This plaque commemorates Charles Avison, a notable composer born in 1709, and acknowledges the historical significance of the Assembly House itself. Avison held his initial public subscription concert within this building in 1735, a pivotal event in his musical career. The Assembly House also holds the distinction of being the first Assembly Rooms established in Newcastle, serving the community between 1716 and 1736. The plaque thus recognises both a significant local cultural figure and an important civic venue in the city's history.

The memorial dates from an era when urban centres like Newcastle were developing dedicated spaces for social gatherings and cultural events. Assembly Rooms, such as the one at Westgate Street, were central to the civic and entertainment life of towns in the 18th century, providing venues for concerts, balls, and other public assemblies. This tradition of public gathering places contributed to the cultural landscape, supporting the work of local artists and musicians like Charles Avison, whose early concert played a part in this burgeoning public sphere. The establishment of such venues marked a period of increasing sophistication in urban social life.

The plaque can be found at the Assembly House on Westgate Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. Visitors today will find it affixed to the building's exterior, offering a historical point of interest in the city centre. The location is easily accessible, allowing those interested in local history and classical music to view the tribute to Charles Avison and the former Assembly Rooms.

The Tyne and Wear Metro is a light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland (together forming Tyne and Wear). The owners Nexus have described it as "Britain's first light rapid transit system". The system is owned and operated by Nexus. The Metro was originally conceived during the early 1970s, incorporating much of the infrastructure formerly used by the Tyneside Electrics suburban network, with some elements dating back as far as 1834. Construction work began in 1974, the majority of this activity being centred on the building of new tunnels and bridges that linked with several preexisting railway lines that were converted. In parallel, a purpose-built fleet of Metrocars was procured. The first section of the Tyne and Wear Metro was opened during August 1980, and construction of the original network was completed in March 1984. Early on, Metro operations were integrated with local bus services, although this practice ended with the deregulation of the buses during the mid-1980s. Multiple extensions to the original network were promptly worked upon; the first of these, from Bank Foot to Newcastle Airport, was opened during November 1991. A second extension, from Pelaw to South Hylton via Sunderland, was completed in March 2002.

Assembly House, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Nearby locations in Newcastle upon Tyne