Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne

Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne

Town Moor

 The Town Moor shown within Tyne and Wear

Type Public park
Location Newcastle upon Tyne
Nearest city Newcastle upon Tyne
OS grid NZ235664
Coordinates 54°59′31″N 1°37′59″W / 54.992°N 1.633°W / 54.992; -1.633Coordinates: 54°59′31″N 1°37′59″W / 54.992°N 1.633°W / 54.992; -1.633
Area 1,000 acres (404.7 ha)
Created 12th century
Open 24 hours
Camp sites No
Hiking trails No


The Town Moor is a large area of common land in Newcastle upon Tyne. It covers an area of around 1000 acres or 400ha,[1] and is larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined, and also larger than New York City's Central Park (843 acres). It stretches from the city centre and Spital Tongues in the south out to Cowgate/Kenton Bar to the west, and from Gosforth to the north and Jesmond to the east.

At the south-eastern corner lies the Exhibition Park, but the rest of the Town Moor is not laid out as a park and is mostly treeless. Freemen of the city have the right to graze cattle on the moors, the rental income is distributed through the Town Moor Money Charity.[2]

The ornithologist and landscape architect John Hancock, after whom the nearby Hancock Museum is named, produced a planned layout for the Town Moor in 1868, which was only partly realised.

In 1873 a political demonstration in favour of full male suffrage took place on the moor which attracted 200,000 people, the largest recorded mass gathering to have taken place there.[3]

The Hoppings, said to be Europe's largest travelling fun fair, is held on the Town Moor during the last week in June.

The area of common land is actually split up into two sections, of which the Town Moor is but the major part. The area is intersected by the A189 road and the section on the other side of the road is known as Nuns Moor, and includes the Newcastle United Golf Club.

The moor has recently had a pathway re-laid with more street lighting and CCTV.

The Town Moor is mentioned in the Maxïmo Park song The Undercurrents.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Newcastle City Council, Town Moor History and General Information Retrieved 2016-09-29
  2. ↑ The Freemen of Newcastle Retrieved 2009-10-25
  3. ↑ http://www.thenorthumbrian.co.uk/140/book-reviews.html?review_id=219
  4. ↑ Maxïmo Park The Undercurrents lyrics Retrieved 2014-02-22
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