The Site

The site I have chosen for my final year project is the Bigg Market in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. The total site area for the proposed scheme is 0.74hectares, it is currently a mixed use occupancy of leisure and commercial with a small retail aspect. The sites city centre location offers some unique design opportunities, and with the current need of redevelopment underpins this decision.

The name ‘Bigg’ is derived from a particular kind of barley that was sold in the market historically located in this part of the city. The Bigg Market was a combination of the Meal or Groat Market and the Old Flesh Market. It is the oldest market in Newcastle (currently active) and is overlooked by St Nicholas Cathedral, which was built in 1359 (and became a cathedral in 1882).

The Bigg Market is one of the most famous places in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. At night it becomes a lively, illuminated hub attracting Stag and Hen parties from across the country, along with regular party goers. The large open public square is lined with bars, restaurants and clubs leading down towards the quayside, earning Newcastle a reputation of one of liveliest city in the World.

In the daytime however, it is a forgotten and colourless place peppered with market stalls. In contrast to its appeal as a night time destination, the daytime Bigg market is more of a through-route. People pass through it to get to their destinations.

“To a European Visitor it looks like a part of the city where people might live as well as work and play but, as in most cities in Britain, this is not the case. The upper storeys of the historic buildings are disused and in poor repair” Streets for People, Cityscape, Newcastle upon Tyne.

However, this has not always been the case. Throughout the medieval period, the Cloth, Flesh and Groat Market (collectively known as the Bigg Market) were once a great space of the city occupying a prime position next to the public square of St. Nicholas’ Cathedral. In the 19th Century the town hall was built in the middle of the square (what was known as middle street), and this construction inevitably changed how the space was perceived and used. The great dynamic square which was once a bustling arena of public activity declined into a lonely transitional space. The people who formerly occupied the square had now been both physically, and perhaps too metaphorically, divided by the imposition of the town hall structure in the middle of their (the publics’) space. The old town hall has since been demolished and replaced with a dull, lifeless office building of poor design.

Unfortunately now the sett paving throughout the Bigg market is undervalued by the users, neglected and run through with patched services. Undeniably, the binge drinking culture that has swept through the region is having a monumental and devastating effect on this once great public space.

Essentially the site can be considered as one of the main links to the quayside, served by some of the most famous streets in the city.
The Site is flanked by two minor roads, predominately used as taxi ranks and loading bays. The road on the west is accessed from Westgate road which becomes part of a one way street linking through Pudding Chare passing through the site connecting to Collingwood Street.


(Public Squares and Building Useage Ground Floor Plan)

Collingwood Street and Mosley Street, hosting examples of Newcastle’s beautiful Georgian Architecture, run east to west at the south of the site, separating the Groat and Cloth Market from St. Nicholas Square. These roads are a major link through the lower part of the city, connecting the main link from Hexham, Westgate road to the A167 (the old A1) that runs over the Tyne bridge and forms the city motorway through the east side of the city.

To the North of the site lies the Bigg Market which connects into Grainger Street. The Bigg Market is the collective term used to describe this general area, housing throughout history several smaller markets, such as Meat, Cloth and Produce. Today part of the area is a public space lined with night clubs and bars served by pedestrian and road links from Grainger Street at the head. This street runs from the city centre south to the train and central metro station.
(Section Through the Proposed Site, Quayside and River)
The “Bigg Market” today continues to occupy a prime position in the city centre, providing a link between historic and modern Newcastle. It is therefore important that this proposal takes account of its setting and provides links to its neighbours, while simultaneously settling into its surrounding context. It must assert its identity as a ‘stage for the city’ without dominating its surroundings. The development will have a “counter point” effect within its glorious setting.

City Links

The Site enjoys a host of major attractions and amenities in its immediate vicinity, holding both historical and local values. Their variety provides for a rich social and cultural experience, unique to this part of the city. The site is surrounded by some of the most exclusive and most frequented bars and clubs in Newcastle, transport links ranging from rail to road, a Cathedral and Castle. There are a collection of businesses located around the site ranging from the office and print works for the Chronicle (a local newspaper) to small “one off” clothing shops.

Newcastle is a compact city and favours pedestrian movement; however the city has an infrastructure for double its present population. The main public transport system is the efficient Metro Line that emerges from below ground level as it leaves the city centre. The nearest metro stations are Monument and Central, both are within walking distance.
The site also has close proximity with the main bus routes, including the “Quaylink” which is a free sustainable yellow bus service travelling from Gateshead, through the quayside and up the steep banks of the river Tyne into the City centre. The main Central Rail station which is part of the main north south route from Edinburgh to London and other national rail lines is also within walking distance from the site.