Newcastle Fashion And Lifestyle Blog

For the past few weeks Newcastle Christmas Markets have been in the town, and I decided that I would go and check them out.

Here’s some pictures, and information about the Christmas Markets in Newcastle this year.

When they announced that they would extend Newcastle’s Christmas Market, I was excited. I thought it would be a great thing for the city. But then I later found out that the council had basically sold the rights to the markets to a company based in Nottingham. So we’re already off to a bad start.

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It’s been that time of the year again, it’s Christmas which means a few things, and in Newcastle it means the Fenwick Christmas Window.

If you’re not from Newcastle or you’re just unaware, Fenwick dresses up their window every year in some kind of theme for the festive season. Sometimes it’s holiday related, such as last year when it was the Snowman, and other times it’s related to other childhood memories.

In 2019 the Fenwick Christmas Window is Charlie and the chocolate factory. It’s not something I ever loved as a kid, but it’s a story that virtually everyone knows and remembers. This year it also has the Christmas Market to contend with, which is on Northumberland Street too.

As always, each window tells a different part of the story, and here’s every window for you to see if you haven’t already checked it out.

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A couple of Saturdays ago we were out and decided to check out a new pub, The Gunner Tavern, so we went in.

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s one of the new bars in Newcastle, and it takes up residence in the old Gotham Town, opposite the Central Station.

Here’s everything you need to know, and my thoughts on The Gunner Tavern.

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It’a another Christmas time tradition in Newcastle, the dressing of Fenwick Window in a Christmassy theme, and I’ve finally got it up here for you to see! This year it is the classic animated film that we all know and love and saw when we were kids, it’s The Snowman.

All the iconic scenes are here at Fenwick, and the windows look really good as they always do. From the Snowman riding the motorbike to dancing, flying and of course that party, everything is depicted with a different scene in each window. Some are static, with some having the added magic of being electronic, with the window coming to life.

If you haven’t managed to get down or don’t like in Newcastle, you can see the pictures below. There’s also links to the previous year’s windows.

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I finally made it down to the Newcastle Christmas Markets this year!

I was there on Thursday checking them out, and took my camera to get some good photos of what we have in Newcastle. I had a quick look a few weeks ago on a night which makes much better photos, but I didn’t have my camera at the time, only my phone. It was so cold, but so sunny, the enemy of the photographer 😀

Trust that the day I go there’s the sun blazing down on me…Better than the rain I guess. You can also get some interesting effects with the sun which can look cool.

Anyway if you’re familiar with Newcastle or if you’re not, the Christmas Markets are around the main section of the middle of the city, which is around Grey’s Monument, Grainger Street and Grey Street, which is close to Northumberland Street, the main shopping street.

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Happy Weekend!

This weekend was the return of the NE1 Motor Show in Newcastle, and as with previous years, I decided I would go. It’s always a good time, and a real relaxed atmosphere for people who are proper petrol heads and can talk to others, or just for people who like to have a look at cars and see some real masterpieces.

This year there was a brand new car, the Bloodhound SSC which is a land speed record car. There was the same great stuff from previous years, including Paul Swift doing some car stunts on Hood Street, as well as the likes of Aston Martin, Mercedes and Lexus being present, and there was plenty of super cars such as Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, classic cars, American Muscle and the best of British.

Check out all the pictures from the day.

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Fancy a good cocktail on an evening? You’ll not get one in The Laundrette

The latest place in Newcastle boasting incredible cocktails is The Laundrette, a new establishment down Westgate Road. I use the word establishment but I should be calling it a restaurant, although that’s not the vibe I was getting before I went.

I was out on Saturday night and there was some buzz about this place, so since it’s a new venue I wanted to go. It’s located all the way to the bottom of Westgate Road, next to Revolution, and us around the new Student flats block. The building didn’t really exist previously, other than an eyesore of a building, I never knew what that was. So this new building went up, purpose built flats called Vita Students, and The Launderette is located on the ground floor.

The Laundrette has the catchphrase Carbs and Cocktails, but it seems like you can’t have the cocktails without the carbs. We went in, had a look at the menu and decided what we wanted to drink. The bartender asked if we were eating food, which we weren’t, and told us that they don’t have a licence to sell alcohol without food.

You can’t grab a cocktail in a place which boasts great cocktails!?

This was obviously disappointing. There are plenty of restaurant bars in Newcastle, from The Botanist to The Alchemist, Browns, Aveika and more which welcome people who just want to have a drink on an evening as well as accommodating the restaurant crowd. It’s kind of weird that a place with a neon cocktails and carbs sign and really play on the cocktail theme, don’t sell cocktails unless you buy food. The place was not too busy, and there were a few people sitting at the bar with drinks, and a group of lads standing drinking cocktails, so we didn’t really see the problem. Maybe a change to the slogan, “Cocktails, but only if you pay for Carbs” would be more fitting.

According to the licencing information, The Laundrette applied for “a licence for the sale of alcohol between 10AM and midnight daily, with late night refreshment between 11pm and 00:30 daily“. – This seems to be the opposite of what we were told by the staff.

The decor and interior of The Laundrette is pretty nice, and the staff seem friendly enough. Since I didn’t eat food, I can’t comment on that.

So overall, if you’re looking for great cocktails you’re in luck, because Jalou and Revolution are less than a minute away, with Tokyo less than 2 minutes away, and all are worth the visit. Sadly you can’t buy cocktails at The Launderette, so you’ll have to give that a miss.

The Laundrette

Address: 48 Westgate Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1TT
Opening Hours: 10AM – 00:30 Daily
Dress Code: Smart
Music: Yes
Recommended Age: 25+
Guestlist/VIP: None
Bottle Service: None
Stag/Hen: No

Twitter: @LaundretteNcl
Website: thelaundretteuk.com

It’s tradition in Newcastle to go and see Fenwick Christmas Window, they’ve been decorating it and dressing it for years. I’ve featured it on the blog for a number of years, and it’s been Alice In Wonderland, a traditional Christmas scene, fairy tale forest and a whole lot more. This year the window theme is none other than Paddington! Who doesn’t love Paddington Bear, and this year sees the story of Paddington, from the train station to marmalade, it’s all featured.

Check out the images below, and you can also find the previous Fenwick Windows which I have covered here on the blog 🙂

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