Fifty years separate these two views of the Cloth Market in Newcastle city centre.
Our older view takes us back to 1972, while our modern view shows a recent scene from 2022. Back in time, the Cloth Market was one of several medieval Newcastle markets clustered around St Nicholas’ church (later cathedral) on the route of the Great North Road. Popular fairs were held there every August and October when linen and blankets were sold ahead of the impending winter.
The area at different times was also home to the Flesh Market and Fish Market, and traders found the nearby Lort Burn - which is now culverted and ran down where Grey Street and Grey Street stand today - handy for throwing animal and human waste into. It smelled badly, apparently!
