St Nicholas Cathedral
Creative Tourist
Alongside the Castle, another fine building survives from Newcastle’s medieval past, St Nicholas Cathedral is the Church of England Cathedral of Newcastle. There has been a church on the site since 1090 AD, but the church that stands there today is mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries, making most of the building nearly seven hundred years old.
With its central location, it is the church where the city’s merchants and businesspeople would gather to worship. When you enter the church one of the first things you will notice are the number of memorials within the building. St Nicholas Cathedral has the second-most memorials of any church in the UK, after Westminster Abbey in London, with the majority of them being dedicated to the famous people of the North East and successful merchants.
The Lantern Tower is visible across most of the city centre of Newcastle, providing a visual reminder of the importance of this building
It is topped by the Lantern Tower, a fantastic fifteenth-century crown which was once used as a lighthouse to guide ships into Newcastle. The Lantern Tower is visible across most of the city centre of Newcastle, providing a visual reminder of the importance of this building.
St Nicholas Cathedral has recently completed a project called Common Ground in Sacred Space, which has two aims: first, to bring the history and heritage of the building back into focus and encounter many of the historical people who were involved in the city’s history, and second, to transform the cathedral into a meeting space in the heart of Newcastle where all can gather, meet, worship and enjoy events, with both the interior and exterior of the Cathedral being renovated as a part of this project.
There are also curated tours of the Cathedral and its Tower available, which are delivered by a skilled group of volunteers, who are passionate about their Cathedral and city. Climbing the Tower will give you the highest accessible view of all of Newcastle – but be prepared, this is a challenge for those afraid of heights.
