Nestled on the northern bank of the picturesque River Tyne, Newcastle, a vibrant city in Tyne and Wear, England, offers a captivating blend of history, art, and science through its museums and art galleries. And if you wish to dig into the spectacular city of Newcastle, these museums and art galleries are a perfect place.
This city forms the most significant part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is also the most crowded city in North East England.
In this guide, we shall walk you through the cultural journey and explore the wonders that await you in Newcastle’s cultural institutions.
Museum in Newcastle: 4 Best Options
1. Discovery Museum
Location: Blandford Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4JA, UK.
The Discovery Museum is a fantastic science museum and a local history museum. It is primarily a military history museum focusing on the history of England’s Northern Cavalry.
In addition, it showcases many local history exhibits, including the historic ship Turbinia. Furthermore, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums manages this spectacular museum in Newcastle.
The Light Dragoons (and its antecedent regiments) and the Northumberland Hussars, discovering the human side of 200 years of life in the army, are showcased by this fantastic museum.
Furthermore, the Discovery Museum also showcases examples of Joseph Swan’s early lightbulbs designed on Tyneside.
Turbinia
The museum includes Turbinia, the splendid 104 feet 9 inches (31.93 m) ship built by Charles Algernon Parsons to examine the advantages of using the steam turbine to control ships, which could reach up to 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h).
2. The Great North Museum
Location: Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT, UK.
The Great North Museum: Hancock is a splendid museum dedicated to natural history and ancient civilizations in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
The Great North Museum was established in 1884 and was previously known as the Hancock Museum.
In 2006, this museum was merged with Newcastle University’s Museum of Antiquities and Shefton Museum to create the Great North Museum.
The museum was revived as the Great North Museum: Hancock in 2009 following a significant extension and restoration of the original Victorian building.
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums manage this museum on behalf of Newcastle University.
Furthermore, the display also includes a fantastic interactive study zone, an under-5 space, and a spectacular digital Planetarium, along with new learning facilities, a new momentary exhibition space, and a pretty study garden.
Collection –
The museum showcases displays on natural history and geology, world cultures and pre-history, ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, Romans, and Hadrian’s Wall.
Among the Great North Museum’s permanent residents is a life-size cast of an African elephant.
The museum is home to the historic Egyptian mummy Bakt-en-Hor (previously known as Bakt-hor-Nekht) and a full-size replica of a T-Rex skeleton.
Sparkie, Newcastle’s well-known talking budgie, who was stuffed after he died in 1962, is now the subject of a new opera by Michael Nyman.
The exciting and interactive Bio-Wall features hundreds of creatures that visitors can investigate and find out where they live and how they endure in extreme places such as the Arctic and Desert.
This museum in Newcastle has a great white shark display and polar bear and giraffe specimens from the historic Hancock collections. Additionally, a moa skeleton is also present here.
The museum’s archives contain the nineteenth-century botanical paintings by Margaret Rebecca Dickinson of beautiful plants from the Newcastle and Scottish Borders region.
3. Laing Art Gallery
Location: New Bridge St W, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8AG, United Kingdom.
Laing Art Gallery is a Grade II listed building. This gallery was opened in 1904 and is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. Furthermore, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has sponsored this gallery.
Architects Cackett & Burns Dick planned this gallery in the Baroque style along with Art Nouveau elements.
Collection-
The Laing Art Gallery collection showcases splendid paintings, watercolors and decorative historical objects, together with Newcastle silver.
Visitors can discover the enameled glasses by William Beilby, which are on display along with ceramics (including Maling pottery) and varied contemporary works by emerging UK artists.
In addition, this gallery follows a program of regularly rotating exhibitions.
The gallery’s spectacular collection of paintings includes John Martin’s dramatic The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as beautiful works by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Edward Burne-Jones (Laus Veneris).
Visitors can discover the Isabella and the Pot of Basil from 1868 by William Holman Hunt and Ben Nicholson.
In this museum, local paintings comprise pictures by Ralph Hedley. This gallery also houses a collection of 18th- and 19th-century watercolors and drawings, including fantastic work by J. M. W. Turner and John Sell Cotman.
4. The Biscuit Factory
Location: 16 Stoddart St, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1AN, United Kingdom.
The Biscuit Factory is the United Kingdom’s most significant independent contemporary art, craft & design gallery. It is set in the heart of Newcastle’s cultural quarter, the Ouseburn. Additionally, the Biscuit Factory is housed in a former Victorian warehouse.
The beautiful gallery spaces are spread over two floors, exhibiting and selling a range of splendid contemporary fine art, sculpture, quality craftsmanship, original prints and jewelry and design-led homewares from over 200 artists every season.
This gallery represents the valuable work of emerging and mid-career artists.
The Biscuit Factory also features collaborative exhibitions with national agencies and arts organizations and initiatives such as the International Print Biennale, National Glass Centre and Craft Scotland.
Alongside the gallery spaces, the visitors can also find their in-house café, The Factory Kitchen. The Factory Kitchen is a huge, all-day independent café in The Biscuit Factory.
Furthermore, visitors can relish a seasonal brunch menu curated with flavors from across the world using the best of local produce.
Also, the Factory Kitchen houses a rooftop terrace, a sheltered greenhouse and splendid views of the Ouseburn Valley.
An Overview
Explore the cultural treasures of Newcastle, England, with our guide to the city’s top museums and art galleries. From the rich history of the Discovery Museum to the natural wonders at the Great North Museum, delve into the artistic and scientific marvels that make Newcastle a must-visit destination.
Furthermore, discover the vibrant art scene at Laing Art Gallery and experience contemporary works at The Biscuit Factory.
In addition, you can also uncover the city’s past, evolution, and creative spirit through these extraordinary cultural institutions.
In short, these museums and art galleries showcasing pieces of history, evolution, art, and science are unmissable.
Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty
