Why Newcastle's Grainger Market is the 'best in the world' as £9m revamp unveiled

A huge revamp of the 190-year-old city centre institution is being unveiled this morning, with shoppers and traders finally able to celebrate the completion of major refurbishment works.

The overhaul of the market has included the installation of new flooring, toilets, seats, signage, and doors.

But the most dramatic change is a radical redesign of the market arcade, turning it into a more open space capable of cultural events.

Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she believed the market can retain the traditional qualities that have made it an essential part of life for generations of Geordies, while also morphing into a modern day attraction.

She said: “They have managed to retain the heart of the market, that we know people are really keen to preserve and our residents use every day, but building on it so that it is also fit for the future and it becomes resilient because we can use it for lots of different things.

“I think having an event space there really opens it up so that we can use it in lots of different ways. Lots of different people can come into the market for lots of different reasons, and hopefully once they have seen it they will come back for the retail and food offer that is there as well.”

While the Grainger Market still offers an array of traditional stalls, like grocers, butchers and fishmongers, it has grown into a foodie haven over recent years.

And the £9 million redesign could now see it used to stage gigs, plays, fashion shows, and other events aimed at attracting new visitors to the historic city centre location.

Asked if Newcastle could truly compete with the likes of Barcelona and Lisbon as some of Europe’s top market destinations, Coun Kilgour said: “Why not? Newcastle is the best city in the world and we have the best market in the world. It was voted Britain’s favourite market in 2020 and that was before we have made all of these amazing upgrades.

“I see no reason why it cannot be a huge attraction to the city.”

The Labour councillor says the Grainger Market was a “lifeline” to her and many others during the Covid pandemic, as a source of fruit, veg, and other essentials, as well as being an ideal spot to pick up “quirky” one-off purchases and gifts.

She admits to still getting lost in its alleys, though, something that bosses hope to have addressed with new signage and wayfinding markers that should also make the market more obvious to people walking past too.

The latest redevelopment of the market has been years in the making, with cash having been awarded for it from the Levelling Up Fund in 2021.

It had been hoped that the works would be completed last summer, but the complexities of working inside the Grade I listed building saw it delayed into 2026.

Traders and shoppers have endured plenty of disruption over recent years, following the previous restoration of the market’s barrelled glass roof which was completed in 2023 after a series of delays.

Coun Kilgour hopes that today can mark the start of a brighter era.

She said: “The first thing to do is to thank the traders and the people who use the market for their patience, tolerance, and for working with us. It is not easy to work during building works and scaffolding and all those things, but hopefully they will see the benefit because they will have an enhanced workspace.

“The market will be a real destination, more so than it was before. We have made it, hopefully, a better place to work just through things like putting the doors on so that it is not freezing cold in the winter. So there are things they will see as enhancing their working day, as well as encouraging more people to come in and use the market.”