Side Gallery
Art In Newcastle City Centre, Tyne And Wear
Small photographic gallery on Newcastle's Quayside.

The Side Gallery is a photographic gallery on Newcastle Quayside, but blink and you'll miss the entrance. You'll spot it as you head down to the Quayside - it's on the right hand side of the road up a narrow alleyway known as Battery Stairs.
The Battery Stairs themselves are named after a building in the Castle Garth known as the Half Moon Battery. In a former life the battery was a defensive tower, but during the English Civil War it was redeveloped and later turned into tenement buildings. The Battery Stairs at Side lead to the site of the former battery.
The gallery is a small and quirky building with three floors of gallery space, which was previously a warehouse. There are still some nods to it's past, with wooden beams and cast iron pillars on show around the building.
The gallery once had a memorable and uneven staircase which added to it's charm, however, in 2015 the gallery was awarded £1.1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to redevelop the building. The staircase was very understandably replaced with a bespoke steel staircase and other additions were made including a lift to all three floors and a solid oak floor was fitted.
The Amber Collective was formed in 1968 and they opened the Side Gallery in 1977. It was, and still is dedicated to amazing documentary photography from local and international photographers. The number of photographers who have had their work displayed here is vast, but some names you may know include Henri Cartier-Bresson, Weegee and Martin Parr. (Shout out to the fantastic Peter Fryer too, who was a photography lecturer at Sunderland University in the early 2000s)



The aim of the Amber Collective who opened the gallery was to capture working class life in the North East of England and as well as being prolific photographers, they have produced a number of films. The films have been shown in the 51 seater Side Cinema which is just opposite the gallery, however, the cinema has been closed for a while for redevelopment. Best to check their website first if you are planning a visit Amber Online
As well as the gallery and cinema there is also a small library and shop to peruse selling books and postcards. The Side Gallery is free, but donations are welcome. Check the link above for opening times.
The exhibitions change regularly and the current one is Classic Street Style featuring work from Robert Doisneau, Jimmy Forsyth and Weegee. It runs until October 9th 2022.
Get 2 points if you have visited this place. Already visited by 73 VIPs.
Login to the VIP area to add places to your bucket list, mark them as visited and more importantly see where you rank on the league table.
How To Find Side Gallery
Where To Park For Side Gallery?
Lat / Long
54.968211, -1.608019
What three words
Parking is available on the Quayside behind the Guildhall. NE1 3RG
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
More Places from Sandra
More Places In Newcastle City Centre
Find more fabulous places in Newcastle City Centre, Tyne And Wear and if you know of a place we haven't listed, then let us know.

The Response
Statue Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA war memorial to the Northumberland Fusiliers sited on the grounds of St Thomas the Martyr Church at Barras Bridge, depicting the spirit and patriotic confidence that swept the nation at the outset of war in 1914.

Grainger Market
Building Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA covered market in Newcastle City centre, designed by John Dobson and opened in 1835. Once the largest covered market in the country.

Exhibition Park
Landscape Newcastle City Centre Tyne And WearA 15 hectare public park, right in the centre of Newcastle, dating from the 1880s and associated with, and named after two major exhibitions, the Royal Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 and the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition.
More Art
So this art wasn't enough and you want more? Don't worry we have you covered.

Apollo Pavilion
Art Peterlee County DurhamA Brutalist public work of art in Peterlee, designed by British Artist and Architect, Victor Pasmore.

Men Of Steel
Art Sunderland Tyne And WearFour sculptures outside the Stadium Of Light that commemorate the city's industrial past.

Morph in the North Art Trail
Art Whitley Bay Tyne And WearTwenty beautifully decorated Morph figures to find in North Tyneside.
Never Miss A Fabulous Place
If you are afraid of missing out on all the fabulous places we post, or just want to be the first to know, then sign up to the Fabulous North.
Each week we will email you all the brand new places that we visit.
Sign Up To AlertsFind Us On Facebook
We post all our new places daily on our Facebook Groups page, so join the group today and be notified when we add a new place.
Join Our Facebook GroupSide Gallery was listed in Art // Tyne And Wear // Newcastle City Centre