The Common Room

The Rock Showman presents: The Forests that changed the world... twice
2021-08-20 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
This ticket includes general admission to explore our Polymorphic Carbon Library Exhibition, Graft & Glory Exhibition, The Neville Hall LEGO® Model and The Common Room Minerals and Ores Display. In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets. Visitors may need to queue at various points in the building to ensure social distance can be maintained in exhibitions, workshops and events.
About this event
The Earth is an intimately connected multisphere of chemistry, biology, air and water, but the relationship between these realms is always changing. Join The Rock Showman & Flossy in an interactive performance lecture that walks us through the forests of 300 million years ago, and understand why too much of a good thing turned out to be quite bad. Twice. Meet the plants and animals of the Carboniferous period and reflect upon their importance to our modern world and get hands-on with treasures of the earth, as you learn how details within rocks tell scientists incredible stories.
For the full Greatest Show Un-Earthed experience, make sure you book a place on The Greatest Show Un-earthed: Workshops!
Event timings

Dates: Thursday 19th & Friday 20th August 2021
Times: 10:00-11:00 and 14:00-15:00
Booking information
Tickets are free for this performance but booking is required, as capacity is limited. Please note, adults accompanying children will also require their own ticket.
If you can no longer attend at the time you have booked, please kindly cancel your tickets so space can be freed up for another group.
Additional information
Location: Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE
Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
Guests will be allocated seats sat in bubbles.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
In line with updated government advice, all visitors over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be required to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: thecommonroom.org.uk

The Rock Showman Presents: Out of this world – planetary geology and space
2021-08-17 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
This ticket includes general admission to explore our Polymorphic Carbon Library Exhibition, Graft & Glory Exhibition, The Neville Hall LEGO® Model and The Common Room Minerals and Ores Display. In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets. Visitors may need to queue at various points in the building to ensure social distance can be maintained in exhibitions, workshops and events.
About this event
2021 has been an epic year for the science of planetary geology. From humankind’s first-ever powered flight on another planet to the spectacular recovery of 4.5 billion-year-old space rocks in Gloucestershire. Scientists are now studying both of these events to understand the formation of our solar system and reveal the holy grail of science – the beginnings of life. Join The Rock Showman & Flossy in an interactive performance lecture that reveals secrets of the Candy Floss of our solar system, explores the Pork Pie from Outer Space, and questions whether there ever was life on Mars. Audiences get hands-on with space rocks as they learn how details within rocks tell scientists incredible stories.
For the full Greatest Show Un-Earthed experience, make sure you book a place on The Greatest Show Un-earthed: Workshops!
Event timings
Dates: Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th August 2021
Times: 10:00-11:00, 14:00-15:00
Booking information
Tickets are free for this performance but booking is required, as capacity is limited. Please note, adults accompanying children will also require their own ticket.
If you can no longer attend at the time you have booked, please kindly cancel your tickets so space can be freed up for another group.
Additional information
Location: Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE
Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
Maximum of 6 tickets per block booking and audience members must be sat in their bubbles.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
In line with updated government advice, all visitors over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be required to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: thecommonroom.org.uk

Family-Friendly STEAM Day - My Carbon Capsule Origami
2021-08-11 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
This ticket includes general admission to explore our Polymorphic Carbon Library Exhibition, Graft & Glory Exhibition, The Neville Hall LEGO® Model and The Common Room Minerals and Ores Display. In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets.
Event Details
What will life look like in 2100? Will we all drive electric or hydrogen cars? How will we heat our homes and charge our phones? How would you like your relationship with carbon to be in the future?
Join us in our Polymorphic Carbon Library at The Common Room, and explore these questions and more. Learn about the ways carbon has impacted and intersected with our lives.
Then, capture your own thoughts and your own promise for what your relationship with carbon will look like in the future, through origami. You will be guided through a special carbon-themed origami piece – your Carbon Capsule – and invited to add your piece to our archive in the Polymorphic Carbon Library. Of course, you can take it home if you like!
Get creative – decorate your Carbon Capsule however you like. You will also have the opportunity to explore other people’s Carbon Capsules in the archive, to inspire your own.
This informal session is suitable for all ages – our staff and volunteers cater the content around you and your group.
No prior experience with origami is required.
Make sure you book for our LEGO® Mini Model Workshop too, running on the same day!
Event Timings:
Wednesday 11th August 2021
10:15am – 11am
11:15am – 12pm
12:15pm – 1pm
2pm – 2:45pm
3pm – 3:45pm

Booking information
Tickets are free for this session but booking is required, as capacity is limited to two bubbles per session. Please note, adults accompanying children will also require their own ticket. In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets.

Additional information
Location: Wood Hall, The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE
Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
In line with updated government advice, all visitors over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be required to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: www.thecommonroom.org.uk

Industry Takeover Day with Equinor and FWS Consultants
2021-08-05 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Try chocolate core samples, do your own rock strength tests and more, as Equinor and FWS Consultants join us at our first Industry Takeover Day of the summer!

About this event

Come face to face with professionals working in the energy, mining and geotechnical sectors, get to grips with some of the work geologists do in our region today, and discover the Dogger Bank project – set to be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, located just off our North East coast (delivered by Equinor, in partnership with SSE Renewables and Eni)!

Activities on the day include:

Chocolate core samples
Word search
Rock strength tests
Soil and rock samples and artefacts to view

Event Timings
Thursday 5th August
Morning ticket provides access to The Common Room from 10am – 1pm
Afternoon ticket provides access to The Common Room from 1pm – 4pm

Booking information
These tickets are free but booking is required as capacity is limited. Please note, adults accompanying children will also require their own ticket. Industry Takeover Day tickets include general admission, so we invite you to take a stroll around the rest of our building to see our other attractions!

Additional information
Location: The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE
Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
In line with updated government advice, all visitors over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be required to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: thecommonroom.org.uk

Image credits: Dogger Bank O&M Base – Credit Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Service Operation Vessels – Credit North Star Renewables, GE Wind Turbine – Credit GE Renewable Energy

Steve Mayes Presents: Life as a LEGO® architect (Live Stream)
2021-07-31 14:00 - 15:00
Join LEGO® architect, Steve Mayes’ live stream, as he tells us all about engineering some of the most famous landmarks in the north east.
About this event
Join us via live stream and hear from North East LEGO® artist Steve Mayes about his career to date working on ‘engineering’ some of the region’s most iconic landmarks such as Stephenson’s Rocket, Tyne and Wear Metro, Bowes Museum and the Angel of The North.
An email with the link to access this live stream will be sent to you a couple of hours prior to the event start time – please make sure you check your email inbox (and spam/junk folder).
About Steve
Steve Mayes’s company ‘Brick This’ specialises in bespoke architectural models made of LEGO®. Over the past few years Steve has worked with a range of clients including English Heritage, The Alnwick Garden, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Bowes Museum, Tyne and Wear Metro and the Newcastle United Foundation. Steve prides himself on building highly accurate models that are used by clients to attract visitors or to raise awareness of projects. At The Common Room, you can visit Steve’s LEGO® brick model of our building, Neville Hall, with over 30,000 bricks going into the scale model.
Event timings

Dates: Saturday 31st July
Times: 14:00-15:00

Booking information
Tickets are free for this live stream but booking is required.
Additional information
If you have any further queries about this event, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk

Steve Mayes Presents: Life as a LEGO® architect
2021-07-31 14:00 - 15:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
This ticket includes general admission to explore our Polymorphic Carbon Library Exhibition, Graft & Glory Exhibition, The Neville Hall LEGO® Model and The Common Room Minerals and Ores Display. In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets. Visitors may need to queue at various points in the building to ensure social distance can be maintained in exhibitions, workshops and events.
About this event
Hear from North East LEGO® artist Steve Mayes about his career to date working on ‘engineering’ some of the region’s most iconic landmarks such as Stephenson’s Rocket, Tyne and Wear Metro, Bowes Museum and the Angel of The North.
About Steve Mayes

Steve Mayes’s company ‘Brick This’ specialises in bespoke architectural models made of LEGO. Over the past few years Steve has worked with a range of clients including English Heritage, The Alnwick Garden, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Bowes Museum, Tyne and Wear Metro and the Newcastle United Foundation. Steve prides himself on building highly accurate models that are used by clients to attract visitors or to raise awareness of projects. At The Common Room, you can visit Steve’s LEGO® brick model of our building, Neville Hall, with over 30,000 bricks going into the scale model.
Booking information
Tickets are free for this event but booking is required, as capacity is limited. Please note, adults accompanying children will also require their own ticket.
Additional information
Location: Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE
Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
Guests will be allocated seats sat in bubbles.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
In line with updated government advice, all visitors over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be required to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: thecommonroom.org.uk

LEGO® Mini Model Workshop with artist, Steve Mayes
2021-07-30 10:00 - 16:00 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
This ticket includes general admission to explore our Polymorphic Carbon Library Exhibition, Graft & Glory Exhibition, The Neville Hall LEGO® Model and The Common Room Minerals and Ores Display. In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets. Visitors may need to queue at various points in the building to ensure social distance can be maintained in exhibitions, workshops and events.
About this event
Join LEGO® artist, Steve Mayes, and build your very own LEGO® model of one of the North East’s greatest engineering feats. The mini models you will have the opportunity to build include:
– Safety Lamp
– Electric Car
– Swing Bridge
– Stephenson’s Rocket
– Wind Turbine
Event timings
Date: Friday 30th July 2021
Workshop times:
Workshop 1: 10:00 – 11:00
Workshop 2: 11:30 – 12:30
Workshop 3: 13:30 – 14:30
Workshop 4: 15:00 – 16:00
This workshop ticket will also enable access to all of our exhibitions as part of our Opening Festival celebrations.
Booking information
Tickets are free for these workshops but booking is required, as capacity is capped at 30 people per workshop. Please note, adults accompanying children will also require their own ticket.
About Steve Mayes

Steve Mayes’s company ‘Brick This’ specialises in bespoke architectural models made of LEGO. Over the past few years Steve has worked with a range of clients including English Heritage, The Alnwick Garden, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Bowes Museum, Tyne and Wear Metro and the Newcastle United Foundation. Steve prides himself on building highly accurate models that are used by clients to attract visitors or to raise awareness of projects. At The Common Room, you can visit Steve’s LEGO® brick model of our building, Neville Hall, with over 30,000 bricks going into the scale model.
Additional information
Location: Map Room, First Floor, The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE
Children must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
In line with updated government advice, all visitors over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be required to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice 2m social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: thecommonroom.org.uk

The First Tanfield Railway - Book Launch and Talk with Les Turnbull (Live Stream)
2021-07-29 18:00 - 19:30
Join Les Turnbull live from The Common Room to celebrate the launch of his latest publication, ‘The First Tanfield Railway’
About this event

An email with the link to access this live stream will be sent to you a couple of hours prior to the event start time – please make sure you check your email inbox (and spam/junk folder).
About ‘The First Tanfield Railway’
The Tanfield Railway is one of the treasured heritage railways of the North East. This book is about its predecessor, the wooden railway which carried coal to Dunston largely for shipment to London and the South East of England. The line was opened in 1725 and is famous for its huge engineering works notably the Causey Arch and the great embankments across Causey Dene and Burdon Dene which attracted visitors from elsewhere in Britain and from overseas. Built 100 years before George Stephenson’s railways, it is a reminder of the extensive network of railway which served the Great Northern Coalfield, long before Stephenson began his career.
The book examines the nature of the coal trade from Newcastle and the important role that railways played in this industry. It considers the forerunners of the Tanfield Railway, the many waggonways which were built in the century before the Tanfield line opened to traffic. The anatomy of the waggonways, both on the surface and underground, is described in detail. This is essential reading for all who are interested in the origins of our railway, and it is worth remembering that the standard gauge of today’s high speed lines throughout the world was determined by the colliery waggonways of the Great Northern Coalfield.
About Les Turnbull
Les Turnbull graduated in history from Durham University and after a career in the education service now works as a volunteer in the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineering. He is acknowledged as an expert on the Great Northern Coalfield, which was the cradle of the railway, and has written several books on the subject. His recent publication, ‘The Railway Revolution’, has been described by the reviewer from the Stephenson Locomotive Society as ‘a must-buy purchase for any historian interested in either early railways or the industrial North East’. There is no doubt that his latest publication in the Early Railways series of the Mining Institute will have a similar reception.
Event timings

Live stream and talk begins at 6:00pm
Q&A from 7:00pm
Event close at 7:15pm

Additional information
Tickets for this event are free, but booking is required.
If you have any further queries, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk

The First Tanfield Railway - Book Launch and Talk with Les Turnbull
2021-07-29 18:00 - 19:15 | The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE, United Kingdom
Join Les Turnbull to celebrate the launch of his latest publication, ‘The First Tanfield Railway.’ In line with our Covid Safety Statement, if you intend to visit as part of a group, please ensure one person in your party books all tickets.

About this event

Join Les Turnbull at The Common Room for a special talk about his latest publication, ‘The First Tanfield Railway’.
Location: Lecture Theatre, The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 1SE
The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Face masks should be worn by adults at all times unless medically except and visitors should practice 2-metre social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit our home page: thecommonroom.org.uk

Event timings

– Arrive from 5:30pm
– Talk begins at 6:00pm
– Q&A from 7:00pm
– Event close at 7:15pm

About ‘The First Tanfield Railway’
The Tanfield Railway is one of the treasured heritage railways of the North East. This book is about its predecessor, the wooden railway which carried coal to Dunston largely for shipment to London and the South East of England. The line was opened in 1725 and is famous for its huge engineering works notably the Causey Arch and the great embankments across Causey Dene and Burdon Dene which attracted visitors from elsewhere in Britain and from overseas. Built 100 years before George Stephenson’s railways, it is a reminder of the extensive network of railway which served the Great Northern Coalfield, long before Stephenson began his career.
The book examines the nature of the coal trade from Newcastle and the important role that railways played in this industry. It considers the forerunners of the Tanfield Railway, the many waggonways which were built in the century before the Tanfield line opened to traffic. The anatomy of the waggonways, both on the surface and underground, is described in detail. This is essential reading for all who are interested in the origins of our railway, and it is worth remembering that the standard gauge of today’s high speed lines throughout the world was determined by the colliery waggonways of the Great Northern Coalfield.
About Les Turnbull
Les Turnbull graduated in history from Durham University and after a career in the education service now works as a volunteer in the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineering. He is acknowledged as an expert on the Great Northern Coalfield, which was the cradle of the railway, and has written several books on the subject. His recent publication, ‘The Railway Revolution’, has been described by the reviewer from the Stephenson Locomotive Society as ‘a must-buy purchase for any historian interested in either early railways or the industrial North East’. There is no doubt that his latest publication in the Early Railways series of the Mining Institue will have a similar reception.
Additional event information

Tickets for this event are free, but booking is required.
Our building is fully accessible – if you have any queries about accessibility, please contact lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk
Guests will be allocated seats sat in bubbles.
All guests over the age of 16 will be asked to scan the NHS QR code or provide their name and contact details on arrival at The Common Room. Smartphone users can download the NHS COVID-19 app before arrival.
Children attending the event must be supervised at all times.
