page_title: Newcastle upon Tyne
section_title: Literature and libraries
hierarchical_section_title: Newcastle upon Tyne / Culture / Literature and libraries
caption_attribution_description: English: Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne Wikidata has entry Q6647654 with data related to this item.This is a photo of listed building number 1121954.
context_page_description: Newcastle upon Tyne, often shortened to simply Newcastle, is a city in Tyne and Wear, England. Located on the northern bank of the River Tyne, it is 8.5 mi from the North Sea. Newcastle is the most populous city in North East England and forms the core of the Tyneside conurbation, the eighth most populous urban area in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the UK Core Cities Group, as well as the Eurocities network of European cities. It was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it became a county of itself, a status it retained until becoming part of Tyne and Wear in 1974.
  The regional nickname and dialect for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie. Newcastle has two universities: Newcastle University, a member of the Russell Group, and Northumbria University. It is a member of the North of Tyne Combined Authority. The city developed around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son Robert Curthose. In the 14th century, the city grew as an important centre for the wool trade and later became a major coal mining area.
context_section_description: Newcastle has a strong reputation as a poetry centre. The Morden Tower, run by poet Tom Pickard, is a major venue for poetry readings in the North East, being the place where Basil Bunting gave the first reading of Briggflatts in 1965.
  The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne (popularly known as the 'Lit & Phil') is the largest independent library outside London, housing more than 150,000 books. Its music library contains 8,000 CDs and 10,000 LPs. The current Lit and Phil premises were built in 1825 and the building was designed by John and Benjamin Green. Operating since 1793 and founded as a 'conversation club,' its lecture theatre was the first public building to be lit by electric light, during a lecture by Joseph Swan on 20 October 1880.
  The old City library designed by Basil Spence, was demolished in 2006 and replaced. The new building opened on 21 June 2009 and was named after 18th century composer Charles Avison; the building was opened by Dr Herbert Loebl.
  Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books, opened in 2005 in the Ouseburn Valley.
caption: Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne
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