The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle Street
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle Street by Andrew Curtis as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle Street
Image: © Andrew Curtis Taken: 31 Jan 2010
The fashion for assemblies started around 1710 in England and initially provided places for cards and conversation. They were later used for public occasions, dancing, match-making and formal dining. The building was designed by William Newton 1774-76 in a Greek Classical style. It was fitted out with 7 Rococo chandeliers made of 10,000 pieces of hand-cut crystals. Charles Dickens played here on 27 August 1852 and Strauss gave a concert on 21 October 1838. Edward VII, George V and George VI have all visited the assembly rooms. There is another photo here Image In 1967 the building fell into disrepair and was proposed for demolition in 1974. However it was bought by the Michaelides family and restored to its former glory. On 31 December 1777 a young woman threw herself off the musician's gallery to her death on the ballroom floor below. Her ghost is said to haunt the building, accompanied by the rustling noise of a taffeta ball dress and the scent of lavender. Tyne and Wear HER (6981): Newcastle, Fenkle Street, Assembly Rooms http://www.twsitelines.info
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Image Location
Latitude
54.970378
Longitude
-1.617417