Newcastle is full of architectural beauties, and you usually don’t have to wander far to find them. Central Arcade – less than a minute away from Monument Metro and right next to Grey’s Monument – is one such delight.

Home to an array of boutiques as well as chains such as Space NK, Starbucks and Scribbler, it also boasts one of Newcastle’s oldest music shops, Windows (JG Windows, to give it its full name, by which no one ever calls it). It’s been there over 100 years! I remember it well from my youth – the shop where every boy you crushed on bought his first guitar – so I found myself oddly pleased to see such an institution still going strong. Do visit, if you are in town.