Photographs Of Newcastle

Hanover Street, Hanover Square & Clavering Place

Hanover Street has Newcastle's most fascinating street surface, a "stone tramway" of large baulks of stone laid in the roadway to provide a smooth surface for horse-drawn carts. This arrangement was once common in cobbled streets or on steep hills. The Granite blocks provided a smoother surface for the wheels of the carts, whilst the traditional setts between the "line" allowed a better grip for the horses' hooves. This system was only provided for the traffic travelling up the steep slope of the street. The idea is thought to have been first used in northern Italy and introduced into this country in the early nineteenth century.

Hanover Street itself was laid out when the massive bonded warehouses were built in the years 1841 to 1844 for Amor Spoor. The south elevation of the long 43 bay building faces onto The Close, where two tall rusticated sandstone arched entrances give access to stairs leading up to the higher levels of Hanover Street. The street led from the junction of The Close and the Skinnerburn to Hanover Place which the street took it's name, passing from the outside to the inside of the old Town Wall.

The buildings of Hanover Street, and the street itself, survive as records of the importance of industry in nineteenth-century Newcastle. The bonded warehouses off the street date to 1841-1844 and are evidence of the significance of Newcastle as an industrial centre. Most of the buildings are of brick and stone. The unlisted buildings on the north side of the street were constructed for Robert Stephenson and Company, and thus are connected with one of Newcastle’s great industrialists. There are listed buildings on either side of the street (coppersmith's shop on north side and bonded warehouses on south side).

White Friar tower, part of the old Town Wall, was sited at the top of the steep slope above Close Gate, and was probably built in the first half of the 14th century. It was unique among the towers on the Newcastle wall in having an octagonal ground floor beneath a circular second storey, the two separated by "a bold moulding". In the 17th or 18th century a mullion and transom window was inserted in the west wall of the upper room. At one time the masons had their meeting hall in the upper room, the companies of bricklayers and mettors below. In 1776 the tower was leased to Isaac Cookson for 21 years, "with liberty to make a battlement and way from his summer-house to the top of the said tower". He converted it into an icehouse. The tower was demolished 1841-1843/4 by Amor Spoor for the construction of Hanover Street.

Hanover Square was built in the 1720's shortly after the Hanoverians became Kings of England with the crowning of King George I.

Clavering Place/Hanover Square was once the site of a Roman cemetery. Two stone sarcophagi were unearthed there in 1903, and another pair were found during redevelopment work in 2008.

The Fleming Memorial Hospital began its life in 1863 as the Children's Hospital, Hanover Square. In 1886 the hospital moved to Moor Edge after John Fleming, a Newcastle Solicitor, gave £25,000 to build a new hospital for sick children in memory of his wife, who had died in 1882.

Description courtesy of Sitelines.

30th April 2025

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

Warehouses, now flats. Listed in the 1980's with the following description. 1841-44 for Amor Spoor. Flemish bond brick with ashlar plinth and dressings; felt-covered roof with stone gable copings. 7 storeys, 43 bays. 5 gabled bays to bond No. 40 at left; 3 to No. 50; then 16 bays. Warehouse No. 40 has central wider bay and 6 stacks of loading bays; bond No. 50 has 3 stacks of loading bays; 4 to remaining bays. Some stacks bricked up - outer ones of bond 40 entirely. Round-headed openings with projecting stone sills. South elevation to The Close has 2 tall wide rusticated sandstone arched entrances. Modern addition at west end is not of interest.'

Hanover Street and Hanover Stairs which bisect the warehouses, were also built at this time. Originally different parts of the warehouses were owned by different trades. In the 1930's the whole company was bought by Curries, a haulage firm. The ware houses are bonded and under permanent Customs and Excise supervision. In 1939 the warehouses were full of tea evacuated from London.

A fire in 1997 irreparably damaged the western warehouse and so this was demolished. After a number of smaller fires hit the property it was restored and extended as flats in 2007-8 by Napper Architects. Photos of the redevelopment can be seen much further down this page.

Listed Grade 2. Source: Sitelines

Hanover Street, Stone Tramways.

Hanover Street retains its original stone tramways. These are large granite baulks, laid into the normal cobbled surface. The size of the blocks was apparently dictated by law, at 2 feet x 5 feet x 8 inches deep. The blocks provided a smoother surface for the wheels of the carts whilst the traditional setts between the lines allowed a better grip for the horses hooves. This system was only provided for the traffic travelling up the steep slope of the street.

The idea is thought to have been first used in Northern Italy and first introduced into this country in the early 19th century. Hanover Street itself was laid out when the massive bonded warehouses were built from 1841-1844.

Source: Sitelines

Clavering Place.

Roman House Tunnel.

Clavering Place, Roman House Student Accommodation.

Hanover Square, no. 4.

Number 4 is Georgian with later alterations including a mansard roof. Despite changes of use and alterations to its built form, the building has retained a simple elegance.

Source: Sitelines

Hanover Street.

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

1888 north block; 1897 additions to south; 1898 tower. By F. W. Rich for Robinson and Co., printers. Photograph is taken from the Quayside. More photos of the building further down this page

Grade 2 Listed.

20th December 2023

Clavering Place, Friar House.

House, now offices. Circa 1780. Brick, rough-rendered with left quoins; right return gable peak tumbled-in; Welsh slate roof; 2 brick chimneys on central front ridge; later right end chimney with ashlar string and cornice. 2 storeys, 5 bays, the central wider. Central double door, with over-and side-lights, in flat Tuscan doorcase with prominent cornice. Projecting stone sills to ground floor sashes, the upper parts late C19, the lower renewed; first floor sashes with glazing bars; floor and sill band. Modillioned eaves cornice.'

The building originally had a formal garden to the rear and a series of smaller beds to the front. The construction of the railway in the 1850s marked a change in the area from high status domestic occupation to trade and industry. In 1859 the house had been partially demolished and much of the rear garden replaced with a large rectangular building possibly a warehouse. By 1871 the property had become a small manufacturing outlet. Shortly afterwards the building was bought by R. Robinsons and Co Printers and stationery manufacturer who held the building until 1961 when it was sold to Alfred Bell Ltd.

The name Friar House is a modern invention. In 2012 The Archaeological Practice Ltd maintained a watching brief during groundworks for the conversion of the building to a hotel and further building recording during internal works (the building was originally recorded in 2008 and assessed in 2011 by Archaeo-Environment Ltd.). During these works it was found that the house was built upon the foundations of an earlier building, constructed in sandstone.

Listed Grade 2. Source: Sitelines

Clavering Place, Clavering House.

House, now offices. Circa 1780. English bond brick with painted plinth and ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roof. 2 storeys, 3 wide bays and 2-storey 2-bay right extension.

6-panelled door and overlight in central pedimented doorcase flanked by narrow windows; round arched opening to sash window with blind head above, flanked by narrow blind windows giving Venetian effect. Full-height 3-window flanking shallow canted bays. All windows sashes with glazing bars under wedge stone lintels. Sill and eaves bands. Double-span roof, with-rear shaped gable, has long hips over canted bays; massive renewed chimney central on front ridge.'Offices of the North Eastern Railway.

Listed Grade 2. Source: Sitelines

Hanover Square, no. 2.

Hanover Square, no. 4.

Hanover Square, nos. 2 and 4 (rear).

30th May 2023

Clavering Place, Roman House Student Accommodation.

Taken from the west side near the old town walls.

20th Janusry 2022

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

Hanover Street, Stone Tramways.

Hanover Street.

The northern stretch leading to Hanover Square.

Clavering Place, Clavering House.

Hanover Square, no. 2.

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

1888 north block; 1897 additions to south; 1898 tower. By F. W. Rich for Robinson and Co., printers. Brick with ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roof. 5 storeys at right, 6 at left, and attics; 6:2:7 bays. Near-central 2-bay tower has groups of 3 slit windows on each floor; panelled and blind-arcaded top floor; wide windows, those in left section round-headed on top floor with brick-and- stone keyed arches. Bays defined by buttresses, those of the top floors at left with ashlar bands. Sill bands. Right section and lower left windows have cambered brick arches with keys; sill bands. Cornices on second floor of left section. Top cornice all around, dentilled at left and on tower. Shaped attic gables, with central pediments, have round-headed and oeil-de boeuf windows between pilasters. High pyramidal tower roof has small octagonal spirelets, all with swept eaves, over blind oriels. Central lead-covered ogee hipped roof.'

Later used as a warehouse to store prosthetic limbs. Converted into apartments and penthouses by Northern Land.

Grade 2 Listed.

4th November 2021

Clavering Place, Friar House.

Clavering Place.

Hanover Square, no. 4.

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

Hanover Square

26th March 2016

Clavering Place, construction of Roman House Student Accommodation.

Taken from the west side near the old town walls. Apologies for the quality.

25th August 2015

Clavering Place, construction of Roman House Student Accommodation.

Taken from the west side near the old town walls. Apologies for the quality.

3rd December 2014

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

Taken from Gateshead looking over the Tyne.

4th June 2013

Clavering Place, Friar House.

Clavering Place.

Hanover Street.

17th January 2011

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

23rd April 2010

Clavering Place, Presbyterian Chapel.

Chapel, later offices for British Electrical Manufacturing Co. 1822 by John Green for United Secession Church. English bond brick with ashlar dressings; felt covered roof. Basement and 3 storeys. Gothic revival style. 2-storey arched recesses with impost string. Central inserted loading door under intersecting traceried top light in stone arch. Tudor arch in brick to half-glazed office entrance between first and second bays. Stone Tudor arches to all windows. Cornice and blocking course. Low-pitched hipped roof has central ridge ventilator. Demolished in 2011 after damage from heavy snow.

Source: Sitelines

Clavering Place, Friar House.

Clavering Place, Clavering House.

Hanover Square, no. 2.

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

Taken from Clavering Place looking through the gap site immediately south of Friar House.

Hanover Square.

The gap on the left side will become Roman House Student Accommodation.

14th June 2008

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

9th June 2008

Town Wall between Forth Street and Hanover Street.

Situated on gently sloping ground between Forth Street and Hanover Street and lies parallel to Orchard Street. It includes the upstanding and buried remains of part of the town defences of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The section of town defences between Forth Street and Hanover Street represents part of the western re-entrant of the circuit originally constructed between 1311 and 1333 and includes a 122m stretch of curtain wall, a length of berm and infilled and buried ditch.

Source: Historic England.

2nd May 2008

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

24th March 2008

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

30th November 2007

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

12th October 2007

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

10th October 2007

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

5th September 2007

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

12th July 2007

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

22nd May 2007

Clavering Place, Friar House.

Clavering Place, opposite Clavering Place, no.4.

I'm unsure what this building was, but it was demolished soon after this photo was taken. It's at the southern end of the modern Roman House Student Accommodation just where Clavering Place turns into the northern end of Hanover Street.

Source: Sitelines

Clavering Place, Clavering House.

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

2nd November 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

18th October 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

17th October 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

The redevelopment begins.

14th August 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

11th July 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

Hanover Street.

13th June 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

Hanover Street, Stone Tramways.

31st March 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

Demolition of part of the remaining building is due start soon before redevelopment.

29th March 2006

Queens Lane, Turnbull's Warehouse.

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

25th March 2006

Hanover Street, Bonded Warehouse.

On the 24th March 2006 there was another huge fire in the remaining building. The pictures were taken around 24 hours after the fire but I couldn't get too close due to the area being cordoned off.