Events

Every Wednesday at St Mary’s

Stop by for a drink and snack in one of Gateshead’s oldest buildings: the hidden gem that is St Mary’s Heritage Centre (Oakwellgate, Gateshead, NE8 2AU). We’ll be joined by our lovely team of heritage greeters to tell you all about this building’s fascinating history and, at 11 and 2, our experts will be running free graveyard tours!

On these tours, you’ll learn about what life was like in Gateshead in the 1600s, the oldest grave at St Mary’s, and the meaning behind memento mori headstone imagery. Being in place since at least 1300, St. Mary’s has a long history and has been part of life in Gateshead through plague and cholera outbreaks, witch trials, the Industrial Revolution and more.

As a Grade I listed building, St. Mary’s is also architecturally fascinating – with Norman fabric, later medieval building techniques and renovations made by John Dobson himself following the Great Fire of Gateshead and Newcastle in 1854!

After your tour, have a browse of our shop and second hand Book Nook – all donations go towards the Trust’s mission to breathe new life into old buildings.