A splendid oasis

With a few hours to spare in Newcastle this morning I wandered round as a tourist and found some amazing buildings. Local North East Blippers will have to bear with me – they know all this, but to me it is all new and fascinating.

Central Arcade
One thing I discovered was this astonishingly ornate arcade. There is no indication outside that this is as it is. Then as you enter a stone archway, this is what you come upon. A beautifully tiled arcade with a glass roof and flower-decked balconies. It is just a shop-lined passageway from one street to another, but what a place. And there are some really long-established retailers here.
  
It was originally built in 1837 as a corn market as part of the Grainger Town development, but had many functions over the years. Then, after a fire in 1901, it was rebuilt in 1906 in the form it is today. I marvelled at its splendour and the peaceful atmosphere away from the bustle of the city streets outside.