Prudhoe Chare Sculpture Wall

Along Prudhoe Chare there are curious stone heads set into the red brick wall of a building built in 1976. Many old distinguished buildings were demolished to make way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre at the start of the 1970s and these sculptures are remnants that were salvaged from these buildings including - The YMCA in Blackett Street, the library, and the Town Hall.

I have made a few wild guesses as to some of the head depictions, but please let me know if you have alternate information.

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was purpose-built for lads acclimatising to urban life away from family life. It was a healthy regime of educational classes, public lectures, a reading room and refreshments. Not how the Village People portrayed them!

The YMCA was opened in 1900 by Queen Victoria's son Albert, Duke of Connaught and was demolished in the 1970s.

There is an irony to the YMCA being knocked down as The Old St James Chapel used to be on this site. It had been built twice and then evacuated. There had stood a 13/14th Century tower called Ficket Tower here, but in good old Victorian tradition, it was destroyed to build the chapel.

3 cartouches are now on the Prudhoe Chare wall, 2 with the motifs YMCA and the other with a date, see if you can work it out? I think it is 1899. These all came from the original YMCAA building.

The Free Library was built in 1881 on New Bridge Street. They too knocked down a medieval tower, called Carliol Tower and then suffered the same fate in 1967.

The Old Town Hall was completed 1858. It had a clock tower and a Statue of Queen Victoria outside. Then demolished in 1973. I cannot find what salvaged stonework belonged to it.

Part of the site was a brew house in 1855 and continued as a public house called The Northumbrian Arms. Now it is The Exchange Bar. It has a red telephone box making an unusual entrance.

You possibly wouldn't notice this and probably have little reason to go down Prudhoe Chare as it looks like a dead end. It is however a pedestrian route that few people take to and from Eldon Square and Northumberland Street. You can find it between Marks and Spencer and The Exchange Bar.

The word Chare comes from the medieval street or alley and is a normal dialect in Geordie Toon. It certainly does not resemble anything medieval now.

The heads along here do face north and the alley does not have much sunshine. Notice the green mold on the stonework.

There is the head of Bacchus on the right in this photo below. He was the Roman God of wine.

I am going to suggest Oceanus for the one on the left as sea deities tend to have beards that look water-logged and a Roman altar to him was found in the River Tyne.

There are two semi-circles of heads. They are on tapered keystones which have come from arches. Three of Newcastle's finest are atop one of the semi-circles. They are believed to be: Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood of Trafalgar fame, George Stephenson, a civil engineer and railway locomotives fame, and Thomas Bewick who was a wood engraver and natural history writer.

The deity with a lion skin on their head (at approx. 2 O'clock) could be the Roman named Hercules (Greek name Heracles) This is the deity with the 12 labours, and killing a lion was the first labour.

Any ideas as to who the deities with lyras (musical stringed instruments) are? I'm plucking for Apollo for the one at 9 O'clock and Hermes at 3 O'clock. The only thing is in Greek Mythology the lyras were 7 stringed.

I am also guessing It is Aphrodite at 10 O'clock as she is supposed to have been heavenly so there is a star in her hair and used birds, so there is a feather under her chin.

One of the items in stone is a Seahorse and Newcastle's motto, Fortiter De (Defendit Triumphans ) - 'Triumphing by Brave Defence' - from 1644 due to the Scottish invasions, and features in Newcastle's coat of arms.

Neptune is apparent by the fish in his hair at 12 O'clock, and was another god of sea and freshwater. Are you wondering why there are two Gods of the sea and freshwater? Well, Neptune belonged to the younger dynasty of gods, and Oceanus to the older dynasty. Both have Roman altars in The Great North Museum, Newcastle. These were found in the River Tyne in1872 when building the swingbridge

Possibly The River God Tyne at 9 O'clock.

The deity with a portcullis at 1 O' clock has a possible link to the coat of arms that dates back to Norman times. I have wondered if Cecily Neville (1415 -1495) Rose of Raby is featured.

There could be a druid connection with the yew-looking wreath in her hair and feather (at 10 O'clock ) which were considered messages from the Gods. As for others, I am stumped.

Note the lions above the door. They could be a nod to Newcastle's coat of arms as that also has lions. They represent strength, power, and courage.

I hunted high and low to find the significance of the date 1898. No building, no railway, industry, dignitary or famous person.

The only thing I could find out was that It was the first time Newcastle United Football Club played in the football league's 1st division. They finished 13th in this top league.

Did you know Eldon Shopping Centre was designed by Basil Spence and based on the American mall?