadium."
"You get people saying 'I didn’t know that kind of stuff' about things that I think you take for granted, and then you don’t really take it in. Quite often visit other cities and pay more attention to things than what you do in your own city here."
"Most people at the end are quite complementary and say they’ve learned something they didn’t know, even though they’re from Newcastle or Tyneside in general."
The rooftop tours of St James' Park are extremely popular. For those wanting to book a place, the next available slots aren't until September 2022. With this in mind, the team behind the tours is looking to expand availability.
Currently, the tours run two to three times a day over weekends when there isn't a match on at the grounds. Additional slots may soon be added for Fridays to allow more people to experience the breathtaking views of Newcastle and beyond from atop the famous stadium.
If you are interested in booking a tour, details can be found here.
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