5|Quarter café bar has opened within The Common Room on Westgate Road – a building which was formerly known as the Mining Institute and which has recently opened its doors after a two-year refurbishment.
Liz Mayes, Chief Executive of The Common Room, explains: “5 Quarter is packed with features that give clues as to the story of The Common Room, which was originally built in the 1800s as the headquarters of The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers.
“So as you look around, you’ll spot golden pineapple chandeliers inspired by those which once hung in The Wood Hall and beer mats featuring one of the Northern coalfields, and you will be walking in the footsteps of some of our region’s engineering greats, who spearheaded innovations that changed the world. We’re proud of our region’s heritage and wanted to create a space that showcases that – as well as offering a fabulous array of food and drinks!”
5|Quarter takes its name from a seam of coal which was worked by miners in North East pits and it is located on the ground floor of The Common Room, just moments away from Newcastle Central station.
Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, PJ Pearcy, who has previously won numerous cocktail competitions including two North East Bartender Awards and also a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution to the North East LGBT Community, said: “Joining this inclusive team means the world to me and new ventures are always so exciting. To see 5|Quarter grow into the vision we had at the planning stages in such a short space of time makes you proud of the team’s achievements.”
Opening in time for breakfast and staying open until late, 5|Quarter offers a range of beers, wines and cocktails inspired by the North East’s mining heritage – including the specially-created Graft and Glory cocktail, which celebrates the pioneering engineers that invented, innovated and campaigned to make mining safer, from the very building you can step inside today. Food options such as sharing boards and tapas will be developed over the summer and an outside terrace is coming soon.
As well as 5|Quarter, spaces within The Common Room include the spectacular Victorian Wood Hall with magnificent vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows, which is available to hire for weddings and events, and the Edwardian Lecture Theatre, built to deliver ground-breaking lectures on engineering in the 19th century and now offering the perfect setting for presentation.
5|Quarter is open from 8.30am until late, Monday to Friday, and from 10am until late on Saturdays.
Find 5 Quarter on Facebook and Instagram as ‘5 Quarter Café Bar’, and on Twitter at @5QuarterBar.
The Common Room of the Great North was established in 2017 to manage the redevelopment and refurbishment of the former Mining Institute building following an award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund of £4.1m towards the initial project costs of £7.1m. Further funding to reflect the project costs due to the pandemic have seen a grant increase of £950,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £440,000 from other sources. The revised project costs due to covid-19 now stand at £8.9m of which c£1.2m is left to raise.
The Common Room, Neville Hall, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Find The Common Room on social media at:
Twitter: @thecommonroomgn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCommonRoomGN
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecommonroomgn
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-common-room-of-the-great-north
