Welcome to NewcastleGateshead Our story PHOTO: Gateshead Council Located in the North East of England astride the iconic River Tyne, PHOTO: supplied courtesy of Great Run NewcastleGateshead brings together two powerful destinations into one by Peter Langdown exciting, historic yet contemporary gateway to the region. In the past 10 years there has been a radical change to the cityscape and infrastructure. The emergence of The Angel of the North in the late 90s heralded a new era which included the arrival of Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and The Sage Gateshead. Our reinvention has helped put us on the national and international map as a modern, compact and culturally-vibrant European city with a strong identity. Here is a place where businesses prosper and people enjoy a quality of life second to none. The City of Newcastle combines historic Georgian buildings with magnificent new architecture of international acclaim. The museums and galleries in Newcastle fabulously portray the history of the location; while the Norman castle in the heart of the city and the Great North Museum make an interesting and fun day out. Best of both worlds NewcastleGateshead is set in the heart of North East England, one of the most beautiful regions in the UK. It is a PHOTO: Alex Telfer vibrant, energetic city centre which Lonely Planet referred to as “the hipster capital of the North East.” This lively, exciting centre is surrounded by stunning countryside of nationally recognised tranquillity with a wonderful coastline of golden sandy beaches, all within a 30-minute travel time of the vibrant centre. The location offers the best of both worlds: a vibrant and buzzing city environment with some of the UK’s best beaches and countryside. Newcastle is the historic city north of the river In many parts of Britain, owning your own home combine proximity to the centre with leafy connected by seven bridges with its neighbour is simply out of reach for most young avenues and excellent amenities, are ever on the south bank – Gateshead, famous for its professionals. In NewcastleGateshead, that is popular with some excellent 3-bedroom contemporary culture and iconic structures not the case. First-time buyers will find a good properties starting around the £200k mark. such as the Angel of the North, The Sage choice of affordable properties, with apartments Gateshead and Gateshead Millennium Bridge. in many areas starting below the £100,000 Families seeking safe estates with plenty of mark. Innovative projects include the BoKlok outdoor space for young children could not go Northumberland to the north with its homes in Gateshead, which have been created far wrong in Great Park, High Heaton, Benton magnificent countryside, the world heritage site by Ikea and are both environmentally friendly and Kingston Park. of Hadrian’s Wall and spectacular coastline; and affordable. Another scheme in Walker, County Durham with the historic City of At the top end of the market and slightly further River’s Gate, offers a taste of Quayside living to Durham, heritage coast line and rural towns out of town, the areas of Darras Hall, families. and villages and North Yorkshire and Cumbria Ponteland, Whickham and Rowlands Gill are all easily accessible for a day or short In the Bensham and Saltwell area, near to provide executive homes in semi-rural break. Gateshead’s award-winning Saltwell Park, locations. period properties are being given a new lease On the stunning coast Tynemouth and of life. With new family homes to come, this will Monkseaton are popular with families and ensure this is an attractive area for families and Home sweet coastal activities ensure a year-round couples alike. community. Hexham and its nearby rural home For family homes, there is a vast range villages to the west are also popular. To the depending on your priorities and budget. A north of the city, Morpeth is an attractive market From carefully restored Victorian terraces to popular new build development has been town offering a more rural lifestyle but with local contemporary city-centre apartments to Staithes South Bank, on Gateshead Riverside amenities close by. South of the river towards semirural locations, the region offers a wealth and in easy reach of the MetroCentre and the South Shields, the suburb of East Boldon offers of choice in accommodation. The costs of A1. Designed by Wayne Hemingway and built attractive family homes with the city centre housing are highly competitive with average by Wimpey Homes, these properties bring a served by the nearby Metro route. house prices in Newcastle at £116,507 and distinctive style to the new build market. Gateshead at £93,763. They remain some of Leisure and community facilities in each of the best in the country, meaning your money If you prefer older properties, suburbs such as these areas are well represented, providing goes a lot further. Jesmond, Gosforth and Low Fell, which entertainment and amenities for residents. A range of properties available can be found at www.rightmove.co.uk including: £300k 3 bed roomed house £199,950 3 bed roomed semi £120,000 2 bed roomed semi £109,950 studio apartment, with front and rear garden in detached house, rear garden in detached house in Walkerdene Baltic Quay Gateshead Gosforth Low fell Our health provision has an international reputation. The Freeman Hospital has pioneering expertise in transplant surgery for both adults and children and is one of Europe’s leading lung transplant centres. The Strong hearts National Health services, as well as being some of the best in the country, are also significant employers, including Royal Victoria Infirmary, the Freeman and Queen Elizabeth hospitals. and minds Education here also has a strong reputation, with a fantastic choice of excellent state and private schools. Founded in 1545, Newcastle's Royal Grammar School is steeped in tradition, while both Central High and Church High all- girls schools offer superb learning environments. There’s a plethora of great state schools in the area all with excellent Ofsteds and offering great SAT levels and GCSE and A level grades. Statistics show that the area consistently outperforms the national average for A-Level performance and the region hosts a huge higher education student base. Both Newcastle and Gateshead Colleges are also continually developing. Gateshead College successfully moved to a state-of-the- art £37m site at Baltic Business Quarter, while Newcastle College has opened a new £40m Lifestyle Academy right in the heart of the city and a Renewable Energy training centre in Walker and was recently ranked as the best performing general FE college for 16-18 year olds in England. And with five excellent universities within 25 miles of one another including: Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and Durham; all levels of education are well catered for. Getting here; getting around Newcastle International Airport is just over 20 minutes’ from the city centre by either car or the light rail Metro system, and offers direct flights to and from London (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted), Dubai, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Paris and over 65 other destinations from across Europe, together with frequent flights to most major domestic hubs. The all-weather deep sea, deep berth Port of Tyne was named Port Operator of the Year 2011 by Lloyds List, and is host to freight operations for a number of large companies such as Nissan, VW and Drax Power. The North Shields International Ferry Terminal, only seven miles east of the city centre provides regular connections to continental Europe. NewcastleGateshead’s situation on the East Coast train mainline means it is ideally placed PHOTO: Graeme Peacock to provide short travel times to many of the city hubs in the UK with high-speed rail links providing direct access to London in 2 ¾ hours, and Edinburgh in just over an hour. And the A1 (M) motorway links the area to London, Edinburgh and other major UK cities. The urban core is extremely compact, getting around by foot or public transport is much easier than most urban centres. The modern, integrated transport system includes the Metro system, one of only three light railway systems throughout the UK. It offers massively shorter journey times than elsewhere in the country for commuters, businesses or visitors with a The world is your oyster mere 20 minute connection time between the city and Newcastle International Airport - one North East England is a richly varied region, with a stunning coastline (much of of Europe’s fastest airport links. which is unspoilt) and vast stretches of countryside, including the North Pennies Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, named by David Bellamy as The metro system runs on three lines and ‘England’s last wilderness’. connects the airport, city centre, Tynemouth and the coast and South Shields. The service We are situated 20 minutes (by car or Heading north, Alnwick is another fine is reliable and good value and makes Metro) from the most popular beaches, all market town with the added benefit of commuting extremely easy. The bus network blue flag, at Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. Alnwick Castle and The Alnwick Garden, both major attractions in their own right. in the region is also extensive and park & ride However, don’t forget to try some more systems ensure getting around the destination Hexham and Alnwick were recently voted secluded spots such as the wonderfully England’s Favourite Market Town and The is quick and efficient. safe beaches around Alnmouth and Best Place to Live in the UK, respectively, Bamburgh to the north, or surfing on the by Country Life magazine. beaches at South Shields and Sunderland, a short drive to the south. Northumberland The city of Durham needs little is a walker’s paradise.