Journey 3
Celia Fiennes
Newcastle
Was Newcastle the answer Celia was after?
At the close of the 17th century, Newcastle was one of the great English cities, and getting richer by the day.
Coal was bringing prosperity, and with it came the kinds of pastimes and qualities Fiennes most admired.
She visited an anatomy school, typical of the medical breakthroughs of the age, and describes it with astonishing matter-of-factness. She also visits an alms-house for widows, where they were better looked after than ever before.
Nick finds the same building still standing, albeit surrounded by today’s overpasses and tower blocks. Brand new in Celia’s day, it was evidence of growing wealth among the middle-classes, and proof to her that the civilising influences of modern culture had reached the far north of England.