The CastleGate
An awesome place to meet.
The building that City Church owns and meets in is called the CastleGate. It is a truly awesome place with an awesome history.
Originally called Manors Power Station, the building opened in 1903 to house the offices and power generating machinery for the tram network of Newcastle and Gateshead. The enormous Turbine Hall featured a massive 50 tonne overhead crane, which is still in place to this day. Although the transport network eventually ceased to be powered by electricity, the Power Station continued to be used by the City Transport Department. The turbines were scrapped and the Turbine Hall used as an indoor car park. When the Metro system was being constructed, a full size mock-up station was built in the hall for training purposes. Ownership of the building eventually passed to Stagecoach, who used it as their regional headquarters.
The CastleGate and City Church City Church began when two churches came together in 1994. The vision for City Church is to serve all areas of the city; hence the chosen name. A city centre venue was sought after for the church as it would reflect the church’s vision.
Led by GodThen one of the trustees had a dream. In his dream he saw a large building, which he recognised as the Manors Power Station. Interestingly, the area served by the original power station corresponds exactly to the neighbourhoods served by the church. The owners, ‘Stagecoach’ were called and asked if they had ever thought of selling the building…their reply was “yes”! They invited the church to discuss the possibility of buying it privately. The discussions went well and the offer was accepted. An architectural master-plan was drawn up and the first phase of renovations enabled the church to begin meeting in the new venue in October 1997.
In thinking of a new name for the building the church were stirred about Newcastle and Gateshead being more joined together as indeed the trams had connected them. The building was named from the coming together of Newcastle and Gateshead. The CastleGate was born.The Growth Challenge!
The main auditorium, known as the ‘Turbine Hall’, has been transformed from the indoor car park into a meeting hall capable of holding 550 people. The next phase of the CastleGate story is to create a 1,000-seat auditorium by building an upper floor in the Turbine Hall and have further space for community facilities on the Ground Floor.
Serving the CityAlongside the CastleGate being a home for the church, it is also a venue for training, performance and conferences for use by organisations within the city. More and more groups are enjoying the CastleGate including the RSC, the BBC and Northumbria University. For more information visit the CastleGate website.
As the Church continues to grow, the CastleGate will continue to be a vital resource for Church and City alike.
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