How Is This Place Even Still Open?

[@paulmartin4285]

Totally apathetic attitude from the councils around the country. How hard would it be to offer the empty units, rent/rate free, for 24 months whilst you build your little business.

[@galleryhad7747]

Me please. Biulding.little model boats.

[@OldQueer]

I did some contract IT work for Newcastle Council at one point and the whole place is thick with incompetence. They blame Tory cuts for everything while failing to look within at their own misgivings. The place is filled with busybodies who wouldn't know what good looked like if it slapped them in the face. The politics of the place were utterly ridiculous and people would rather waste taxpayer money than upset a senior or Councillor. It made me sick to see it. I saw similar on a central gov contract I once did.

[@peterkiernan7745]

They don’t want small businesses

[@paulmartin4285]

@@galleryhad7747 Soooooo many little businesses ideas could be realised, you create an incredible place to shop and interact. The only things that seem to open are bars and expensive chain eateries.

[@EgoChip]

It's not apathy, it's corruption.

[@MackerelCat]

I think people like you who make videos touring the UK are doing really important work in drawing attention to the situation and getting us talking and thinking about what to do with it.

[@MargaretCampbell583]

It’s awful

[@MackerelCat]

@haveanotherpinacolada who can go everywhere?

[@kissofjudaz]

@MackeralCat Get people to stop shopping online, that’ll not happen.

[@hmq9052]

The north is a wasteland. Beyond hope.

[@sambranton3346]

Its been thus way in hull for years in the city centre, its like its the plan all over! Videos like this highlight what is happening nationwide not just at home.

[@adrian29459]

16:57 you missed a little gem being the Central Arcade, beautiful small glass roofed building cutting through two main streets Grainger Street & Grey Street

[@Withnail1969]

that is a beautiful little place built when Newcastle was a real boom town

[@sweenytodd202]

I worked on Market Street for 10yrs and it was buzzing.What Killed the Town was a place called the Metro Centre which came with Free Car parking.Which Newcastle could not compete sadly due to the ridiculous high parking fees in Newcastle and this was the kissof death I spent 20yrs of my life working all together working in there so I kown how it affected it.very sad.😂

[@craigjohnson2301]

@@sweenytodd202metrocentre seems to be dying out as well now. Online shopping has killed the high streets. The work from home change accelerated by the pandemic might be the final nail.

[@invertlaws94]

​@sweenytodd202 metro centers not much better these days the two little village things in there are completely empty now and half the shops are shut in main part

[@jonk9697]

​@Withnail1969 part of Grainger's plans in the 1830's but was intended as a corn exchange. Only became a shopping arcade in 1906 after a second fire completely gutted it.

[@luton_gmanrock]

The flag at the end of the video depicts Britain. Worn out, fatigued and no more care. Great Britain should be renamed, Broken Britain and no government is willing to repair it as long as greed exists. "Scrap business rates" and those shops will be alive with trade, culture, meeting places, music shops and farm produce. Governments are supposed to care for us, not neglect us.

[@Vikface1978]

The term “us” is very liberal here… they do care but only about the elite 😢

[@ellenoneill7853]

🎯

[@TheDoosh79]

A country in its death throes, clear to see by every man woman and child except anyone in Westminster.

[@seansmith445]

@@TheDoosh79 ~It's those in Westminster who caused it - deliberately.

[@magsk6721]

Yes that' just said it all ! Didn't it ? Sad !

[@RachelFayLovelyDay]

Eldon Garden was never a hub of shopping. An absolute fortune was spent to extend Eldon Square, and literally no-one ever went. Two problems are the cost of Newcastle's business rates, and the fact that we're all totally skint here :D

[@gailcollins2397]

I remember when Eldon Garden opened it never really took off the way the rest of Eldon Square had and now since Debenhams has closed Eldon Square is looking a bit sorry as well

[@Justice237]

⁠@@gailcollins2397I lived in Newcastle for 5 years and left last August, Eldon Square was fairly bustling when I was there, especially on weekends. Eldon Garden has been a ghost town for as long as I can remember though.

[@thomasgordon2081]

Eldon gardens was just always too far out of the way, tucked in some shite corner and filled with shops that were too niche. If the company running Eldon square had any sense they'd have got a popular shop or two in there to drive foot traffic but it was just shite like Rohan or that indy art dealer.

[@gailcollins2397]

@@Justice237 it’s mainly the mall leading down to what was Debenhams that’s gone quiet quite a few empty shops now . The rest is still ok

[@hmq9052]

​@@Madie839Comparatively, you are.

[@miker13]

Somewhere in Newcastle there's a graffiti supplies shop that's doing fantastically well.

[@brinjoness3386]

They probably buy it from Amazon

[@PRDGLBRD]

Colours in Ouseburn 😂

[@XKoriX214]

😂

[@johnwhite2293]

B&Q

[@isobellickes8543]

Like a ghetto.

[@ahassen1236]

I saw an ad on TV about visiting Turkey last week and thought that'd be nice. As I was searching online and came across a nice hotel and flights included for 250pp, I had a call from a mate who wanted me to go into town with him so I could sit in his car so he can park close to where he wanted to go to avoid a ticket. Three parking attendants turned up in 15 minutes, and three times I went round the block and came back. Most of the shops were boarded up except a few, including one travel agent. When my mate got back, I went to it and found the same package for £489pp! Here's why I think the high street is dead. It can't compete with online experience, let alone parking fines of £100 for a few minutes over and their silly overheads. Impossible.

[@JenniferA886]

True… the high street is dead. It’s too far gone 👍👍👍

[@the_9ent]

Yup, that’s their mark up on top of the actual price - the one you found online. They find the exact same deal and whack a commission on top. It’s why I don’t bother with travel agent’s.

[@JenniferA886]

@@the_9ent so true. And most of the people I’ve found working in that type of retail are just jumped up little shits with a chip on their shoulder. For me, it’s online all the way 👍👍👍🌎

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

What exactly IS an online experience? I always support local shops, regardless of markup, because I want my streets to not look like a zombie apocalypse... If I order something, it is after scouring all the local shops to ensure they don't have it. With the cost of shipping it all amounts to about the same. People claim ordering online is cheaper (in my area of interest it is mostly plastic modelling), but a lot of specialized shops offer fidelity discounts, so the rationale barely adds up, with the massive inconvenience of delayed reception by days or even weeks, and having to wait at the post office. In addition, a Hobby Shop will have the small paint bottle you just ran out of and want right now, so not supporting retail makes even less sense. For barely a 15% gain, often well under 10% if you include shipping, I just don't get people turning their cities into deserts and calling it a deal...

[@JenniferA886]

@@wrathofatlantis2316 good point…

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

You would be amazed at how many malls are gone and dying here in the United States. Developers built way too many malls in the 1980s and 90s…. It’s a mess and many properties are rotting away while homeless people are everywhere.

[@SEANPOL203]

Americas homeless is another level, says it all about the US Government

[@nigelkthomas9501]

We didn’t have the internet until 1989; and no-one knew at that time how big it would eventually become. The White Rose Centre in Leeds was built in 1996/7 and that’s well patronised today. Parking is plentiful and buses frequent. It’s soon to get a new train station albeit about 300 yards away. There’s a number of things you can’t buy online because you need to see how they fit and work. If you buy clothing and shoes and they don’t fit it’s an inconvenience to have to return them.

[@pholdway5801]

There was definitely a gleeful and unwise over expansion but the other factor is OUR altered habits as to WHERE we shop and how difficult it is to do this efficiently when the internet shopping option is only a click away WE KILLED THE MALLS AND SHOPPING PRECINCTS too And were helped by Amazon and all other online sellers.

[@simonsadler9360]

Good to see from Spain donations to build more Steam locos !under Britain a fortune in safely minable coal ,we gave steam to the world, even now steam catapults used on aircraft carriers ,all of Britain was fabulous inventors

[@GrahamMacdonald-w9o]

@@pholdway5801 I agree. Car ownership is higher and people are prepared to drive immediately to out-of-town shopping centres with free parking rather than wait for the bus. Although many city centre factories have now been turned into flats, not least for students, there has been a drift of people moving to the suburbs. Visiting the city centre is more than a 10-20 minute walk for a much larger proportion of the population.

[@iheartmudlarking1955]

I think it suffered because it was a weird little bit in the corner of Eldon Square. There is a flow through the rest of Eldon Square but you have to make an effort to walk off and around Eldon Garden and then come back into the main mall again if you're just generally shopping.

[@nelzapoppin]

It's been a total White Elephant from day one. The worst thing is, they demolished the fantastic Handyside Arcade of 1906 to make way for this monstrosity.

[@stconstable]

Actually it was burned down. Very suspicious.

[@nelzapoppin]

That was Leazes Arcade just behind it, the Handyside was demolished. @@stconstable

[@jimh4072]

⁠That happens a lot in Belfast too, if you want to see spontaneous combustion - just go up to an old building, pointing at it while saying the magic words “listed building” next thing you know is the whole street is ablaze. 😂😂😂

[@nelzapoppin]

That was the Leazes Arcade behind it, the Handyside was demolished. @@stconstable

[@abc33944]

Same thing happened with the fire of ..London Incredible concrete tartarian architecture “ burned”

[@chelfyn]

I remember when this first opened - it was filled with super-high end boutique shops, all priced way above your average geordie's means. I think their prime custom was WAGs of footballers and that's about it.

[@OpticalChaos]

exactly right, no one ever went to this area of town. no one knew who it was aimed at. Overpriced stuff, I knew one person who bought a lamp there once, that is it.

[@oceansunset6147]

For Cheryl Cole and Gang???

[@angela_7_7_7]

It was always about a global economic collapse.

[@davidhuggan6315]

I remember when it first opened too. It was the clean, very white, posh part of Eldon Square

[@LadyAuld]

@@oceansunset6147Cheryl Cole didn’t live in Newcastle after her fame. Then she Married Ashleigh Cole who played for Manchester. I don’t think she’s lived in Newcastle since she was on popstars.

[@MrJonnyalpha]

It was always very quiet. It was an attachment to the Eldon Square centre and was mainly an access for the shop mobility and car parks over the road. Lakeland had one of the stores which pulled people down from the main centre. There was no footfall when that shop left. They can't really shut it as it is an entrance. It was never a busy hub down there.

[@mallorca629]

Im from Newcastle and went to live in Spain with my parents and never went back for 30 years and i returned in 2023 and stayed in the premier inn you saw: Here are my conclusions: First thing that shocked me: i got the metro from the airport to the city centre, it was the same rolling stock from when i left (1981) it was obsolete and the rails were not straight as it shuddered, then i traveled up the escalator to monument and walked to the hotel, i was then shocked by the amount of indigenous britons living rough asking ( politely) for money! Then i stopped at mcdonalds and was shocked to see two policeman on duty buying bigmacs in tatty worn out uniforms, im used to seeing the guardia civil in spain and how well turned out they are. All the shops on the highstreet are obsolete buildings, all they sold was junk food, no one sold anything. I hate to say it but the place is really run down, if anyone is ever in spain checkout the infastructure: the roads, pavements, metro, high speed trains, the bins, the police…. Everything is better. What shocked me the most was the war memorials, all those poor souls who paid with their lives for the country to end up in the state its in

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

😮😮😮😮😮

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

😮😮😮😮😮

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

😅😅😅😅😅

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Google 3000 mille viviendas , and Canada real Madrid and see the bad side of , spain is the best country in the world on balance in my opinion but is far from perfect..

[@guestandsons]

My lovely partner who recently passed away showed me her city. The city of Newcastle. As a Southerner I loved the culture character and buildings history of this great city.

[@wanderingturnip]

Sorry to hear that about your partner. The buildings really are something special up there, no wonder she wanted to show them off. You should get back up and have a wander around 👍👍

[@guestandsons]

@@wanderingturnip Thank you I will.

[@MAGXX]

If you only show closed shops and dirty corners, every city looks like this. Newcastle is a very nice city, been there often enough. Too bad you have no eye for that. Have a great life! 🤕

[@spiritualparadise4887]

The Eldon Gardens was put for sale in early 2023, which is why many of the few remaining shops have closed or relocated. The main Eldon Square shopping mall is still pretty busy, esp on a Saturday, as is Northumberland Street. (featured in the video). Basically cannot compete with the Metro Centre (15 minutes away by car) and Amazon. Shame ... it had some nice bars and restaurants when it first opened. The shops were too specialized though and pricey for typical Geordie shoppers. Just came back from a holiday in Valencia, Spain. All malls were vibrant (old and new) ... Spanish still love to shop and eat out. There are other factors at play here ... not just changing customer shopping habits. Sky high rent and rates, greedy landlords, apathetic councils etc etc. Great video ... thanks for posting.

[@lawrencesword5183]

glasgow and dundee hve one full centere and one with nearly no shops and just like pound shops in them

[@MP-vc4nu]

Rent isn’t really that costly, Extra expenses like rates, service charges are out of hand. Why on earth these cost nearly equal to rent? Plus, things are much cheaper to afford in Spain, as in price for customers. Products are overpriced in UK expecting to get most of money out of very small amount of customers instead of massive flow of customers with much less price.

[@OldQueer]

It would have been interesting if you went across the river to Gateshead. Absolutely miserable high street filled with the walking dead, scabby pigeons, and perpetually unemployed.

[@cutterbacon]

I just drove to gateshead and what a scary shithole. I made a wrong turn near some shops and ended up at some nasty rough prison looking flats all empty and looking like a scene from walking dead. No im never going near gateshead again. Awful area.

[@cutterbacon]

Similar feeling at baltimore md.

[@RobinPalmerTV]

That trendy bit near Hillgate Quays is quite nice on the Gateshead side but that's about it.

[@Donovan-p4w]

Uk gone downhill everywere

[@Futura2500]

I worked in Gateshead in the 2000's it wasnt anything like that 20 year ago -really sad @@cutterbacon

[@davehedgehogUK]

Good grief! I lived in Newcastle from 2007-2012 and remember going in there a lot, especially to use the toilets when out with the lads on a pub crawl. I find it almost hard to comprehend how it's gotten like that in just over a decade. 😱 I mean I know the answer, it's Amazon and online shopping in general, but it's still almost unbelievable how quickly things have died. Princess Quay in Hull will be like that soon, if it's not already - been many a year since I've been in, but the last time I did it was clearly on its last legs and the place was only built in the '90s at a massive cost. Pretty much a giant greenhouse on a dock, all glass and water. Impressive to look at.

[@Sandra-Gibora]

Probably because the shops don’t make any money if the lads and you only going there for a pi$$

[@ChristineHillier67]

I went to Kingston upon Hull last year,it's a beautiful place,but you are right,the princess quay is being deserted, when I went a whole floor was shut.such a shame,but the shops outside of the mall were quite busy.there you go David, another place to investigate! 😊💜

[@Wambo-ex3yu]

The shops in Eldon Garden were always struggling and there was a perpetual turnover of half the outlets. When the financial crash hit in 2008, units started to empty. It was always a soulless place.

[@Simon-xc5oy]

Yes I am as shocked as you. Last time I was there was in early 2013. My ex wife used to go to Bravisimo. The place was thriving. All units and shops open, cafes open and people browsing and getting coffee. It was always pricey in that section though, and the shops were more upmarket than the rest of Eldon Square so it was a short of up market niche. Looks like they priced themselves out of business totally. Too expensive for shopping so shops shut. I bet they were charging silly money for rental, rates and electric etc and could not make profit. I used to park in one of the carparks that opened onto Eldon Gardens so you would walk in to there from parking the car. All the shops were utter tw*ts about it though and would no help you with change for the car park. The blasted ticket machines would not give out change so you had to have the exact money for parking to the penny. The machines took in coins but gave nothing out back if you went over which was just pure greed. Hardly surprising its empty now looking back on it....

[@jamegumb7298]

@@Simon-xc5oy Something few people think of. Something local, little shopping centre, it charged €5000 per m² per month, 2008-2010. Then around 2015 it was €8300. I stopped working there then but supposedly around coof days a lot of shops went down the drain and desperate to make their money they went to, I heard, well over 14K. Then no shops opened up anymore and they reportedly only invited larger chains after a big remodel and kicked most of the rest out, with the larger chain stores getting big discounts the more area they rented, as low as €4500 per m²in 2023. That is a great deal. Judging from the €12.95 the shoemaker asks for a simple key copy he has to pay big still.

[@janecowan2502]

Thankyou for featuring my city Newcastle! Love that you checked out the history and the cats!

[@ThisIsntClaire]

Despite the similar names - Eldon Garden and Eldon Square are owned by two separate companies. Eldon Garden was due to be put up for sale last I heard in 2023.

[@deniseproxima2601]

Who was playing elder scroll?

[@nicknewton7384]

It always has been a quiet area, but I remember the cafe being busy.

[@grannygrump4407]

INTU owned some of it

[@LAMF24]

Eldon Garden is a small marginal offshoot of the Eldon Square shopping centre. It was never a "hub" of shopping and isn't a standalone shopping centre. Some of the previous shops have just relocated to elsewhere in town, eg Rohan. That Waitrose was not on the main footfall and that was its problem.

[@richgl31]

To be fair Waitrose was next to Haymarket bus station… so plenty of footfall… but perhaps not their target market!.

[@LouciferFlump]

Yes I feel like this is not an accurate reflection of what it’s truly like. Dear me 🙄

[@hb3393]

Didn't even know there was a difference between them!

[@jackspnc]

​@@richgl31I know a girl who worked there when it was shut, they were told that the shop was making no money compared to the Jesmond and Ponteland stores so that definitely makes sense, just not the target demographic.

[@BillyfromConsett]

Excellent summary of the city's struggling retail industry. Balmbra's - still closed - was the iconic place mentioned in the famous Geordie tune entitled The Blaydon Races. Sad times indeed.

[@gollyboys1]

I visited Newcastle last year for the first time in 10 years and whilst it’s not the city it once (I lived close by 40 years ago) was the city centre is still very vibrant as you’ve shown. The quayside is such a nice place to visit in the summer too. The fact that the City still has John Lewis, Fenwick and a big recently refurbished M&S tells you there is still money there. FYI there is still a branch of Waitrose in nearby Jesmond. There are so many towns now as bad or worse, I was in Glasgow last year also and Sauchiehall St is desolate these days all the shops have pretty much closed now, even Buchanan Galeries shopping centre is almost empty, just John Lewis and a few small shops now. Looking at some smaller towns, Grimsby Victoria St has around 70% of the stores closed. I can’t believe the government think throwing these towns a few million to fix them is going to work, they need hundreds of millions to fix them and some out of the box planning too.

[@marierobson8144]

Don’t hold your breath or try and make it look shinier than it actually is; haven’t you heard that John Lewis is making 12,000 redundancies?!

[@mgthestrange9098]

Buchanan Galleries has been busy any time I’ve been in it lately.

[@lr2564]

I'm surprised how clean and and tidy it still is...

[@richmaniow]

I thought that, the shopping centre looked like it had just been built, bizarre..

[@paulmcdonough1190]

So agree 👍

[@lesigh1749]

Eldon Garden stays open because it links a large multistorey car park to the main Eldon Square Shopping centre which is a dozen of times bigger than Eldon Garden itself. Its kept clean and tidy because hundreds of people pass through it all day. it has no shops in it now sadly, but its not abandoned.

[@newsmonger77]

I saw a lot of graffiti!

[@jean2740]

That's because there's nowt there to steal, otherwise it would be full of pickpockets purse snatchers or shop lifters?

[@michaeldynesdynesis3534]

I laughed when John said it was back in the day in the late 90s when he went to the night club. The night club was called Madison with Chassons in the mid 70s when it opened and we got in there. I actually got to dance with Hot Gossip in there. There were two dance floors. The main dance floor was for your mainstream disco music. But at the top end was a smaller dance floor for funk music and 12th inch singles.

[@AnthonyPatterson-qp7bx]

I was a DJ in 1994 in the 12inch bit😊😊 that was where the RAVE music was played😊

[@Malubvra]

@@AnthonyPatterson-qp7bxDid you say you had some old tickets for this place mate?

[@Youcanthandlemyhandle899]

I thought it was a hotel?

[@heronblue3577]

Another issue is developers and councils will combine 3-4 shops into one massive shop. Nobody wants 2000-3000 sqft shops. Short sighted.

[@freedomvigilant1234]

I have noticed some companies combining several shops into one in order to split the costs etc.

[@Llamarama100]

This is why so many shopping centres have so many huge empty shops. It's not that people don't want a shop, it's that they couldn't fill the huge spaces on offer.

[@shaggydog9789]

I think a little bit of context is needed for this video those that don’t know the area. Basically there are two separate shopping centres, Eldon Square and Eldon Gardens, owned by separate companies. But they are connected, in that you can walk from one through to the other and form a complex that covers a lot of space right in the heart of Newcastle, by Northumberland Street, the main shopping area for the city (which is actually the most expensive location in the UK outside of London to own a shop). I think if you’d have started your walk from the Monument end of Northumberland Street and walked down in and through the busy Eldon Square to get to Eldon Garden it would gave given a very different impression of the area, with big stores like TK Maxx, Fenwick, John Lewis, and a very large M&S on your way to Eldon Garden. Also worth bearing in mind that there was a third mall connected to the other two, that was Monument Mall which was refurbished to become the large TK Maxx store along with other units alongside it. And with the Metrocentre (the UK’s second largest mall in terms of size) being only 15 minutes drive away and offering free parking you can see that there’s a lot of competition in the area.

[@OpticalChaos]

Everyone who watches this video should read this. Whoever contacted David and told him about Eldon Gardens is distorting history.

[@est6682]

Not a lot in the metro at times

[@Elina_Strongbear]

I read they were going to build the metro in Consett on the old steelworks site, wonder how different that would have made things, Consett might have actually had a metro link.

[@gateshead_angel]

Eldon Gardens was put on the market last year, that's why it's empty and nothing in there to let, no it's for sale 4.9m

[@craigjohnson2301]

@@Elina_Strongbearis that deffo true? First I’ve ever heard it and that would’ve been a cool what if

[@pyconsable]

Glad you got to the castle I used to play in the castle when I was a child 1952 sixpence entry the dungeon was very spooky I have been all over the castle. I emigrated to Australia with my wife and children 1970 When I came back on holiday to visit my family I made a beeline to the castle and was sadly disappointed most of it was cordoned off, so thank you for happy memories

[@hazelbarnes8556]

I worked in the nightclub from 1987 until it closed ,largest in Newcastle , thriving every week ,,sad to see it like this ,,we were a great team ,miss all you madison staff ❤

[@harryl9yearsago788]

People still rave on about maddisons nowadays,must of be decent

[@geordieal]

@hazelbarnes8556 Me and me mate used to go to Madison every Thursday night for party night..I still have some of the free tickets to get in!. Sometimes I'd go to Bulletproof! in the top half ( was it called Macy's??) but my mate would never go because he didn't like "indie music". Had some amazing nights in there around '89-97

[@hazelbarnes8556]

@@geordiealyes it was macys way back in the day, I am glad you have good memories,, it certainly holds alot for me, and all of you regulars,,, Fantastic

[@geordieal]

@@hazelbarnes8556 Madison always had the best staff! Funny to think that if you worked at one of the bars you probably served me many many times back then! I think the last time I went would have been sometime in '96 ( I think it was NE1 by then).. me and a different mate went on a Friday and he'd stashed some E's in his shoe, the bouncer busted him and called the cops who took him away. The bouncer recognized me, did a search ( I had nothing concealed) and let me go in! I used to go to Madison in 'boro too( I worked down there for a year)...was also a great place and have many happy memories from there too!

[@Mod-rw9cw]

Would that be Madisons. What a place it was and full of beautiful women.

[@littlemusgrave8212]

As others have said, even when there used to be shops open, Eldon Gardens was always quite quiet compared to Eldon Square. In fact I can't actually remember ever going in a shop there. The only time I ever used to go in that part was to use the public toilets that were there.

[@Gav_80085]

I remember going with my mum so she could be a filo-fax for her new job.

[@Carlin2810]

"quite quiet" Very impressive spelling skills I bet you even know the difference between Their Theyre & There dont you...Clever bastard..

[@AdeboFunkyVoodoo]

​@@Gav_80085that stationary shop was the bomb.

[@simonjones7727]

I remember that it might have been attached to a car park. You would walk through it to get to Eldon Square. Had smaller and speciality shops. Still very sad to see, the retail sector in the UK was so vibrant in the later 80s and 90s.

[@laurenbasey9388]

From Newcastle and I remember when the giant building (7:04) used to be a Barclays Bank. Also used to work part-time at the cafe in the centre of Eldon Gardens (before it changed to Sambuca's), the area was deserted of shops even then (granted only around 10 years ago) - some businesses came, then left and their was a broken air-con/fan constantly making a noise.

[@paulne9]

The roof in Eldon Gardens that you liked, came from Handyside Arcade which was a bit further down from there, which was sadly pulled down 1980's I can remember the night club down that alley in the 1980's. A lot of pubs and night clubs no longer exist there used to be loads.

[@Magic-Florence]

Thanks for the info, very interesting 👍

[@sk1d00]

It was a massive shame when Handyside was pulled down for Eldon Garden. Handyside was a very cool Victorian gallery with lots of funky stores.

[@paulne9]

Yes it was, sadly a lot of old buildings were lost to so called progress. Under what was BT Swan House roundabout ( now 55° ) was built a copy of the Royal arcade, to house some shops for the workers of Swan House. They never opened, dont know as now its housing if you can still go there, but it was open to the public for years.

[@IanYoung-u3v]

The Handyside Arcade was destroyed by fire in 1986, two days after it had been granted Grade2 listing preservation status, it was an inconvenient obstacle to Newcastle's "redevelopment". This was fairly standard practice in the the Thatcher era and the Eldon Garden was an extension of Eldon Square designed to pander to the Tory-voting enclave who reside in a charming place called Darras Hall. Consequently it was doomed to failure since it has nothing to do with the actual population of the rest of Tyneside, but then neither does anything else of Newcastle's "redevelopment". Multiple club owner/gangster Michael Quadrini got away with burning three nightclubs in insurance scams, one of them the infamous "Tuxedo Princess", the corpse of which was shuffled off to Middlesbrough Teesport and remains there to this day. The lockdown provided another excuse for "developers" the Reuben Brothers who evicted 150 small businesses from a building called Bamburgh House by denying they had signed a lease with the company who were subletting the rooms in this building to the small businesses, claiming the building was structurally dangerous and would be sold to the council for demolition. Not surprisingly, it's still there and has been converted into apartments, Reuben's bid for ownership of Newcastle United having been usurped by the House of Saud who managed the awesome achievement of appearing to be a more trustworthy owner!

[@LAMF24]

I loved the Handyside back when I was a kid.

[@Wildmutationblu]

Maybe the library was asked to move because it was being too loud

[@RB-jq6gh]

It was because they were educating people.👨‍🎓👩‍🎓

[@SuzanneO707]

Ours was with over 300 during austerity, and the Edwardian building is derelict , pigeon zoo. Wrecked and for sale. The libraries now squashed into a few rooms in the town hall. How very inspirational.

[@HeavyMetalPowerBottom]

@TerryCollection 😂

[@tonyf832]

All the page turning sure does make alot of noise

[@davidfisher9026]

No need for a library. Needing extra cash, I enlisted in the Fusiliers TA a long time ago. After my medical I was asked to help other recruits fill in their application forms as they were illiterate.

[@jonathanmcstay]

All those busy places were always busy. They’ve struggled to expand the centre though. Eldon Garden was always quiet even when first opened- load of designer shops no one was interested in. Great vid - taken me back home

[@GBDT]

The graffiti pedestrian street you showed never had shops on it. One side was a hotel, the other side a night club (Madisons, when I used to go to go in the 1980's). Great video mind.

[@GBDT]

@@bigstu4700 We did a photo survey in early 2000's and the graffiti wasn't half as bad as it is now. The path was part of the aerial walkway that wasn't well used. The sooner it is redeveloped the better.

[@OpticalChaos]

your right, I'm nearly 50, I've never seen a shop in that area, its a shame the guy showing David around doesn't know the history other than the Nightclub we all used to go to there. it never had any shops, so this is kinda like fake news.

[@LouciferFlump]

@@OpticalChaosI’m the same age as you, and your comment is dead right!

[@MargaretBiggs-f5e]

There was a few shops there in the 90s as I used to buy my oils in one

[@GBDT]

@@MargaretBiggs-f5e I was talking about the raised 'street' between the Centre Hotel and the Madisons night club. There were no shops.

[@tameracingdriver]

Native here, great to see you do a video of the toon. I've lived here my whole life, I love the place. It's always been quite "edgy" but that's part of the charm. There's a lot of redevelopment happening / about to happen, so the city will look a lot better in a few years. If you ever fancy another trip, Gateshead would be my suggestion, dreadful place!

[@kal558]

Stick South Shields on there as well while we're south of the river

[@tameracingdriver]

@@kal558 to be fair mate I'd say Shields has got more going for it than The Heed!

[@mellowmarkable]

​@@tameracingdriver It's got the beach for a start..

[@Youcanthandlemyhandle899]

Depends... if you go further north in Gateshead it actually gets nicer than newcastle.... but Gateshead high street and run down council blocks around that area are buy far the most depraved and awful places in the north.

[@christodd5925]

First time viewer and really enjoyed the video, I’m from the North East and really really enjoyed it. I have some great memories of Eldon Gardens but it’s really sad to see now!! Keep up the great videos!!

[@emmalucygordon3594]

Moved to Newcastle for uni and it’s crazy I’ve never seen these. As an interior architecture student you’d think our projects would be focused on the regeneration of those spaces. Not a big installation in grainger arcade which is already busy. It’s sad to see

[@royfontaine5526]

Have you not wandered off the beaten track at all whilst at university there? Especially given your area of specialism? I certainly did while I was there, plus many of the surrounding areas.

[@NTL578]

If you do any exterior architecture or know anyone who does, please design some classical architecture for the housing that's going to replace it.

[@redf7209]

I believe GA is council owned

[@hanleypc]

I'm surprised that coffee machine hadn't been stolen from the abandoned centre.

[@AndrewBuckleBookReviews]

Sadly, I thought exactly the same thing ... perhaps a good sign that it is still there and intact and has not been vandalised.

[@Magic-Florence]

I thought so too! And the abandoned tables, chairs and artificial plants. The centre looks like it's waiting for a magic wand to breathe life back into it!

[@GarethSewell1982]

This centre still forms part of the larger Eldon Square complex…

[@glynhayes5930]

Lol my first thought was to nip down there and grab it. Bit of tlc it probably works lovely.

[@TheWirral]

For sale ...1 lightly used coffee machine, some artificial plants and a couple of long sofas

[@alansimpson835]

That Premier Inn has an interesting story. It is in the old Co op department store building and i think think they've tried to keep some original features, including the clock

[@Simon-xc5oy]

I am in shock! My ex wife was from Newcastle and we used to shop there and the Metro Centre all the time. This year is the 11th year since the split. So say back in 2012, Eldon Gardens was still REALLY busy. More or less every shop open. That cafe in the middle was where we got coffee. The huge Jewellers shop that ran right around the corner was top end stuff and super pricey, but quality. There was a health spa in there, some pots and pans shops, high end clothes, a phone store and various other exclusive boutique style shops. It really was the expensive, upmarket classy part of Eldon Square that sold unique posh items. There was a custom pen shop that sold original fountain pens for example. All expensive, and all mostly things you did not really need, but stuff you bought if you had money. At Christmas the lights on the ceiling and the Christmas trees they had in there it was stunning, tasteful and classy. There was not one empty unit. Now in 2024 its more or less deserted. The fact that its basically a section of Eldon Square, that is not empty is really shocking as it still seems to me like I was there recently, even though its been over ten years. It proves a number of things. That the what they were selling was not necessary and vital to most people. That what they were selling was too expensive for most people. And that was simply due to rates on the stores are now too high, and the taxes. The owners could not make money off what they were trying to sell. All that is left is a nail bar, as people will always need nails fixing etc. I bet Covid and lack of footfall did it terminal damage as well. No one will go there now as there is nothing to buy anyway and it will be too expensive to open. If one or two places tried they would be shut in no time due to lack of interest. Newcastle is the capitol city of the North East. If you cant make a shop work there, then there is no chance. What can you do? Its sad, but all that sells now is food, cheap junk and takeaways. Things that you will need everyday. Nosh. Other than that its over...so sad.

[@northernmostman]

I remember this place being alive and thriving 10 years ago, online shopping, covid, brexit, austerity, it's all too much and everything is changing.

[@pigeonsareugly]

I think another reason is with the ridiculous inflation and cost of living people just couldn’t excuse spending money on as many luxuries. People are definitely still shopping in real life as Eldon square is usually packed whenever I’m in there

[@Simon-xc5oy]

@@pigeonsareugly Yes I think you are right. People still go shopping for various things. And Eldon Gardens was a really luxury area with all posh shops selling things that no one really needed in the real world. The Jewellers store was incredible, it was huge but the prices were insane. It might have stayed afloat in London somewhere but not here. And the pen store was bound to go, who writes letters with old fashioned fountain pens? Not enough to sustain a business. Bravisimo though, that used to sell nice underwear as the ex used to go there specially....You were paying something like £75 - £100 for a bra...well...crazy. She had...huge....front extensions, so needed a decent bra, but I was astounded by the costs and that was over ten years ago. I think that most people never bothered with Eldon Gardens as it was just selling things people either did not want to buy, or need or were too pricey. And then as soon as the downturn hit anything like that becomes a zero priority. It was still sad to see though. The downstairs coffee shop was always pretty busy and people did go to wander around there. Its like this everywhere now. If you go to the Metro Centre, I used to park in the Yellow section and walk in from there. The cinema is there now and the arcade, but the DIY shop is gone, the DVD and high end Tv store, gone and also the Guitar shop I used to visit. When you get to where the cactus garden used to be its all just open space with kids play area, and a bit further down all these daft climbing walls and bungie jump rope style rides filling the space. The only thing left there from years ago is the newsagent, still in the same unit as well. Everything else around it is now gone, or something different. And upstairs its just all food outlets and eating places, no shops at all, just bar after bar selling food.....As that is all that sells now, everyone still has to eat.

[@Alligator6002]

Even in '89 through the early 90's Eldon gardens footfall was pretty light, we used to use it as a quick way to get through the crowd and to the match quicker. The area where the snooker hall was, had some banging clubs in the 90's, one i remember in particular was a small night called the hope village, doon the stairs, still got my membership card, very cosy atmosphere, great music, tons of life round there on a Friday and Saturday night, and loads of skaters on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Love the toon, Great video dude. Thanks 👍

[@sharonellis8776]

This was a good way to show how much needs to be done in Newcastle xx

[@hannes8835]

The empty shopping center would be a great place for a film set. A remake of "The Langoliers" or something like that.

[@falaise6077]

...or one of those "liminal space" videos, which are scary

[@johncummins3860]

More like " soylent green " !!

[@falaise6077]

@@johncummins3860 Sadly, Soylent Green has become reality. Can't believe it was made 50 years ago and set 50 years in the future

[@X-raySpecs]

@@falaise6077 Check out Kane Pixels 'The oldest view'

[@hugoagogo4324]

Or a Newcastle Hill Billy film like the one they did in Yorkshire inbred I think it were called 😂😂

[@johneisen6341]

I'm from North London. Brent Cross shopping centre has quite a few empty shops in it now. Sad cause it's was great in the 80s and 90s even into the 00s. Shops are on borrowed time.

[@Taylor23890]

Brent Cross always busy . I went mainly for John Lewis and fenwick . I’ve since moved from London

[@spacechannelfiver]

It's pretty close to me, but you need to to get a Bus or have a car really. It's quicker and easier to get into town

[@rezalrahim5258]

I often went to Brent Cross when I was studying in London in the early 90s

[@kermito3659]

with the arrival of thameslink and all of the new towerblocks, it will probably pick up again

[@Taylor23890]

@@kermito3659 high street and shopping centres thing of the past now . Shame I love going shopping , grabbing lunch and a few cocktails

[@EmmaFAULT]

My cousin had his wedding at the castle in Newcastle. It was class!

[@Youcanthandlemyhandle899]

My wedding will be there in October... super excited!

[@EmmaFAULT]

@@Youcanthandlemyhandle899 aw you’ll love it. It’s fab!

[@emy923]

It really makes you open your eyes, truly by watching your videos. Really brilliantly put together material and in-depth research as always The Wandering Turnip. Such a sad and sorry state all our cities and towns are turning into. Makes me worry what will be left for my young children and by the time they have children. We need to get these greedy governments and councils out and start again with real people running them. ❤

[@lonalxaia]

That's where the WEF come in problem, reaction, solution.

[@hugoagogo4324]

Yes not bloody foreign people running them who can't even say a sentence of English and you haven't got a bloody clue what they are saying

[@peterjones3100]

"In depth research"? he didn't even know Newcastle had a castle ffs 🙄 He's wandering around making assumptions with no knowledge at all. jesus christ.

[@EgoChip]

The flag at the end is very symbolic of the country as a whole.

[@2010gtoner]

your right.

[@rain_down_]

The UK is in a rapid decline. Maybe we should take advantage of our links with Europe and grow strong together. Wait.... erm what??

[@leejames1792]

@@rain_down_ yea, EU going down the pan too, look at Germany, Spain and its mass unemployed youth, Italy in a hole. The entire West is in decline, not just UK.

[@EgoChip]

@@rain_down_ I agree, we did have an economic union with them, and it should have remained that way. But the bureaucrats turned it in to a political union, which we did not sign up for. That's one big reason Brexit rightly happened. They got drunk with power, and now the EU is going to become a totalitarian regime to survive, rather than admit it is a failure and return sovereignty to the nations and people.

[@JoolsUK]

keep buying plastic Chinese goods and Chinese clothes online. Or choose not to.

[@linsampson5308]

I love your videos, you leave no stone unturned, great effort. Thank you.

[@subcitizen2012]

Top video here, thank you. I couldn't help it, the flag at the end seeing better days, put me to tears. Powerful symbol there. Godspeed UK, the world still needs you, but you've got a lot to sort out.

[@happyapple4269]

The uk, as we knew it, is finished.

[@hugoagogo4324]

No it hasn't we need to get this government gone get Reform in and go from there it's not done our forefathers didn't sit there and say its done no they fought for it just like we will

[@Vernslade]

Different class, appreciate you doing it mate 👌

[@anthonyg9670]

Little update on this, the whole Eldon Garden site has now been sold a year after going up for sale for just under £5m. Plans are for a shared workspace on the upper levels, not sure what else for the rest. Will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.

[@thomaswestgarth7315]

Even the Gateshead MetroCentre, which is one of the biggest shopping centres in the country, has big parts boarded up. All of that happened post-covid.

[@zak3744]

Nah, it was well before that. I lived in the North East for a couple of decades, but left just before covid. The Metrocentre had been looking really sad and empty a long time before, 'cos I'd noticed it for several years. I reckon from my memory it was maybe a couple of years after the financial crash that the shops really started changing in the Metro, some of the branded chain clothing and luxury shops started being replaced with phone shops/nail bars/seasonal gift shops/that sort of thing? Then a couple more years after that, you started getting more and more shops just empty completely. That's roughly as I remember it anyway! (I used to browse round Eldon Gardens for inspiration for Christmas shopping and presents! Being tucked out of the way, it was always full of the fancy, luxury shops: jewellery, artworks, posh furniture and nick-nacks and such.)

[@lesigh1749]

@@zak3744 yep, it used to be high end boutique shops and luxury department stores like John Lewis, Debenhams, M&S, even Sears back at the start. Now its pound shops, budget book shops and nail bars. Primark is what passes for a high end shop there now. I remember going to the Metro Centre as a kid in the early 90s and everyone dressed up smart for a day out there, now the punters are as low class as the shops, tracksuit bottoms and hoodies all round.

[@Solinvicti]

​@@lesigh1749 huh? MetroCentre has Omega, Tag Heuer and Breitling boutiques for watches. Jo Malone and L'Occitane boutiques for beauty products.

[@ihatewhenitrains]

Yeah the quality of the place has went downhill for sure, there’s still a couple of nice shops about but places like the village are just empty. shame, if it wasn’t for extortionate rents they could be filled with local start-ups

[@Edith-t4j]

You can see now how all that convid was planned years ahead.

[@milleka3504]

I remeber the Eldon gardens being built and opened. The face is it never had foot fall as it’s off on a limb. Eldon square is the main part of the build and was always bustling as it made shopping in usual shops so much easier. No busy roads to cross.

[@NoahTheFool]

i love going to the top floor of eldon garden with my friends when out at town, its a really nice place to get a quiet moment especially on really busy days

[@NorthShieldsMag1983]

Not sure if a few of these things have been mentioned already, the big building with the temporary blue stickers was a Barclays branch. Another one of the empty buildings at the top of the high street was a NatWest (I think, but another bank) the area around the city wall / China Town is mainly business and call centres, the area with the abandoned club has been like that for a good decade and further away to that, we used to have a massive Warner Brothers cinema but all of that was bought by the university and they have a large complex just passed that area. The market is always busy, a lot of food outlets as well as the usual stalls and vendors. The Chronicle office is in the Bigg Market, that place is mainly full of bars rather than business and comes a live on the evening. But 100% right, in saying a lot of it has been condensed to make the high street the centre point as well as Eldon Square. Great video as usual.

[@davidwhitton9050]

Built in the late 80's, early 90's it was never busy still sad to see it so empty.

[@stconstable]

Yes not in a good location. Bad planning.

[@Happyheart146]

I'm sure it's older than that, perhaps the gardens part was built later than the square, was convinced the square was there right at the end of the 70s. Recall my parents taking me there and I'm old lol

[@davidwhitton9050]

@@Happyheart146 Eldon square is the mid 1970's I believe but it was Eldon Gardens that were being discussed. I am also old. I can remember Madison's nightclub that was talked about later in the video.

[@Simon-xc5oy]

Eldon Gardens was an add on. Eldon Square was and still is a success and full of shops and shoppers. There are some empty units but not many. Shops have come and gone and changed a lot over the years. The Gardens was a late 80s addition and it used to have upmarket shops in there. Posh pots and pans, and jewellers etc. All the stuff sold there was not things most people needed day to day and it was expensive, its no wonder its empty in the current climate....I bet the rates and rent on the shops just got too high for them to make profit. The Metro Centre is going that way now. When Debenhams closed they could not find a company or store to take it all over, so its now been split down to smaller units. Waterstones had a huge shop in there, and moved to a tiny one as it got too expensive. Same with HMV. These problems for it started when it was sold off to a different company and they refurbished the whole place, ripping out the fountains and trees and plants and retiling the whole place. And now its got more empty units than shops... Med village gone, Antique village gone, Roman forum gone, just loads and loads of over priced food shops and cafes and some clothes stores is about all that is left there now....

[@davidwhitton9050]

@@Simon-xc5oy plus it's only connected to Eldon square by the bridge over the road so missed out on all the foot traffic passing through Eldon square to Northumberland street, not a well thought out development.

[@BoredWalks]

If you're ever in Newcastle again, not too far away is Seaton Delaval and New Hartley. Lots of abandoned railway lines, mining buildings and remnants in the woods.

[@hilarybramley7529]

Used to live in Newcastle, it's a great place, and the Quayside is thriving, especially in summer. In my opinion many of its problems are to do with vast overdevelopment in the 90's, not everything is the fault of Amazon, and some lovely old buildings were flattened to make way for those now-deserted shops. Short-term planning for profit

[@carausiuscaesar5672]

I was in Newcastle a few years ago and loved it!🇨🇦went to see the Fantastic Roman museum and excavation.Enjoyed a sandwich at Greggs sat in the park went up to Eldon Square loved the British History all around me.🇬🇧👍

[@NTL578]

Yeah, this is major doom mongery. Newcastle is class. I don't pine at crappy 60's architecture being pulled down for housing and Georgian/Victorian buildings having the retail units removed from the bottom. My only hope is they don't take too long about it.

[@dansheppard2965]

Newcastle's doing a good job with the city centre, I reckon. There's a lot of stuff out of their control but they're taking a very sensible attitude, making the best out of a difficult situation.

[@AnthonyMiles-kz8ug]

Eldon. Gardens was once the Side Arcade, a beautiful Victorian shopping arcade the was a haven for marginal shops - cool record stores, vintage clothes shops (this in the 80s) It was turned into an extension to Eldon Square, which wouldn't be allowed today, but there was never any reason for anyone to go across the bridge to go there - it was just the same shops as the rest of the shopping centre had. It took away from the character of the city, for no reason at all.

[@matsiesmith2425]

Loved this video. I used to be so proud of this City. I hardly go into it much these days. Please bring back the shops, restaurants and life to my home. ❤️🙏

[@Briardie]

Wow. I just come across this video. In the 1970s, I remember when Eldon Square was just being built and opened up. I remember my mum shopping there. I was about 12/13 years old, my parents owned the Forth Hotel pub on Pink Lane, which is still there in 2024. On Saturdays I well remember wandering around huge areas of this newly built precinct. I even remember walking around a part where a leisure centre was taking shape, squash courts with overhead balcony type walkways, so you could look down at the players, huge rooms which were to be gymnasiums or dance studios. Nobody around, equipment and tools just left, no security or camera surveillance back then, we were just two schoolgirls exploring on our own. Hard to believe that fourty years on, you are walking around it now abandoned and empty. Very strange. Thank you for this hidden gem, and thank you to the the viewer that told you to investigate the area. You brought back so many memories. Good luck and success with your channel going forward.

[@funnycustard8901]

For such a depressing topic you give us hope and positives and there is no antagonising homeless peope just nice conversations with people. Thank you because KZbin has a lot of shady characters making money off of poverty.

[@northeastgameruk8055]

Been a follower and a fan for a while would of loved to bump into you in the toon😊 keep up the good work bud

[@elelegidosf9707]

A simple Google search reveals that this property has been put up for sale by its owners. The property is obviously empty because the tenants have been asked to vacate so the property owner can sell it more easily.

[@DaleTomstock]

It was like this for a while before it got put up for sale, I remember it being a liminal space back in 2021

[@Talboy-p4e]

What have we done to England?? Sad..... 2024 We had the best golden years back then 1960 When England was great We had everything Ok no money But we had England ❤❤ Brtish values and common sense And good leaders kept England ❤❤ Street wise tal I was from north Newcastle 1960 Great happiness back then ❤❤

[@Denyce-m2h]

Yea why did men fight and some die in ww2 for this....

[@ChristianoRodríguez-h3k]

There is nothing beautiful or positive about it I think we were rich together with the Europeans instead with Rishi and his fellas

[@Talboy-p4e]

@@ChristianoRodríguez-h3k true Massive mists leaving Europe Suppose to be boarders control Now millions and millions coming to UK every year from middle Eastern country That just one problems Unfortunately we have a zombie government's One day England will be back

[@Talboy-p4e]

@@ChristianoRodríguez-h3k true Massive mistake leaving Europe...... Now millions of migrates coming to UK every year from middle Eastern country

[@ChristianoRodríguez-h3k]

@@Talboy-p4e Have you seen who they are hiring now and who they are letting into the country? these people can't even work, they are very lazy, they often take time off and they are not good at work most of them shouldn't be in the UK at all.I wonder if they came to the UK with real documents

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Wow! I remember Eldon Garden well - I lived in Newcastle from ‘90-‘94 - sad to see it almost empty now…….

[@dareks8000]

Thanks

[@wanderingturnip]

Legend thanks so much

[@dareks8000]

@@wanderingturnip I love your work. I'm trying to equate what I don't pay the BBC with what I donate to quality YT channels like yours.

[@stconstable]

I lived in Newcastle from 1979 to 1988. And again in the late 2000s. In the Eighties and Nineties it was a destination. Iconic. Buzzing. Lots of fun. Stag and Hen parties every weekend. The nightlife was amazing with several big clubs and many bars catering to all tastes. The clothes shops did well because people needed to dress up to go out. Lots of places provided take away food - kebabs, fish and chips, burgers - for those leaving the nightspots. You couldnt get into the bars at The Bigg Market they were so busy. The Tube was recorded there. Then its successor programme. Bands played at The Riverside and other venues. Then the city council started to fuck it up. Demolition after demolition for no obvious good reason. And disastrous decision making like the closing of the busy Green Market opposite Grainger Market. Of course The Metro Centre at Gateshead drained custom. But the visionless people voted in again and again were the true culprits for the commercial decline. (Northumberland Street wasn't busy, btw, not to my eyes, compared with how it used to be on week days and weekends.) The Toon, as it was known, has been criminally mismanaged. And your video proves that.

[@Wambo-ex3yu]

Agree with all that although I'm pretty sure a Tory administration would have been no better. The council has long seemed determined to destroy the beacons of counter-culturalism in Newcastle (Royal Arcade, The Broken Doll, Handyside Arcade), while chasing rates at the expense of civic improvement (Cathedral Square, the new Haymarket Hub, Eldon Garden). All short-termism.

[@phil8528]

It’s honestly still like that. He’s walking round early in the morning on a week day. Newcastle is bursting with life in the evening.

[@jackking5567]

I agree. Northumberland Street used to be rammed full with people, as did Eldon Square Shopping Centre. The night life of Newcastle was legendary. All gone, all destroyed by poor decision making. I mean look at Whitley Bay now - once heaving with social venues. It's all old folks homes now!

[@Toy0w0ta]

A potentially interesting shopping center for you to check out would be Castle Quarter in Norwich. Not even because of the impressive build and location, but instead the way it has reinvented itself over the last few years. I remember a few years back walking through and it was all pretty much empty. However management took over and decided instead of trying to fill the space with retail. They instead tried to get it full of activities! The whole mall now has a completely different vibe and is a great activity destination, both for young and old!

[@Wambo-ex3yu]

True. My two favourite cities in England are Newcastle and Norwich!

[@meek88]

Not from Newcastle but from the North East. The building that had the blue tarp in the windows, pretty sure that was a Barclays branch. The restaurant at the end of Stowell St. (Chinatown) was Mamak, went once and had one of the worst meals ever in there. They used to have ducks hanging in the window. I visit maybe 6 times a year, used to go all the time in my youth, and there’s some parts of the city I’ve never been to - The spray painted buildings where the nightclub once, never seen that street ever. Newcastle does have some beautiful hidden gems though, whether it’s shopping, bars, restaurants or entertainment, they’ll be institutions that will survive andnbe a cornerstone of the city! Great video mate.

[@philcollinson328]

I'm expat Geordie now an Australian citizen living in TAS...I remember the days in the 80's where you barely had elbow room to walk in Eldon Square due to the crowds. Eldon Gardens I am not familiar with.

[@harryl9yearsago788]

Do you Still follow the toon 🤍🖤

[@hpotts663]

Yeah remember Saturdays Christmas shopping mad, lol

[@newbris]

I’m an Australian who was in Eldon Square a few weeks ago and it was still pretty busy. It is only Eldon Garden that has closed.

[@kezmable]

Keel Row shopping centre in Blyth, just north of Newcastle.

[@Wrestoktwella]

Aye two shops left trading in there. And then it'll be completely gone at the end of the month. Blyth is finished well and truly

[@Magic-Florence]

​@BlessingsuponyouI like the fact he remains in Britain 🇬🇧

[@tommo9757]

​@@WrestoktwellaI was talking to the owner of a shop on the outside of the Keel Row in August 2023. They said they had received notice to move coz they were going to knock the entire block down for re-development in 2024.

[@lesigh1749]

I hear that's been slated for demolition now.

[@Wrestoktwella]

@@lesigh1749 yes that's absolutely true. Its earmarked to come down in the summer

[@angeladryden8259]

Went and walked in your footsteps today after having watched this video a while ago! 😊

[@PopularesVox]

Wow, I cannot believe this video. The last time I visited this shopping centre in 2010, it was busy with shoppers, although not as much as Eldon Square, and the units were occupied. Apparently it's up for sale now with a £4.95m price tag

[@twitchbiddy6880]

You have to wonder that if these declining towns and cities reinstated on-street parking and through roads, instead of the endless pedestrian streets, whether that would help energise the High St and shopping precincts? That applies here in NZ too. Forcing people to walk everywhere and pay horrendous parking fees is a type of social engineering and doesn’t always help towns and cities.

[@famouschappi]

This is why online shopping wins.

[@elainekerslake6865]

Online is now normal and will only get bigger. The parking issue was predicted and here we are.

[@Llamarama100]

Easily getting to a destination is key, it's the main reason the high streets are suffering outside of high prices in shops. Buses and trains are too expensive, too unreliable and too uncomfortable to provide a compelling reason to go to an area for some overpriced shops.

[@KimieRascal]

I live in Newcastle, but I didn’t know Elden Garden is empty. Sad to see many closed shops. Thank you for showing me around.

[@dazzwsmith]

You should check out blyth in northumberland. The council have just had to buy the keel row ahopping centre as there was no occupiers. The market centre is a building site. Nothing left on the high street.

[@radioweebdx7680]

The Newcastle Furniture Company I plastered out the building with my father in the early 2000s, I remember there were some very large ceilings to plaster. Shocking to hear about Eldon Garden though.

[@gemmyhamstercollection966]

I think they're planning to do work in Eldon Garden, because I keep seeing people with clipboards walking through and taking notes. Also seen them in little huddles pointing and discussing. It's been like that for quite a while, but it wasn't that long ago it was full. It's mainly there for the car park now lol.

[@derekowens1817]

Get yourself to Blyth, Northumberland quickly. The Keel Row shopping centre has been dying on it's feet for a few years now, and closes towards the end of this month, two shops left, very few others have closed down as the closure was pending. On this Eldon Gardens etc, the one just after Milligan's bakers was a Barclays Bank (taped up windows in blue). D

[@contentelm5427]

It’ll be a shame having the keel row shut, it used to be my favourite shortcut from Greggs to the bus stop

[@thebykergroupcic1556]

You finally made it!! Eldon Garden is on the Market for about 2 million and Eldon Sq is owned by someone else!! The Nightclub that you went past iis actually linked to the Hotel which is where the boards where (it might be getting pulled down at some point!! With a lot of Newcastle you will find that its a very condensed city centre , (It's tiny compared to most cities) and I think there is a plan in place to try and make it even better. We had a boom of students but with the leadership change I think thats started to change and we are trying to create a better future, which is difficult, but thanks for coming!! YOU FINALLY MADE IT!!

[@reggiep75]

10:50 This was where a nightclub called Madison's used to be. The sloped path lead up to the entrance. That area has been dead for years tho and the council is largely only interested in redevelopments in the city centre. One pretty good thing about Newcastle is the fact that it's pretty compact, you can get across the city in 20-30 mins, the football stadium is in the city and the coast is only 8 miles away.

[@Dailymailnewz]

My dadd worked in Newcastle in 1960s, it was a different world then, he was a clerk somewhere. In those days it was very different.

[@gmansid3576]

How enlightening. To think things have changed in 60 years. Mind blowing.

[@Dolan-81]

Mate, you’re turning into a real legend! Big things coming for you and your channel. Thanks so much for the hard work you put into your content, it’s top notch and couldn’t be more relevant in 2024.

[@wanderingturnip]

Thanks so much for that 😀 I appreciate the support massively

[@GarrettMusic1]

It's a nice space too, I am surprised there's no shops there

[@ronniechambers2555]

I remember Eldon Gardens when it opened, when I lived in Newcastle during 1988/89. Was one of the first of its type, very swish at the time and would become the norm across the country in the years to come. I remember it having a huge food court, full of food from different parts of the world, it was all new at the time, but no one could foresee the damage these type of places would do to the traditional High Street. I always thought Eldon Gardens though essentially another adjoining part of Eldon Square was detached and isolated, you never seemed to get led to it, but had to make a conscious effort to find it , maybe it was just me or maybe that helped in its demise. You could say that was around the time the UK decided it wanted to become the 51st state of America, and now it feels like it, with all the extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty in a divided UK, to be seen before our very eyes. It makes sense for the council to move shops to one place, rather than have two half empty shopping areas. The reasons for the decline are well known and documented, but I do think in the UK our decision makers made some bonkers decisions and still do today, where we built new shopping malls in towns, leading to more units than were actually needed, fuelled by deliberately allowing people to amass huge personal debt on credit cards etc, whilst everything suggested the High Street would suffer in the long term. Even since these videos started, things continue to get worse. In the North East in the last couple of weeks, Marks and Spencer's have said they are closing their Sunderland store. These flagship stores are the key to thriving shopping places, as I believe a lot of people initially head into town to go to these places, then may go into other lesser known shops afterwards. I was only in Waitrose recently and there was no indication it was closing. Too expensive for me, but I would go in there before I got the bus home, to see what was reduced. You used to get some quality food heavily reduced just before the closed.Not all doom and gloom though, I'm sure shuttering firms have done well over the last 20 years or so, similar to being a Glazier in Belfast during the 1970s.

[@marierobson8144]

…. add to that the very recent announcement that John Lewis is making 12,000 redundancies! Things aren’t going to get better any time soon, too much damage inflicted already. :(

[@Magic-Florence]

Really interesting comment, Ronnie 👍

[@Wambo-ex3yu]

Well, yes. Eldon Garden was a product of that hyper-consumerism of the late 80s period. They demolished a cornerstone of Newcastle's societal and architectural fabric (Handyside Arcade) and replaced it with ephemeral unloved nothingness. Total destructiveness.

[@Juliettaxox]

You need to visit the metro centre in Gateshead, just outside of Newcastle. Lots of empty shops and a complete section known as ‘the village’ all closed.

[@ThiccolasCage]

This is a fantastic video. I’m born and bred in Newcastle and it’s such a shame to see what’s happening to it. Beyond the closed down shops we’ve also started to knock down a lot of historic buildings for glass fronted student accommodation etc. It’s not looking good up here, so thanks for bringing it to light!

[@maranoblet]

The old night club in the alley was called Maddisons when I was clubbing. Not sure if it had other names too. The nearby Oxford Ballrooms (aka The Ritzy, Tiffanys, Liquid) was fairly recently demolished too. It's not just the shops that are disappearing but restaurants, bars and clubs too. It's a shame but city centres are always evolving. That large development you filmed is a new Government office development for something like 9000 workers. That extra footfall might help the centre recover a bit.

[@vanandrewschrisanddione]

Take a look at the beautiful market town of Evesham. High Street full of empty shops and the modern Riverside Shopping Centre is virtually deserted. I used to have a business there but now it's a sad reflection of what it used to be. I hope you get the chance to check it out. ✌️

[@ericmcgivern4429]

I am 56 years old & lived in Gateshead all my life. When I was young this Square was so busy that you could not move for the masses of folks shuffling around this shopping center . What an absolute shame to see this today, I feel sad for our kids who have not experienced this on a Saturday afternoon.A sad state of affairs indeed, i fear soon life as it was will be forgotten😢😢😢😢😢 18:20

[@vituperousrecidivist6141]

Eldon Garden used to be the high-end shops for middle class mums about 20-30 years ago. Huge carpark next to it, which drove footfall through there, as they passed down into Eldon Square and then into Northumberland Street.

[@JohnHunter-m8d]

I've read a lot of the comments below and many refer to the damage caused by online shopping. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and we have big shopping malls that are constantly being upgraded and expanded - Eastland, Highpoint, Chadstone and so on and they all seem to be doing fine. Maybe you see the odd empty space now and again, but it soon gets taken up by someone else. There is nothing like in this video. Parking is usually free (unless you stay for hours) and they're all served by good public transport. Plus, each suburb has its shopping strip and most of them are truly thriving as well. I don't need to go to my local mall, I can get everything I want locally. Aussie cities sprawl a lot more than UK towns and cities, so cars and public transport are a must, but we still seem to be doing a helluva lot better than the UK. And like everywhere else in the world, we have online shopping, so it's not online shopping that's doing the damage in the UK, there's something else going on. I just don't know what.

[@markcallaghan8389]

perhaps one reason is that the Aussie local business taxes are low compared with UK that charge exorbitant rats that kill businesses

[@buzzard720]

Coming soon to a delusion near you...

[@TaleOfTheToaster]

Where the guy John took you to, the closed club, there is actually a thriving pool place still open there! It's just not too noticeable because the entrance is a tiny building with just a set of stairs, but then it takes you down to a place with what must be over 50 pool tables still serving drinks. And I too have lived in Newcastle for over four years and never thought to go in the castle haha

[@grandtheftgordon]

Lived in Newcastle throughout the '10s as a student then work. imo the best city in the UK if you want a 'city' lifestyle on a reasonable budget, or at least it was in the last decade. As for the high street the yh I agree it has great energy and actually feels like people are making a day of going into town! You missed out the Quayside waterfront area on the River Tyne which is definitely worth a look. Get some stunning views of the river framed by multiple victorian bridges and architecture. The closed down shops are a downer but about what you would expect these days from a UK city. Great video!

[@JD-lp5rw]

Yeah imo it's doing much better than most UK cities. There's some decent regeneration going on, but more needs to be done.

[@JesterEric]

I remember when Eldon Gardens was new and they were hyping the international food court. It was always niche shops. Eldon Square and Northumberland Street were great for shopping and always heaving with people. My father used to drive into the multi storey car park and you were straight into the shops.

[@owenownzu]

So fun fact about Northumberland St where the massive road of shops are is that use to be part of the A1 as it use to go through the centre of Newcastle but they changed that back in the late 70s/early 80s

[@spursattack4110]

Was nice to see a video on a Sunday.. really good 👍 the cat café lol the wandering catnip