The Common Room Heritage Tours with past presidents of the Mining Institute

Join us FREE for our Game Changers summer anniversary festival, to celebrate 170 years of the Mining Institute, and 150 years of our building – the Institute’s home since 1872.

About The Common Room Heritage Tours with past presidents of the Mining Institute

Experience a unique tour of The Common Room which has been home to The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers since 1872; a membership organisation affiliated with some of the 19th century's most eminent engineers.

These hour-long tours will be led by an actual past or current president of the Institute, William Hogarth Bell or Steve Martin. Inside the building lies centuries of history relating to the Great Northern Coalfield, full of tales of engineering excellence and innovation. This is your chance to discover this heritage from the perspective of a president.

Tickets are free, however we recommend a voluntary donation of £5.00 per booking. The Common Room is a charity - the work we do to preserve our building and archive's rich heritage and to inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers would not be possible without your kind donations and the support of our funders.

Date

Saturday 16th July 2022

Tour times

10:00-11:00 – led by Steve Martin, current President

11:30-12:30 – led by Steve Martin, current President

13:00-14:00 – led by William ‘Bill’ Hogarth Bell, past President

14:30-15:30 – led by William ‘Bill’ Hogarth Bell, past President

Booking information

Each person attending, including children, must have their own ticket.

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.

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.

About our Game Changers anniversary festival

The Common Room is hosting a free anniversary festival throughout the summer, celebrating the North East’s mining and engineering past, present and future innovations. The festival, called ‘Game Changers’, is delivered in partnership with the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (known to many as the Mining Institute) and will offer something for everyone, from live music, family science shows and workshops, to an exhibition and unique building tours.

The festival marks 170 years of the Mining Institute and 150 years of The Common Room building, which has been the home of the Institute and some of the region’s most pioneering minds – or ‘Game Changers’ – throughout the years, including engineers Robert Stephenson, Lord Armstrong and Nicholas Wood.

Our headline exhibition and festival’s namesake, ‘Game Changers’, will be open to the public between Saturday 16th July to mid-September on select dates - if you are joining us for an event this summer, the exhibition will be open that day. Book a general admission ticket to find out what other dates the exhibition is open this month. The exhibition will uncover the major individuals, inventions and innovations tied to the Institute throughout its now 170-year lifespan, and will also look to the future of innovation in the North East.

The Game Changers anniversary festival has been made possible thanks to National Lottery Players, via funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

To find out more, click here.

Additional information

Location: The Common Room, Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1SE

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 [email protected]

The Common Room is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risk to the public regarding COVID-19. Visitors will be encouraged to wear a face-covering (unless they have a medical exemption) and to practice social distancing. For further information on our COVID-19 protocol please visit https://thecommonroom.org.uk/about-the-common-room/

About The Common Room

The Common Room is a charity formed in 2017 to restore the Grade II* listed Neville Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne (home to The Mining Institute since 1872), and its significant archive and collections documenting centuries of engineering, mining and wider scientific innovation.

Thanks to National Lottery players, an £8.9m grant has enabled us to spend over £7 million restoring the building, and around £2m to support our running costs, preserve our collections, and to drive our mission: to use our unique heritage to inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers.

Complete with its own cafe bar, 5|Quarter, The Common Room is also available for hire for private events, including conferences, lectures, weddings and gigs.

Find out more at thecommonroom.org.uk

Host or Publisher The Common Room