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