Foundations for a new Civic Centre in 1958
THIS was the scene in Newcastle 60 years ago.
Builders were hard at work digging the foundations of the new Civic Centre in Barras Bridge.
It would become the seat of local government in the city, replacing the Town Hall which sat in the Cloth Market and would finally be demolished in 1973.
The Civic Centre was a long time in the making.
Plans for a new ‘town hall’ dated back to before World War II, but it wasn’t until November 1960 that the city’s Lord Mayor laid the foundation stone.
The building work was completed by 1967 for a total outlay of £4,855,000 - around £86m in today’s money.
Today the Civic Centre is considered to be a classic of its time and is Grade II-listed.
Unlike many other 1960s-built buildings, it has style and grace, with its decorative seahorses, the River God Tyne statue, and the striking murals by Victor Passmore.
The official opening by the King of Norway in 1968 paved the way for strong links between his country and our region.
Over the last five decades it has been the focal point for official visits to the city by visiting royals, and even American presidents.
Famously in 1977, US president Jimmy Carter stood in front of a crowd of thousands of Geordies, before announcing, in that famous Georgian, drawl “Howay the Lads”.
It has also been a meeting point for public demonstrations - all part of the city’s and nation’s democratic freedoms.