Why a Quiet Student Life in Newcastle-under-Lyme Could be for You
Students at the University of Staffordshire and Keele University have plenty of choices in the Potteries for nice places to live. If you are searching for a slightly quieter pace of life, in a pretty market town but a place that still has loads going on, Newcastle-under-Lyme is a great choice for your university years. This guide will look at a few of the reasons why a quiet student time awaits you in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and how it provides you with the perfect base to live a fruitful time.
A Market Town with Tradition and History
There is history and great architecture around every corner in Newcastle-under-Lyme. This makes it a town that is incredibly pleasant to walk around. Whether you’re out for a wander round the shops or just to blow the cobwebs away, you have the freedom to walk around in peace in this beautiful and historic market town. This includes The Stones, a traditional market that has operated on the High Street since 1173, home to over 80 stalls selling antiques, arts and crafts, and more, six days a week. There was even a cattle market still active here until the early 1990s! Imagine the stink as you’d walk to university then!? Other highlights include the Guild Hall, a Grade II listed building that first opened in 1713, a beautiful sight to behold in town.
A Green Space
Newcastle-under-Lyme has always prided itself on being a luscious, green space, with pretty flowers and plants, gardens, and walking spaces in the town and around the outskirts. For those looking for a calm, peaceful, and pleasant place to live, it certainly ticks all those boxes. In fact, Britain in Bloom (a competition run by the Royal Horticultural Society) has awarded Newcastle-under-Lyme an award as a national winner for a ‘small city/large town’ back in 2005, and the ‘Queen’s Gardens’ at the Ironmarket have also been acknowledged for their horticultural excellence in the past.
There are plenty of other stunning and serene green spaces in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the surrounding areas. If you’re looking for a lovely walk with your visiting family or the freedom to discover the local beauty spots, there are a few places you should check out. This includes Trentham Estate near Stoke. The gardens there are known for their beauty, it’s easily accessible, and provides you with a gorgeous day out. Grosvenor Gardens is another interesting public garden. It’s found below road level in the centre of a roundabout in Newcastle-under-Lyme, an interesting location for sure. Queen Elizabeth Garden on the outskirts of the town is a pleasant walk to, around, and back into the centre, and provides you with a destination slightly away from your digs.
Food and Drink
If you fancy a night out with friends, or you have family visiting, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to food and drink in Newcastle-under-Lyme. There are plenty of café choices, bars, and restaurants. The quiet and calm feel in the city and the choice of cosy places to eat out makes it a lovely spot to dine whether alone, with a group of friends, or with your family when they come to visit. Try out Pasta di Piazza for traditional Italian, The Betley Tea Rooms for a traditional English afternoon tea, with cakes and scones and sumptuous sandwiches. The Whitmore Tea Rooms is another great example of this traditional English scene.
The Brampton Museum
Just half a mile outside of the centre of town, the Brampton Museum (and the surrounding Brampton Park) provide you with an interesting museum and history. There is over 800 years of history here, with a range of diverse exhibitions and talent on show in the Museum and Art Gallery. This includes an area where you can step back in time, inside a Victorian street scene, with a pawnbroker’s shop, an ironmongers, and a chemist. There is also a toy gallery that holds a range of classic toys going from the modern day all the way back to 150 years ago.
A Night at the Theatre
The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme has hit its stride, welcoming theatre-goers from all over the country to a wide and varied selection of classic theatre plays. If you love going to see celebrated plays, this is a ground-breaking theatre, the first of its kind in Europe to be built as a theatre-in-the-round. This is an intriguing and immersive experience for audience members, who are sat around all four sides of the stage, gaining a different perspective depending on their position. It changes the way you interact and experience theatre, and the New Vic is a fantastic example of this theatre style. It’s well worth a visit during your time in the town.
The Wrap-Up
Are you considering a more relaxed, low-key vibe for your university choice next year? If you are applying for a place at either Keele University or the University of Staffordshire, choosing to live in Newcastle-under-Lyme provides you with a quiet student life. It has plenty of attractions and events, cafés, bars, and restaurants, but overall, it is a quieter life than other parts of the area.
There are still things to do in Newcastle-under-Lyme, but it finds the right balance so that you can study, rest, and kick back with your crowd without the pressure of partying or having something on every single day. Do you prefer a central city location with a vibrant nightlife and plenty going on? Or are you someone who values a quieter life and a smaller market town where you have the choice to go out, but things are much calmer? There’s a different way of life for all of us, if you get FOMO when you don’t go out to the student night in town, a busy city centre might be a better choice than a smaller, calmer atmosphere.
