Grey's Monument, Newcastle upon Tyne, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Grey's Monument is a tall stone column topped with a statue of Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. It honours the Prime Minister who led the Great Reform Act of 1832 through Parliament, and it remains the city's best-known meeting point and landmark.

The story behind it

Charles Grey was Prime Minister in the early 1830s, and the Great Reform Act that passed under his government reshaped who could vote in Britain. Newcastle remembered him with a monument at the head of its new, elegant streets, and the column was completed in 1838. The statue on top stands roughly 40 metres above the pavement and can be seen from many parts of the city centre. The tea blend that carries his name is the other thing Earl Grey is remembered for.

The monument also has a stranger chapter. In 1941, during the Second World War, lightning struck the column and the statue's head fell to the street below. For several years the figure stood without a head over the shoppers of Newcastle, until a new head was carved and put in place in 1947.

What to look for

• Look up at the statue of Earl Grey at the very top and imagine the 1941 lightning strike that knocked off its head.
• Walk around the base of the column to find the inscriptions and carved details that record who the monument honours.
• Stand at the foot of the column and look down Grey Street, one of the city's most admired streets, which curves away in a sweep of classical buildings.
• Watch how locals use the monument as a meeting spot, with people waiting beside it at almost any time of day.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the monument from the street at any time, and a quick look takes about ten minutes. Allow longer if you want to explore the streets around it.
• Morning and late afternoon give softer light on the stone, and the area is calmer outside the busy shopping hours.
• It sits beside the main shopping streets, so Grey Street, Grainger Street and the Grainger Town area are all within a short walk.
• The column is usually viewed from outside. If you hope to go up or inside, check current opening hours and access first.

See it on a quest

The quest Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Newcastle upon Tyne passes Grey's Monument as one stop on a longer walk through the city. You reach each place on foot, the app tells you about it as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It suits anyone who likes a mystery theme with their sightseeing. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.