This is the neatest thing to see when you come into Newcastle.  The Gray’s Monument is huge and old.  It’s like a centerpiece for downtown Newcastle.  This is where the winter markets are housed and it’s a neat square to just sit and hang out (as many, many people do on a Saturday.) Earl Grey was from Northumbria so it’s fitting to put the monument on Grey Street here near the Charles Grey Pub.

Grey’s Monument is a Grade I listed monument to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey built in 1838 in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was erected to acclaim Earl Grey for the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832 and stands at the head of Grey Street. It consists of a statue of Lord Grey standing atop a 130 feet (40 m) high column. The column was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green, and the statue was created by the sculptor Edward Hodges Baily (creator of Nelson’s statue in Trafalgar Square).

The monument lends its name to Monument Metro station, a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro located directly underneath, and to the Monument Mall Shopping Centre. The surrounding area is simply known as Monument.

Other possible “E” entry was going to be Eldon Square in Newcastle, but I can’t just blog about shopping malls.  Or can I?

A to Z Blogging Challenge