Thanks to National Lottery players, one of Newcastle’s most significant historic buildings is set to reopen this month, with a festival that will celebrate the North East’s reputation for pioneering engineering achievements.
Formerly known as The Mining Institute where some of the greatest innovators in the world once gathered the building will soon open its doors following a two-year refurbishment and be renamed The Common Room after receiving a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund of £5,050,000.
Constructed between 1869 and 1872 the building provided a headquarters for The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, which addressed safety issues in mines and promoted research and learning in…