[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]Newcastle upon Tyne at the heart of north east England's [PARA]Geordie country shouldn't be confused with the other Newcastle -[PARA]Newcastle-under-Lyme, a considerably smaller town 110 miles [PARA]south in Staffordshire. Nor for that matter, Newcastle in Gwent, [PARA]Shropshire, or New South Wales. No, this Newcastle is [PARA]pronounced to rhyme with 'hassle' and was home to the likes of [PARA]Gazza, Sting, and Sid the Sexist. It is most of the way up the A1,[PARA]the largest town north of Leeds and south of the Scottish border.[PARA][ITAL]It has been a victim of economic strife, but never lost its vitality, [PARA]style, spirit or pride.[EITAL] Its outer areas are arranged in eras - [ITAL]some [PARA]quite run down[EITAL], such as Byker (of 'Byker Grove' fame, but [PARA]without pubescent hip-hop no-hopers), [ITAL]some still remaining quite [PARA]attractive[EITAL], such as Jesmond. The heart of the city was Georgian,[PARA]until post-war developers decided to re-route the traffic and [PARA]introduce a few more modern buildings [ITAL]with scant success[EITAL]. [PARA]There are 2 universities in town: [ULNE]Northumbria University[EULNE] and [PARA]Newcastle University, a classic redbrick campus on a 45-acre [PARA]site in the city centre. The buildings are mainly 19th century [PARA]constructions formed into [ITAL]attractive [EITAL]blocks arranged around [PARA]paved squares, but there are also some 60s concrete additions[ITAL] [PARA]with little appeal.[EITAL][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]The social mix makes an exciting cocktail, despite the fact that [PARA]there aren't many students from ethnic minorities. To make a [PARA]Newky Uni Cocktail, take 1 local (true Geordie grit and guts type), [PARA]1 southern Sloane, 1 alternative type wearing black and 1 'agri' [PARA]student (rumoured to stand for agriculture rather than [PARA]aggravation, these are raucous beer swillers who are apt to trash[PARA]any good party) and shake well. Once shaken together, they fizz[PARA]with activity and just a little touch of radicalism, then overflow into [PARA]the town for a good time. The cost of living round here is quite [PARA]low and so students can almost afford to enjoy Newcastle's [PARA]bright lights. Haweey the ladz![EITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: [BULL] London: 255miles [BULL] Edinburgh: 94miles [BULL] [PARA]Manchester: 112miles[ESTAT][PARA]The River Tyne runs through Newcastle towards the North Sea, [PARA]just 8 miles away. The city itself is the [ITAL]fun hub[EITAL] of the Tyne and [PARA]Wear area and the shopping centre too. Among the [ITAL]monstrous [PARA]modern [EITAL]additions to the city centre are the Haymarket Metro [PARA]Station (the local station for the University) and the Eldon Square [PARA]Centre, a [ITAL]huge, ugly [EITAL]shopping mall. The trendiest areas for [PARA]shops are the markets: Green Market, Central Arcade and [PARA]Newgate Market. There are endless banks, late-night shops and [PARA]bookshops. Among the many museums and galleries, there's [PARA]the [ITAL]impressive [EITAL]Lang Art Gallery and the Side photographic [PARA]Gallery, [ITAL]where students can pick up arty posters a bit different [PARA]from James Dean or the tennis-player's bottom. [EITAL]A little bit south [PARA]is the town of Gateshead, where the vast Metro Centre is based.[PARA]It's more of a shopping town than a centre (the largest in Europe) [PARA]with expanses of shops, a 10-screen cinema, a bowling alley, [PARA]funfair, and 10 car parks, so enormous that the Centre employs [PARA]someone to help confused shoppers find their cars.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]The station's about 20mins from the city centre, or 2 by [PARA]Metro. Direct lines all over the country.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches: [EBOLD]Several coach companies, including Clipper, Blue Line [PARA]and National Express offer services to many other destinations, [PARA]for example London (ú17.50, 5:10hrs, 7/hr); Edinburgh (ú12.00, [PARA]2:45hrs, 3/hrs); Bristol (ú30.50, 6:45hrs, 1/day); Hull (ú13.00, [PARA]3:35hrs, 1/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car: [EBOLD]The A1 proper hooks round the edge of the city, but its ghost[PARA]follows a flyover that passes very close to the University. The [PARA]A69, A692, A696, A189 and A19 are all useful.[PARA][BOLD]Air: [EBOLD]Newcastle Airport, 6 miles from the centre, has many inland [PARA]and European flights.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching: [EBOLD]Good prospects from the routes out of the city, [PARA]especially on the A1.[PARA][BOLD]Local: [EBOLD]Bus routes through the city are regular, reliable and cheap.[PARA]There are 18 BR stations around the city and suburbs.[PARA][BOLD]Underground: [EBOLD][ITAL]The best underground system in the world is [PARA]Moscow's, but Newcastle's Metro comes a close second - clean,[PARA]cheap, reliable, and easy to use[EITAL]. [ITAL]It's noisy and not as extensive as[PARA]it could be, but it serves all the essential areas for students. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Taxis: [EBOLD]Cheaper than in most towns.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles: [EBOLD][ITAL]The city's hilly and full of traffic. There's nowhere to [PARA]leave bikes, and with the high theft rate, you need somewhere.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Medicine[EBOLD] 1,288[BOLD][PARA]Dentistry[EBOLD] 319[BOLD][PARA]Arts[EBOLD] 1,873[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 1,608[BOLD][PARA]Engineering[EBOLD] 1,817[BOLD][PARA]Soc Sci[EBOLD] 1,982[BOLD][PARA]Law[EBOLD] 365[BOLD][PARA]Education[EBOLD] 434[BOLD][PARA]Agri/Bio[EBOLD] 1,208[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,000,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 5,000 [BULL] Study places: 800[PARA][BULL] Computer workstations: 700[ESTAT][HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 13full [BULL] Unemployed after [PARA]6mths (1993): 8.3%[ESTAT][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Kate Adie (BBC reporter wonder woman); Rowan Atkinson [PARA](comedian, who reportedly spent 3 years in his room); Bryan [PARA]Ferry (of Roxy Music); Richard Hamilton (pop artist - as in pop art[PARA]not pop music); Debbie Horsfield (writer, 'The Riff-Raff Element');[PARA]Miriam Stoppard (TV doctor).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Extensive[EITAL] prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads. [PARA]Alternative prospectus and video available from the Union.
