Convinced that no blog about Newcastle would be complete without a mention of Grey’s Monument, I have been trying to work out how to incorporate it for a while. What I really wanted to do was to climb it. Once a month from April to September you can buy tickets to climb up its 164 steps in order to enjoy what I assume are some pretty spectacular views. I have wanted to do this for ages – my friend Jen did it last year and her photos were fantastic. I don’t really know where I went wrong though because I kept checking the website in order to buy tickets and it seemed to go from the tickets not yet being on sale to every ticket being sold out incredibly quickly.
Disappointed not to be able to climb Grey’s Monument, I was nonetheless still determined to involve it and I remembered that some time ago I met my mum there and we just sat on its steps in the sun, people watched and ate some lunch (a Boots Meal Deal if you are wondering – classic) and it was just a really lovely way to pass some time.
Last Monday I had to head in to town to buy some work clothes (my freedom is very nearly at an end!) and as it was a beautiful, sunny day, I figured this was a good enough chance as any to spend some time by Grey’s Monument.
I may be completely wrong in thinking this, but I am assuming that most people who haven’t visited Newcastle will have no idea what Grey’s Monument is. All pictures of Newcastle tend to either focus on the Quayside with its famous bridges or, you know, on absolutely mortal people stumbling around the Bigg Market. If you live in or around Newcastle though, or even if you’ve literally visited it just once, you will know Grey’s Monument. Situated in the heart of Newcastle’s city centre, it is the chosen location for various markets, protests, performances and more. To me and many others though, it is first and foremost a meeting place with “Meet at Monument” arguably being my most frequently used sentence when making plans in Newcastle.
Sadly, on Monday I had nobody to meet and so I had to settle for my own company. Eating on your own, especially in such a public place can feel a little awkward, but I was determined to do it. I headed to Nudo and bought myself a nice big box of chicken, dumplings and noodles, and then made my way to the Monument. Of course, once there, I realised that there were dozens of other people doing exactly what I was doing and that nobody had any interest in me whatsoever and so I took out my kindle and spent a happy half hour or so, eating, reading and watching the world go by. I was even given a free Oreo Milkshake sample from Byron Burger. Smashing stuff.
As I sat there though I began to think I should really try to learn a little more about the man behind the Monument – Earl Grey himself. He is obviously quite a big deal.. he has tea named after him, but I know next to nothing about the chap. Neil’s parents once asked me about him when they visited and I was a little embarrassed at my lack of knowledge – the plaque on the Monument doesn’t really help that much either – it is very wordy and somehow quite difficult to get your head around.
Luckily, in this day and age, information is only ever a few seconds away and so after a short time browsing the internet I soon learned that Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey, was a wonderful man. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom between 1830 to 1834, he was a member of the Whig Party and, during his time in power, oversaw the Reform Act of 1832, which set in motion another 130 years of parliamentary reform, leading eventually to the rights of all men and women over the ages of 18 to vote. Charles Grey was also responsible for restrictions on child labour and for the abolition of slavery across all of the British Empire in 1833. The tea legacy apparently came about after he was given a gift of tea flavoured with bergamot oil and he liked it so much that he asked British tea merchants to make their own version.
I also did some research on the Monument itself and learned that Grey’s Monument was erected in 1838. Its 40 metre high column was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green and the original statue of Charles Grey, which stands on top of the column, was created by Edward Hodges Bailey – the same man who created the sculpture of Nelson in Trafalgar Square. I make a point of saying the original statue, because the head of that statue was actually knocked off after being struck by lightning in July 1941. It wasn’t replaced until 1947 when sculptor Roger Hedley created a new head, based upon fragments from the old one.
When I realised just how much Charles Grey had done for our country I was a little ashamed of how little I had known about him. It made me realise just how easy it is to see things on a regular basis and yet never really take them in. I think the best thing that has come out of my writing this blog is that it has encouraged me to be more curious, to take more notice of my surroundings and to actually make an effort to learn more about the places and things I so frequently see.
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