Tuesday 26 May 2009

Culture Corner (2): Great North Museum (a)




Newcastle upon Tyne
Top: Outside the Great North Museum: Hancock
Middle: On the way to the Great North Museum: Hatton
Bottom: Poster for the museum at West Jesmond Metro Station
(we used to live 100 metres from here!)


We have just returned from Tyneside, where there has been a huge buzz of excitement. We thoroughly enjoyed a preview of The Great North Museum, which had its official opening last Saturday. Members of the public and university students can now enjoy the magnificent displays in their stately state-of-the-art setting.

I remember my first encounter with the vibrant city of Newcastle upon Tyne, when I arrived as a university 'Fresher' from 'down south' in the late 1970s. It was a truly wonderful place to be in those days, but it has certainly had a facelift since then.

There are some more photographs of my trip down Memory Lane in the previous post (or next post, depending on how you view this). When we returned to Newcastle in the late 1980s, the influence of Catherine Cookson as a philanthropic benefactor to the city was much in evidence.

While I was job-seeking, I attended my first Creative Writing Class on Tyneside, under the auspices of the WEA, and led by Margaret Wilkinson. I loved every minute of the course.

2 comments:

poefusion said...

Hello Caroline~ Your pictures of the museum are great. The building is really nice looking. And, I'm surprised you were able to take pictures inside. Usually one isn't allowed to photograph the specimens inside a museum. At the very least, I'm glad to hear your trip went well.

I can see how that rhinoceros would be appealing to the kiddies. Can I hear someone say Giddy Up? Have a nice night.

Caroline Gill said...

I can assure you, Michelle, that we asked first! I think this may just have been for the Thursday preview, prior to the opening of the museum doors (proper) on Saturday.