Out for a local walk on Saturday, I was pleased to see new signage up proclaiming the “Gateshead Railway Quarter” on the edge of Gateshead town centre.
The quarter itself isn’t a new thing – the arches and other characterful buildings in Wellington Street have long housed a delightful array of micropubs and other independent businesses – but putting the name up there undoubtedly makes it more real.
After all, you can’t Google something to find out more about it if you don’t know what it is.
Viewed from the other direction, the countless people who pass over the High Level Bridge by bus will also now know that there is a Riverside Park worthy of exploration.
Hometown
Though I live in Gateshead, I have learnt by now that people I meet, almost without exception, assume that I live in Durham.
Not surprisingly, that’s partly a reflection of my work (I have been commissioned to work in Durham since 2020, but never yet in my hometown), and my role as chairman of Durham Business Group.
Also, frankly, it’s because Durham has tended to have much more positive stuff going on for me to share – and, as you will know by now, I don’t make a habit of posting about things that are closing, empty, or otherwise unhelpful.
Mojo
Happily, Gateshead – as both a town centre and a wider borough – does now seem to be finding its mojo again after somewhat losing its way over the past decade.
Notably, the appointment of a town centre manager – a role that the High Streets Task Force report on Gateshead argued for a few years ago – has made a tangible difference in a short time, by providing dynamic place leadership.
There are also signs of new town centre businesses opening, and interesting initiatives such as the Tyne Derwent Way project and planned permanent replacement for the much-missed By The River Brew Co. that recapture the energy and creativity that Gateshead became known for in the 1990s and 2000s.
Fingers crossed there will be more positive Gateshead stories for me to share in the months to come – and that in the future, “You’re from Gateshead, aren’t you?” won’t be such a rare opening question for people to ask me.
