New Bridge Street, one of the main thoroughfares into the city centre from the east, was dissected by the construction of the Central Motorway and the part left in the city centre was renamed New Bridge Street West.
16th June 2022
Pearl Assurance House.
The Pearl is a eight story office building located on the corner of Northumberland Street and New Bridge Street in Newcastle. The Peal Assurance Building was built in the 1970's and replaced the previous Pearl Assurance Building of c.1904. In 2013 floors 2 to 8 of the current building were refurbished and the building rebranded as "The Pearl".
Source: Co-Curate.
28th May 2022
Pearl Assurance House.
19th May 2022
Pearl Assurance House.
8th May 2022
17th February 2022
The old Dex Car Park site.
2nd January 2022
Demolition of the Dex Car Park.
10th November 2021
Demolition of the Dex Car Park begins.
1st November 2021
November 2018
Taken from the top floor of City Library.
20th October 2018
Stack Newcastle.
Stack Newcastle on the corner of New Bridge Street West and Pilgrim Street is a container village filled with local independent businesses, eateries and bars.
26th May 2018
Pearl Assurance Building.
The Pearl is a eight story office building located on the corner of Northumberland Street and New Bridge Street in Newcastle. The Peal Assurance Building was built in the 1970's and replaced the previous Pearl Assurance Building of c.1904. In 2013 floors 2 to 8 of the current building were refurbished and the building rebranded as "The Pearl".
Source: Co-Curate.
Laing Art Gallery.
Art Gallery. 1903-4 by Cackett and Burns Dick. Sandstone ashlar, stone dome to tower cupola. Free Baroque style with Art Nouveau elements. The gift of Alexander Laing to the City of Newcastle. Grade II Listed.
Source: Sitelines.
See my separate Laing Art Gallery page.
John Dobson Street, New Bridge Street junction.
Pilgrim Street and New Bridge Street West.
Demolition of Norham House and Watson House on the corner of Pilgrim Street and New Bridge Street West is now complete.
2nd November 2017
Demolition of Watson House nears completion.
12th October 2017
Dex Car Park.
Demolition of Watson House.
19th September 2017
Demolition of Watson House.
30th August 2017
Demolition of Watson House.
3rd August 2017
Demolition of Watson House.
2nd July 2017
Demolition of Watson House.
6th February 2017
Cross Carliol Street.
25th December 2013
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New Bridge Street West.
16th May 2010
Dex Car Park.
Garage built in the Arts in Art Deco style. Three bay, three-storey face with projecting end towers and central bay, over garage door. The remainder of the structure is concrete. The car park has been extended over Erick Street and now faces Carliol Street above a one-storey nightclub building.
McCombie (2009) - concrete 1930s, by L.J. Couves and Partners, and early example of ramped access. The building was considered for listing by English Heritage in November 2009 but was not listed because although it was an early example of a multi-storey car park, other earlier ones survive, because the principal elevation lacks distinction and because the building has undergone changes which undermine its integrity (rooftop extension, extension to rear and changes to the front).
The first multi-storey car park to be built in Britain was in Wardour Street, London in 1903. This used a lift to raise the motor cars to the upper decks. Ramped car parks (or parking garages) emerged in the 1920s. The earliest was at Mount Pleasant, in Islington, London in 1922-3. By 1939 there were several ramped car parks in London but they were rare elsewhere. Buildings plans for the multi-storey car park in Newcastle were approved in 1930. The car park was open by 12 May 1931. The name Dex was in homage to the Lex Garage in Brewer Street, London of 1929 (listed grade 2), and was a pun on its parking decks. L.J. Couves and Partners had already designed the 1928 Carliol House with architects Tait, Burnet and Lorne.
The construction of the car park demonstrates the growing importance of the motor car and the need for car parking in the city. The concrete structure was built by Trussed Concrete Steel Co. Ltd of London. The car park is contemporary with the adjacent Paramount (Odeon) Cinema of September 1931. The building was more than just a car park. It had a forecourt for petrol sales, car showrooms, administrative offices, a workshop and a chauffeurs' waiting room and wash rooms. In 1934 plans for a roof top showroom, car wash and offices were approved. A steel box was added to the original flat roofed uppermost deck in the early 1940s. The garage became the official retailers for Rolls Royce, Bentley and auto agents for Daimler and Lanchester.
From 1963 until 1980 the garage was serving and selling Singer, Bentley, Jaguar and Rolls Royce. In 1970 a south eastern extension was built, designed by Fitzroy Robinson Partnership of London. The car showroom was converted to a clothes retail unit. Petrol sales ceased by 1980 and the forecourt canopy was removed. The turntables on each floor were removed in October 2007.
Dex Garage is trapezoidal in plan. It has a steel framed structure with suspended reinforced concrete floors, ramps, roof and staircases. The external walls are white painted rendered brick. The main elevation is symmetrical, five bays in width, with projecting tower-like four-storey sides. The left-hand side bears the inscription DEX GARAGE. A projecting central bay runs the height of the building from first floor level above the venicle entrance. There are three-light steel top hung casement windows. The cast-iron hoppers and down pipes are original. The sides and rear of the building are plain.
Inside there are 11 staggered parking floors, providing parking for 376 cars. The ramps have original iron railings. The tower in the north-west corner contains a lift shaft with encircling stairs with a moulded wooden hand rail. Original lift doors with copper glazing. Original timber doors survive elsewhere.
Numerous ancillary rooms such as the chaffeur's lounge and wash room, remain. The garage offices and show rooms lie either side of the main entrance. One of the offices retains a terrazzo floor with the word DEX cast within it. Some original signage is retained. The second floor contains the partial remains of a vehicle lift shaft and some original plant.
Source: Sitelines.
Cross Carliol Street and Erick Street.
Underneath Dex Car Park are two slowly disappearing Newcastle streets, Cross Carliol Street and Erick Street. When the planned demolition of the car park begins we will lose these two truncated streets but for a very short section of Erick Street just off Worswick Street.
Historic Information:
- Sitelines - New Bridge Street West, Watson and Norham Houses
- Sitelines - New Bridge Street, New Bridge Chambers
- Sitelines - New Bridge Street, Portland Public House
- Sitelines - New Bridge Street, Church of the Divine Unity
- Sitelines - New Bridge Street, Trinity Chapel (Presbyterian)
- Sitelines - Erick Street, Coach and Harness Manufactory
- Sitelines - New Bridge Street, American Steam Laundry
See my other photos around New Bridge Street West:
- New Bridge St West - City Library
- New Bridge St West - Laing Art Gallery
- New Bridge St West - Lying-in Hospital
- New Bridge St West - Oxford Galleries
- Blackett Street
- Northumberland Street
- Pilgrim Street - New HMRC building and associated demolitions
- Pilgrim Street - Bank Of England Demolition and Bank House Construction
- Pilgrim Street
- John Dobson Street
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