METROLAND GATESHEAD - Vintage Footage & POV - 1999

[@PupRiku]

I miss this place so much, it was such an amazing place. All for a bigger cinema and some restaurants...

[@dReNeG4d3]

I have such fond memories of my childhood at this place. After getting off the rollercoaster I would go all the way back around through the barriers on hop on it again, again and again. If I won the lottery I would literally open a place like this to give our next generation the childhood memories I was so fond of

[@piperthecollector]

This footage is one big nostalgia trip. A lot went through my head watching this. I remember going here when I was just a little girl. Place closed down a day after my 6th Birthday. That's how little I was, yet I still held on to some of those memories. Seeing this footage helped me piece it all back together! Before I was born, my Mum worked there in 1989. She was a mascot performer and wore the costume for Whimsy the Dragon. I only know the dragon's name because she told me. I even asked if Whimsy was a boy or a girl. She said Whimsy was "just a dragon". She also told me that all the staff rode the rollercoaster every morning as some kind of wake up call. I'm not sure why, but I really felt a strong connection with this place. I still do when I think about it. I remember seeing Whimsy only once when I was little. They waved at me when I walked past, and waved again later on from the back of the little train when I rode it. It still fascinates me how they were able to fit all this into this space! Since regaining these memories, I've had dreams about something my mind refers to as "Metroland Returns". I had dreams about the place reopening in a new (but still local) location with the inside looking as much like it did before as possible, with all the mascots and such. Maybe a fresh coat of paint, and some extra safe procedures to ensure there aren't any issues like the thing that used to happen with the rollercoaster. Man, I think I'm just pretty bummed about this place no longer existing. I just wish some part of it could still be kept alive somehow. Maybe one day I'll make a plush of Whimsy.

[@Claire-tz8yl]

Aye. Visiting Santa at Christmas used to give you tickets for the rides

[@richarddemoily550]

Going to Metroland was always the thing that kept us going 😂 we parked in the Yellow Quadrant car park, walked in via metroland (remember the giant hot air balloon facing the escalators?), then later I would spend hours in the Warner Bros. shop (spaceship at the back and endless Batman Forever adverts) and Disney store, then there’d also be some kind of performance outside House of Fraser. How cool was the old village that had witch shops etc?

[@piperthecollector]

@@richarddemoily550 Sounds like you went there well before I was born. That sounds like a wonderful memory. The Warner Brothers store sounds lovely, too. I only found out they existed a little while ago, and my Dad and I recently obtained resin statues that were only sold there. I wish I could've seen such a shop in person.

[@PhilMcCool]

​@@richarddemoily550 Do you mean the giant dragon in front of the Metroland escalators? The hot air balloon decorations were elsewhere in the mall.

[@SimonStokes]

When I was 12 I fell in love with a complete stranger on this rollercoaster after stopping here on as part of a school trip. Came here for exactly the nostalgia trip you provided.

[@da90sReAlvloc]

God i miss this and the 80s Newcastle/Gatesheads magic

[@anac1555]

Loved this place, I'll never forget unintentionally getting on the rollercoaster without my mum at age 7, and a lovely old man and his granddaughter looked after me and held my hand the whole time. Best place ❤

[@Monkey16689]

😞 I actually cried watching this massive amount of emotions and then I realised I’ll never take my 8 year old son to enjoy this amazing place ! Could have upgraded this gem of a place and built the cinema somewhere else but there can only ever be 1 metro land 🫡 I’ll miss you forever wonderful place ❤

[@emilysmetrognomeadventures]

Did anyone else tear up watching this are was it just me miss metroland so much it was the heart of the metrocentre x

[@generouspeasant]

Hit a spot... This was the place to be as a kid birthday parties and as a teenager.

[@RamjetX]

Anyone remember playing TMNT arcades and when they had the VFX VR prototypes at the end of the arcades?

[@kamdavis6492]

Damn, that’s memories right there, the POV on the coaster really took me back, that first drop felt steep as hell being 6 year old 😂

[@paulrichardson429]

we so miss this place we was always there amazing vid brings back loads of memories

[@matthewscullion103]

My childhood right there

[@DisneyMarkUK]

Miss this place so much, thank you for bringing back the memories

[@TheConsettonian1987]

I can’t believe it’s 13 years now since the place the closed it’s doors permanently and every time I go to the Metro Centre now to do a little bit shopping and I can still hear the whistle of the theme park’s train

[@Minniebol]

Cheers for this. Filled in a few blanks in my memory

[@Coaster_Crazy]

Such a shame it closed down, obviously shops make more money than an amusement park does !! I only went once a long long time ago and never went on any of the rides, just walked through it !! The coaster is at The Big Sheep in Devon now and called Rampage and it’s awesome

[@LADventure]

Yeah I used to love this place in the 90's. The rollercoaster was actually quite good on the back row. It's now a multiplex cinema I think.

[@ethanbricky]

@@LADventure Yes it is an ODEON, when there is not a pandemic I go every few months.

[@zeddeka]

Sadly, one of the reasons it shut down was because it was attracting a lot of dodgy people. Some very dysfunctional teenagers, but also some very dodgy adults.

[@Dierdre_Barlow]

I can't help but think this would be a hit with today's young uns. It's a shame they couldn't hold on a few more years

[@MrsMagpie]

Happy memories of many birthdays with my bairns here, thanks for sharing.

[@angelmamma8635]

Miss it it complete my childhood xx

[@robbiemorrison7085]

Went in 2007 1st time. Many happy memories

[@chriswalton5345]

So many gud memories the 90s were something else growing up

[@simonbrown140]

The 90's was an amazing decade, what a time to be alive man 👌

[@bjeffalicious]

Of the 3 times of my life I've been there, july 1999 was one of them!

[@beckywalton320]

I used to have the holidays up north with my nana and grandad, my nana used to take me to metro land most days during my visits I loved it so much. Great memories! I used to sing Whitney Houston’s on the karaoke (terribly) ha! ❤

[@Adzcantsing]

Only went there once, only went on the metroland new rollercoaster and the chair swings. We need more places like this.

[@BlueSageFilms]

Hey this is so great looking back at this footage. Where did you find all this video?!

[@laramacdonnell6304]

This was my favourite in Newcastle from when I was little. Went there with my family

[@serenafarries8191]

My grandparents would take my brother and I here alllll the time, ahh ❤️❤️❤️

[@ryanbarker4129]

Life just doesn’t feel as good as it did back then, man I miss the early 2000’s period no technology like iPhones, these were the basic days but the good old days

[@simonbrown140]

I'm so glad I'm not the only person that thinks/feels that way, without sounding like a depressive, for me the 90's was amazing, a lot better than life today :(

[@FUNFAIRRIDES360]

I remember going with the school as our end of school year trip use to get a cap and a purple wristband I still rank their dodgems as the best i ever went on

Born in 1990 I went there as a kid through the 90s 😢 alot of memories here.. They've ripped the heart and soul out of the pla e with the redevelopment 😐

[@MaxineShannon.0351]

My childhood💔😢😭

[@harryl9yearsago788]

I was local and this place was life ! My daughter would of loved this place big mistake to get shot of it... gutted

[@megachungus2635]

Metro Centre is such a dull and clinical place now. Utterly lifeless. The place changed after this went. The one thing that made it unique.

[@simonbrown140]

Unfortunately nowadays a lot of companies, maybe even the majority put profit above everything else 😞

[@piperthecollector]

It looked super unique all round before Metroland went. I found some old footage from 1987, and the place looked so much more colourful! I feel like Metroland vanishing was the biggest change in the modernised overhaul we see today.

[@raswu-laydofficial9977]

To everyone who commented You are my family ❣️

[@zeddeka]

I remember going as a kid when it first opened in the late 80s, but it soon started to go downhill. The novelty of the rides soon wore off. It become very rough, started to get a bad reputation and over the years the problems became more and more serious. I read when it closed that it not only was attracting some very dysfunctional teenagers, but also some very dodgy adults. Very sad, but those types of people go wherever kids are.

[@harryl9yearsago788]

Heartbroken 😢

[@tantobieroo]

Take me back

[@p4cks]

a remember me best mate whiteying after the teacup ride here, there were spaghetti hoops al ower

[@ContraryClipsHub]

This is where we used to bunk off school 😂😂

[@themeparkcoaster9586]

Wonder we’re all these rides went

[@LADventure]

The rollercoaster went down to Devon I think.

[@Coaster_Crazy]

LADventure yeah it’s now at The Big Sheep in Devon called Rampage

[@walterhomma7617]

I started work thirty two years ago today and I worked there fifteen years great memories for me personally what a terrible shame they closed it down.i will never forget the friends I made among the kids the public and most of all the staff I miss you all so much Love Walter Homma

[@teamatlas22]

The ship, went to South shields fair.

[@generouspeasant]

Memories

[@stirlingglenwright2299]

the heart of the metrocentre is the X66

[@janegibbon2504]

How do you know this is 1999?

[@LADventure]

Dated on the old VHS. Why?

[@janegibbon2504]

@@LADventure On the actual screen or on the tape label itself?

[@hugginmuggin3457]

Chavs paradise !

[@jackfoley2192]

Miss if

[@PindarMOD]

Not really vintage footage. I remember going in 1988.

[@Jonbombs]

A was there in 1745 ye knacker

[@MotorwayGaming2018]

Can't remember this, I was born in 2005.

[@mollyhenderson5598]

i was born in 2003 and have 1 memory of this place n that’s all

[@MotorwayGaming2018]

I moved to the north in 2011 lol

[@zeddeka]

Why did you feel the need to tell us what?