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Grey's Monument

Buildings and structures in Newcastle upon TyneGrade I listed buildings in Tyne and WearGrade I listed monuments and memorialsJohn and Benjamin Green buildings and structuresMonuments and memorials in Tyne and Wear
Statues in EnglandTourist attractions in Newcastle upon Tyne
Grey's Monument Newcastle
Grey's Monument Newcastle

Grey's Monument is a Grade I listed monument to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey built in 1838 in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was erected to acclaim Earl Grey for the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832 and stands at the head of Grey Street. It consists of a statue of Lord Grey standing atop a Roman Doric column on a pedestal of local sandstone, 135-foot-high (41 m) in total. The column was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green, and the statue was created by the sculptor Edward Hodges Baily (creator of Nelson's statue in Trafalgar Square). It was paid for by public subscription.In July 1941, during World War II, the head of the statue was knocked off by a bolt of lightning. In 1947, sculptor Roger Hedley (the son of painter Ralph Hedley) created a new head based on the preserved fragments of the original.The monument lends its name to Monument Metro station, a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro located directly underneath, to the Monument Mall Shopping Centre and to the Monument local authority ward. The surrounding area is simply known as Monument. A spiral staircase leads to a viewing platform at the top of the monument, which is occasionally opened to the public. Old photographs indicate that the monument was originally on a traffic island and was surrounded by railings. These railings are no longer present, and the area around the monument is now pedestrianised and is home to many shops, some independent and some up-scale designer boutiques. The wide base of the monument is a popular spot for people-watching, and often acts as a venue for buskers, religious speakers and political activists/protesters. The Maxïmo Park song By the Monument refers to Grey's Monument and the line "By the monument you hear, man is screaming through a megaphone;'Get your hands off the Middle East'" in the song Play God by Sam Fender is an apparent reference to Grey's Monument. The Monument is in the Monument electoral ward of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the parliamentary constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne Central.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Grey's Monument (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Grey's Monument
Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne Grainger Town

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N 54.9738 ° E -1.6132 °
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Grey's Monument

Grey Street
NE1 6EG Newcastle upon Tyne, Grainger Town
England, United Kingdom
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Grey's Monument Newcastle
Grey's Monument Newcastle
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The Round
The Round

The Round was a theatre-in-the-round in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The region's first theatre-in-the-round, it specialised in theatre for children and young people. The Round opened in September 2007, and was home to the Bruvvers Theatre Company.The building in which The Round was housed is a former flax mill designed by John Dobson in 1848. The 180-seat theatre slotted behind a listed facade in a courtyard space between warehouses on Lime Street.The Round was conceived by the Bruvvers Theatre Company artistic director Mike Mould who bought the derelict Cluny building in 1982 with the intention of creating a theatre within its walls. In 2005, Mould sent a letter to his friends asking each to donate £1 to help fund the cost of building the theatre. Bruvvers director and television scriptwriter Julie Blackie suggested alternative methods of fundraising.The theatre had one wall with a fixed block of 40 seats and three balconies, with the remaining seats moveable according to the needs of each production According to the company, there was "one main route onto the stage for the performers, but also a few secret passages to add an element of surprise."The company filed for voluntary liquidation in May 2008, just eight months after its launch. The Round Theatre had been built with capital funding from a consortium of parties in the Ouseburn district of Newcastle but had failed to secure funding for programming or administrative costs. Directors Jeannie Adams and Julie Blackie decided to cease trading and begin liquidation proceedings. Average houses of just 52% fell far short of the 70% capacity the company had budgeted to break even.