
Tthe Theatre Royal at the top of Grey Street
'Grey Street' is a street in
Newcastle upon Tyne. It is renowned for its
Georgian architecture by
John Dobson, and was in 2002 voted 'Best street in the UK' by
BBC Radio 4 listeners.
The street runs South from
Grey's Monument; after the junction with Mosley Street it continues as Dean Street. Like Dean Street it follows the route of the Lorke or
Lort Burn, which formerly flowed into the Tyne but is now underground, and so curves slowly to the East as well as descending towards the river.
Sir John Betjeman said of it:
''As for the curve of Grey Street, I shall never forget seeing it to perfection, traffic-less on a misty Sunday morning. Not even Regent Street, even old Regent Street London, can compare with that descending subtle curve.''
Grey Street was built by John Dobson and
Richard Grainger in the 1830s; Dean Street had been constructed earlier, in 1749. Grey Street houses the
Theatre Royal and entrances to
Monument Metro station and the
Central Arcade.