The Handyside Arcade, Percy St, Newcastle upon Tyne, how it once was and how it looks today.

[@johnhogg3496]

Great memories of visiting the Handyside Arcade in the late 70's early 80's. Bought many a poster at the Kard Bar....mainly my Zeppelin posters! Me and my fellow band members frequented here then onto Windows on a Saturday afternoon. Brilliant memories

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks for your comments, aye the old place is gone but the good times we had there live on in our memories, cheers mate.

[@chasidahL]

Thanks, Peter, for bringing back such lovely memories of many a fun Saturday browsing in the Arcade! ......

[@peterbell3657]

Cheers Chasidah L your welcome.

[@johnshackleton2235]

So many Saturdays (all day) hanging around outside the Kard Bar and inside on Space Invaders. Thanks for posting this, great piece of nostalgia.

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks John, much appreciated.

[@johnshackleton2235]

@Shaun Brennan didn't it just! Usually 2-2.30 on a Saturday, just befor kick off.

[@GlitterRock2U]

Ah...Peter what happy memories you have brought back to me. I spent a lot of time in the Handyside Arcade between 1972 - 1975. Loved Kard Bar where I would buy posters, patches and badges. Some great days looking around here. Often would see Moondancer (Robert Stott) around the Handyside, but I didn't know him. He always looked spaced-out!

[@peterbell3657]

Potty-About-Maling Thanks your welcome, pleased you liked it. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Moondancer had been suffering from some sort of head injury.

[@GlitterRock2U]

@@peterbell3657 You are correct Peter...I also read that. However, back in those days I and many others didn't know this. Fantastic days the 70's and I often wish that I could be transported back in time to them. In some ways you have made this possible by uploading this video. Sincere thanks and do keep up the good work. Dave

[@peterbell3657]

Potty-About-Maling Aye happy days Dave, thanks again mate.

[@GlitterRock2U]

@lady veruca grimes Yeah, I would often see him when I and a few others would be in the Handyside. He was quite a character, but appeared to be well liked by many. He wasn't with the people that I would meet up with, but I believe that he lived in Jesmond. Happy days for me and for you I hope!

[@GlitterRock2U]

@lady veruca grimes That is a world away! It was sad to see the old places demolished, but memories remain and are not erased by such development.

[@johnstephens5739]

The Handyside Arcade - a little bit of paris in newcastle. remember going to burman amplification sometime in the 1970's what a shame to loose such a lovely place John

[@peterbell3657]

John Stephens thanks for your comments, it is a shame it’s gone.

[@teejaygee42]

Burman amps are now much sort after world wide for their superb build and sound quality and they were hand made at the premises in the arcade.Greg Burman is still around and lives in Heaton.

[@johnstephens5739]

nice to know Greg is still around Tony. i once borrowed a Burman amp for a practice. but the room acoustics were terrible and didn't do it justice. Also it was a bass amp.(i just played lead at that time 1970s ).

[@johnnyaztec2923]

@@teejaygee42 Glad to hear Greg is still around - I have a Burman Pro 502 - unbelievably good amplifier.

[@teejaygee42]

@@johnnyaztec2923 My son also had a Pro 502 but he has now sold it due to it's weight, they would survive an atomic bomb..

[@Lensman864]

Thanks SO much for this one! I was there in 79/80 aged 15/16 having steeled my courage to take the train and then Metro from Whitley Bay to the scary city. I loved the Kard Bar and bought many posters and badges (still miss my Space Ritual enamel badge) but mostly I just admired the denizens. If only someone could find some archive material about 'The Coffee Pot' in Whitley Bay and 'Mingles' too ...

[@jamesjack21]

Handyside Arcade & Mingles 👍

[@alex-E7WHU]

Space ritual enamel badge..❤️🍄

[@itallia666]

It was a crying shame they demolished the Handyside Arcade I can remember as an art student in the late 1960 - 70s the Arcade was a great meeting place & hang out venue Everyone congregated there! I used to love browsing the posters in the Kard Bar & the rummage antique shops like Fynd & many others The aroma of Patoulli oil & certain other odours were part & parcel of the ambiance of the Arcade There was an odd chap by the name of Moondancer who was always in the arcade, a harmless hippie of few words but he smiled & danced & radiated peace & love Everyone knew him I remember buying an old fox fur jacket in one of the vintage clothing boutiques there, & along with colourful hippie clothing with tassles, bells & beads & sew on mirrors esp among my fellow art students we were a sight to behold. I do miss that place, it had such a great atmosphere. Percy street itself was an interesting place with great pubs odd shops & a feel of part of the heart of the old Newcastle. My cousin used to go to the Club a GoGo upstairs near the handiside arcade. She was a dead ringer for Cathy McGowan of Ready Steady Go so had loads of attention & knew most of the bands who played there, although it wasnt my scene she did introduce me to the Animals just prior to their jump into the fame game in pop music They were all great lads & my favourite was the smashing Alan Price & i loved his brilliant song The Jarrow Marching Song 8 all about the Geordie lads marching from Tyneside all the way on foot to 10,Downing st to petition for jobs on Tyneside in the early 1900s ..great song to cheer a sad Geordie down in the dumps. So many great places dear to many of our hearts & who doesnt remember with a lump in their throats when they pulled down the beloved Mayfair Ballroom Me & a thousand others remember well falling over drunk as a skunk in the Mayfair, watching brill bands, bopping & jumping all over the place. I was so so sad when the Mayfair died, also the Oxford or as it grew to be Tiffanys which was crap by that stage but in the early 70s as the Oxford it was another superb venue..ahhh Newcastle is still a great city but in my youth in late 1960s & mid 1970s it was ultra Brilliant & the best place to be. Thank you with great joy for this Handyside Arcade & Percy St pictorial, wonderful memories.

[@peterbell3657]

Many thanks, for your write up, totally agree with your comments, for me Newcastle was a great place to be in the 60s. Thanks again.

[@peterbell3657]

Loved your comments and memories many thanks, the Toon was certainly a great place to be in the 60s, the atmosphere and experience was amazing.

[@rrstows3522]

Always thought Newcastle was better before Eldon Square. This brings back memories to me.

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks for your comments mate.

[@ObsoleteOddity]

Thanks Peter, I have fond memories of this beautiful Edwardian arcade, I remember even as a child and teenager enjoying its wonderful light and airy architecture, and would wander the upper galleries, even though the shops were empty.

[@peterbell3657]

ObsoleteOddity Cheers mate.

[@ObsoleteOddity]

@lady veruca grimes Born in Blyth and spent my formative years in Newcastle. Thank you so much for reaching out with your kind feedback :)

[@davionaugustus8356]

pro trick : watch series at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching a lot of movies these days.

[@jaxonkane358]

@Davion Augustus yea, I have been watching on flixzone for months myself :D

[@sicks6six]

never understood why most of the shops were never open, the upstairs was totally empty. kard bar & Fynnd downstairs, right in the city centre but deserted, I did give it a special atmosphere being deserted, spooky.

[@nolslifegren]

Any city would kill for an authentic Victorian Arcade these days it would be seen as a hotspot for tourists etc . Shortsighted planners and maybe greedy councillors on the take

[@Kalatrobe]

Ah, the nostalgia! I worked as a Saturday girl in Rivendell, Handyside Arcade, 1986/7. Hugely enjoyed it. So many interesting shops & people there. Loved the secondhand clothes, Spiritual Sky products. In 1981, aged 11/12, my friends and I would go to Handyside to buy 'Bods' -- little wooden Buddha-shaped ornaments for our hair. Even better if said hair was crimped! It was a lovely building architecturally-speaking, and a crying shame that they tore it down. Thanks very much for the footage, Peter.

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks for your comments Kate, much obliged, aye happy carefree days.

[@shaunbrennan5882]

Loved Rivandell. Used to get me DnD shit from there. Great times alright. I really liked the owner can still see him now.

[@Kalatrobe]

Yes, the owner was Paul Drummond-Jackson. A very cool dude. He got back in touch with me very recently as it happens. Vive Rivendell! ❤​ @@shaunbrennan5882

[@lindathornhill924]

Thanks ever so much for the lovely memories you brought back. My love affair with England, and especially with Newcastle, began when I enrolled at Newcastle University in 1980. What a wonderful city! And what lovely people the Geordies are! I live in the States, and visited Newcastle in July 2019 for a couple of weeks. I can't wait to go back after the pandemic ends. Thanks again!

[@peterbell3657]

Linda Thornhill many thanks, I have to say I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

[@adamwarlock5286]

Glad you have happy memories of the toon. It was a great place to be in the early eighties

[@chazsach6594]

Bought my Hi Fi from Hi Fi opportunities about 1977, my son still uses the record deck today, proving what goes round comes round. I remember the sales person saying "Now listen to the music,not the system"

[@peterbell3657]

CHAZ SACH Good advice from the sales person and great value for money, cheers.

[@teejaygee42]

The guy who was the owner of Hi Fi Opportunities was Norman Thompson when he sold the shop he retired to Earsdon village where he sadly died some time ago.

[@chazsach6594]

@@teejaygee42 Thanks for that, it's funny how you remember tiny incidents which live with you for the rest of your life.

[@johno4521]

Or in this case, 'What went round still goes round...'

[@johno4521]

Who remembers Jeavons music shop, and Herby Ray's cycle & motorists' shop? (a rival to Halfords right next door)

[@gailmullen4145]

I used to visit the arcade every Saturday and visit the Haymarket pub great days 👌👌

[@shaunbrennan5882]

Me to. Till Sharon would kick us out at 3pm. Lol

[@eastmine123]

Me too

[@fmrsolutions]

I got my first bike from Herby Ray - a purple Hopper with stabilisers - c 1960. Later in early 70s, I bought Miles Davis' Kind of Blue LP in Jeavons. I bought it on a recommendation, never having heard a single note of jazz before. I persuaded the Arcade cafe owner to play it, because I was very keen to hear it. Sure enough, "So What" was soon filling the arcade. It's still my favourite album by any artist.

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks for your comments, fond memories from the 60s &70s, was a great place to be back then.

[@paulwales2867]

I was friendly with a lad called Alex Handyside who lived in Gosforth circa 74/75, he'd have been 17, then anyone know him, I always assumed he had a family connection to the Arcade, a great place for records and clothes

[@mamstrat3047]

Was there every Saturday with the gang. Pixie, smed, Paula, Phil the bus, sparky, Dave doozer, smiler, yankie bill, pegg, Helen, lockaz, johnny, Danny, hennaz, angie (pogo) ,turl, and so many more. Miss those days so much.

[@peterbell3657]

Mam Strat Aye happy days.

[@dougquaid]

I’m friends with Pixie, and asked her if she knew all those names and she said , yes, she hung around with them, all.

[@shaunbrennan5882]

The only name I recognize from your list is Smiler. Big UFO fan. So we must have been around the same time. Read your list again and I remember American Bill and Johnny aswell. Bill was a lovely guy mind. Johnny could be a knob at times. Always remember he had a girlfriend way out of his league and he treated her like shite. Last time I saw him was at Smilers flat down towards Marlborough opposite the gay club.

[@garybradley1003]

I remember I was with phil the bus when he got knocked down by the bus on percy street I used to knock around with Yankee Billy back in the day I remember most of the names there I remember pogo use to knock around with a lass called patsy can't believe where all the years have gone the last one I saw was pogo at the sex pistols gig in 96

[@jeanettebirkett776]

The Handyside arcade. Half of Old Eldon Square. The Mayfair. The Broken Doll. All lovely places gone.

[@TheGreatest1974]

Handyside left his fortune to the city of Newcastle and what do they do? Demolish the beautiful arcade in his name. Typical Newcastle town planning.

[@JeffJinx]

Nice one Peter! Fond memories.

[@peterbell3657]

Cheers Jeff, much appreciated.

[@jennytalia226]

Spent every Saturday there mooching around with my mates. Browsing the posters in The Kard Bar, buying Patchouli oil from Fynd, buying and selling my old Vinyl albums. There was never any trouble, just lots of people hanging about having innocent fun, and those bloody steps were steep, had to be very careful when you had your platforms on !

[@peterbell3657]

Great memories Jenny Talia.

[@Boppinbob1]

Great blues soundtrack❤

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks mate, pleased you liked it.

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks Bobby, pleased you liked it.

[@MsLorenzo2012]

Who made the blues on the soundtrack? Not the animals?

[@joycekastamonitis2187]

Where was the coffee pot in Whitley Bay? I was born and raised there and don’t remember it !

[@dougquaid]

Arh, I can still smell the patchouli….

[@emmaa1803]

My childhood memories were the best here, my grandad frank had the petshop and my dad Bobby had the joke shop, video shop and antique shop, was an icon why it was pulled down I don't know. 😢

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks for your comments and memories Emma, it was demolished to make way for the Eldon Square shopping centre.

[@emmaa1803]

@@peterbell3657 I know and no one uses eldon garden, so should have been left alone there's no characteristic places anymore.

[@peterbell3657]

To be honest Emma, I think the Handyside Arcade was of it’s time, but during the 60s it and Percy St was buzzing, the music scene was amazing and people in general were so upbeat, it’s a shame that the atmosphere can’t be bottled, but we still have the memories of great times back then.

[@emmaa1803]

@@peterbell3657 I have some amazing memories, my grandad pet shop gave me so many memories with all the animals.

[@RadioJonophone]

Music: Hurts so Good Blues by Unicorn Heads. Ah, I see you mentioned that in the closing credits. I bought a broadcast quality portable tape recoder and some pro mikes from that Sony store. Way at the back, upsstairs was Ultima Thule, a second had craft, ceramic, nick-nack store.

[@peterbell3657]

Cheers mate, good memories.

[@georgedykes1033]

I worked in the Drum Centre back in the early 70s great times.

[@marksmith334]

Ever seen any photos of Oz Records ? I spent days in there

[@peterbell3657]

If I see any I’am gonna post them Mark.

[@DLT100]

what were you doing? playing hide and seek Mark? : ) was that the one at the bottom of the Westgate road on the right? was a great little den to hang about in great carrier bags too : )

[@marksmith334]

I’ve looked everywhere for photos and found none, just a picture of the risqué carrier bag.

[@tonyfulton9966]

Some great things to be found in Fynd. Remember well the all pervasive smell of patchouli oil.

[@shaunbrennan5882]

Spent many a Saturday there. Down to the Haymarket and we'd hide at the back towards the stairs and the bogs. Only about 15-16. Pints of Black and Tan. Back to the Handyside at 3 pm because the pub shut. The Farmers, Trylions, The Mayfair on a Subday night.

[@peterbell3657]

Great memories, thanks for your comments much appreciated.

[@shaunbrennan5882]

@peterbell3657 no worries Peter. Thanks for posting.

[@Ratisha_Official]

I never saw the Handyside but some photos the design looks similar to st Cuthberts walk in chester-le-street. With the indoor street style with the bend and glass roof. Shame they got rid of all the history, would have loved to see the mayfair or handyside or still be able to go to Green Market.

[@peterbell3657]

@@Ratisha_Official Thanks, aye they were all of their time.

[@VonStromberg]

Somebody said it earlier - walking into Handysides' on a Saturday - a mist of cigarette smoke, hairies and patchouli oil. We were Teds but it was the place to be and what a great feel it had ('79 -82)

[@tiptoe6214]

Here on 13/4/21 my god what has happened to us? This was living.

[@peterbell3657]

Thanks Tip Toe, an expression often used by us pensioners lol.

[@eljayr517]

Should never had demolished it, look what's happened to Eldon Garden !

[@kopynd1]

poster still hung up in my garage black white peter fonda on pan head springer seen same poster on usa ebay 300 quid the movie before easy rider, anyone got footage of hendrix playing club go go

[@peterbell3657]

Pure nostalgia Trevor, great items to treasure. Take care.

[@ronniescott3851]

Ah the hippy arcade

[@lornaburgess9762]

Thank you for taking me back to 1970 when at aged 16 I got my engagement ring trom Frank Fagelmans. It cost £18 Which to my apprentice boyfriend was a lot of money .

[@peterbell3657]

No problem Lorna, thanks for your comments, did the engagement ring lead on to a wedding ring?

[@jamesclark1682]

Ahh. Remember it well. Rock and punk fans mixed. Bootleg records and posters. I think flip had its original small shop there. USA boiler suits and Brookes boots, Averex tee shirt s.All very Tom Cruise top gun. A lovely building. The time when the Trent House was a proper safe pub great music and pool. The Jukebox!!!!.

[@peterbell3657]

Great memories, thanks James.

[@markphelan6992]

My friend's dad, Greg Burman made guitar amps there and we used to run around on the balcony, we were about 6 or 7

[@peterbell3657]

Great memories Mark.

[@MarksWorldOfAdventure]

I never got to see this

[@kenpie474]

I remember, very hippie ish times, all gone now, 😞

[@peterbell3657]

Aye, long gone Kenneth.

[@kenpie474]

@@peterbell3657 Thanks Peter as we go through life we all take mental pictures, these are fond one's that stay with me 👍🏻

[@peterbell3657]

@@kenpie474 Same here mate.

[@jean2740]

Gone is our city ,😢😢😢😢

[@G6JPG]

I don't think the soldiers were from WWW 1 - one too many Ws!

[@billwinward9324]

Who today knows of Ultimate Thule?

[@marksmith334]

Girls in cheesecloth shirts, love them. Everyday was no bra day.

[@jimmyoconnell6167]

Saturdays smoking cannabis

[@peterbell3657]

Saturdays would have been even happier for you back then Jimmy lol.

[@richiethemage2646]

Great video Peter but crap 70s porn music.

[@peterbell3657]

Ha, Ha, interesting comment Richie, pleased you enjoyed some of it LOL.

[@Lensman864]

Hmmm ... the blues shuffle that's on it now? Clichéd 70's porn music is bad funk not blues! I like the music used.