Special Heritage Tours (Heritage Open Days event)

Experience a special tour of The Common Room building, including a peek into the Arbitration Room – a historic space usually not available for public view.

The Common Room is a venue and charity located in Newcastle upon Tyne. Built between 1869-1872, our building has been home to the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (or ‘The Mining Institute’) ever since. Some of the region’s greatest pioneering minds like Robert Stephenson, Lord Armstrong and Nicholas Wood met here to invent, innovate and campaign for improved safety in the mines, to protect miners, and advise mine owners.

Inside the building lies centuries of history relating to the Great Northern Coalfield, full of tales of engineering excellence and innovation. Our archive and collections span centuries of engineering, geological, mining and wider scientific history, starting from the Industrial Revolution.

Dates

Saturday 10th and Saturday 17th September 2022

Tour times

10:00am – 11:00am

11:00am – 12:00pm

1:00pm – 2:00pm

2:00pm – 3:00pm

3:00pm – 4:00pm

Booking information

*Everyone in your party must have their own tour ticket, booked in advance of the tour.*

Tickets are free, but if you would like to make a small donation to support the charitable work of The Common Room, it would be hugely appreciated. We suggest a donation of £5.00 per booking.

If you can no longer attend your slot, we kindly ask that you cancel your ticket so someone else may take your place, as demand is very high. Donations can be refunded upon request if you need to cancel your ticket.

Additional information

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

The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Attendees will be encouraged to wear a face covering (unless they have a medical exemption) where possible. We would appreciate it if attendees could complete a lateral flow test prior to attending, and we kindly ask you do not attend if you have had a positive test result for COVID-19, or are experiencing symptoms. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please email lucy.stockdale@thecommonroom.org.uk