Articles by David Morton

Technology

Northumberland Street, Newcastle, on a busy shopping day in 1980 - and the same view today

This was Newcastle’s main thoroughfare, Northumberland Street, as it was on a bustling shopping day in 1980. On the lampposts, we see signs marking the city’s 900th anniversary celebrations - the ‘New castle’ having been founded in 1080 by Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror. There would be a series of events and displays held across Newcastle throughout the year. On the left, we see two of the city centre’s retail heavyweights, Fenwick and Marks & Spencer. They remain present and correct in 2025. On the other side of the street, however, are once-popular stores and household retail names which have disappeared over the last 45 years - Littlewoods, Callers, C&A, and Jackson the Tailor. Much further back in time, in the mid 18th century, the street was described as featuring “very pretty houses standing in the middle of gardens and shady fields”. But by the beginning of the 19th century, the old houses were “rapidly becoming shops”, it was reported. The area around Northumberland Street really took off as a shopping hub in the early decades of the 20th century, replacing Grainger Street as the main place to go. Fenwick had been trading since 1882. In 1913, Woolworths opened its doors for the first time - and in 1932, Marks & Spencer, British Home Stores (BHS), and C&A all arrived on the scene. Only 'Marks & Sparks' of those three survives today. In 1976, Eldon Square Shopping Centre opened, with one of its main entrances situated halfway up Northumberland Street. The Chronicle noted at the time: “Shoppers will be able to walk freely in a series of covered malls, while traffic is segregated at a lower level of service roads and a bus concourse.” Younger folk might be surprised to see cars and buses on Northumberland Street. In fact, it had long been a busy, integral section of the main A1 route that linked London and Edinburgh. The busy traffic subsided somewhat following a huge fire at the Callers store in 1969 which led to some restrictions, and even more so after the opening of the Central Motorway in 1975. It wouldn’t be until 1998 that Northumberland Street was fully pedestrianised, transforming it into a location for busking, street performance and events. The Chronicle recently reported how a long-running revamp of the street should finally be complete in six months’ time. Shoppers and businesses have had to put up with disruption since the major regeneration project began in December 2023. Newcastle City Council announced work at the southern end of Northumberland Street is now virtually complete, while it hopes work on the rest of the street will be finished by April next year. From horse-drawn carts to high street chains, Northumberland Street has seen it all - and continues to evolve. We have a dedicated newsletter for ChronicleLive’s nostalgia stories and pictures. It’s free and you can sign up to receive it here . Don’t miss out on our popular nostalgia stories and historical archive photos from across the region.