Bookery Days Out: Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle
- Nov 26, 2019
- 5 min read
I first came to know of the Seven Stories Centre earlier this year when I was reading up about the various celebrations taking place to mark the 30th birthday of David McKee’s Elmer the Elephant and immediately added it to my “booket list.” I’ve long felt that, while we are inundated with things like soft play centres, petting zoos and theme parks, there is a shortage of places that champion writing, authors, illustrators, and the creative process of producing books. One such place that does exist and that we have visited (and loved!) is the Discover Story Centre in London, and from the description on the Seven Stories website, I got the impression this was something similar so I could not wait to check it out. Our opportunity to visit arrived when we were looking for places to visit for Ketchup’s 8th birthday and I wasted no time in putting it at the top of our itinerary for the weekend!
Set in a seven-storey building, (seven-storey…seven story...get it?) The National Centre of Books, as it is also known as, is located in the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We walked there from the hotel where we were staying at near St James’ Park which allowed us to take part in Elmer’s Great North Parade and soak in some of Newcastle, but if you’re arriving by car, limited parking is available nearby. I purchased our tickets online to save time but unlike some places there is no discount offered for buying tickets online. However, they were reasonably priced with a ticket for the four of us (two adults and two children) costing £23.10. The lady who greeted us at reception gave us a quick overview of what was going on that day and as there were Halloween crafts taking place in the Studio on Floor 1 that seemed a good place to start. If you are visiting midweek during term-time, please note that this area opens after 1:30pm as it is used by school groups in the morning. There were three activities running on different tables on the day we visited and while the Hubby got stuck in with the children, I decided to take a closer look around the room.
With rainbow-coloured windows overlooking a tributary of the River Tyne, the Studio is where visitors get to exercise their own creativity with a range of crafts and to inspire budding writers and illustrators, there was some amazing original Chris Riddell doodles on the wall!
On the same floor you will find the Word Lab – a picnic area beautifully decorated with excerpts of manuscripts from the Seven Stories' Collection, and in the same room you will also find a collection of books which you can swap with books of your own and, in doing so, receive 10% off in the bookshop.
After about an hour on Floor 1, we moved onto Floor 4 to the first of the galleries where there is currently an exhibition curated by former children’s laureate Lauren Childs; entitled “Drawing Words” this brings together work by a range of children’s illustrators, demonstrating the process of translating text into pictures.
There were examples of original artwork and quotes from illustrators each describing how their creative process developed. I loved how interactive the exhibition was with ample opportunities for children to write and illustrate their ideas. Furthermore, there were books aplenty by the featured illustrators together with sofas and armchairs dotted around allowing us to take our time and read to the children as well.
On the same floor was the Story Station which will, no doubt, be a particular hit with younger visitors. A raised cosy reading nook at one end of the room with a selection of books to choose from, together with a wooden train set positioned in the middle and lots of other toys, this is the perfect place to cosy up with a book and engage in some play. The colourful and bold familiar artwork of Nick Sharratt covers the wall which alas, due to there being too many children around I couldn’t get a picture of!
An announcement on the tannoy informed us that story time was due to begin in the Attic on Floor 7. We made our way upstairs to find a darkened room with chairs and stools placed in a semi-circle around a Halloween-themed stage and visitors took their seats as story time began. In my opinion, it was here that the passion that this place and the staff have for books really shone through with an energetic storytelling session that was engaging and fun for both adults and children.
Our next stop was the Robert Westall Gallery where you will find the “Colourful World of David McKee”; this tied in well with our Elmer the Elephant spotting earlier in the day as the first portion of the exhibition was dedicated to everyone’s favourite patchwork elephant and I was hugely impressed with the variety of me
diums used – from Elmer dressing up outfits, wall puzzles, screens playing videos, original artwork, together with books and exhibits prompting children to read, write or draw.
The Gillian Dickenson Gallery, with its exhibition on Maisy’s Bathtime and Other Small Stories is aimed at children 0-4 and explores the different aspects of a child’s day through various books; I was chuffed to see some classics featured in there, including the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler of my day – Allan and Janet Ahlberg!
We were off out to eat straight after our visit so we didn’t get to try out to the café but I did sneak down anyway to have a peek at the menu. I loved that the literary theme was extended to the children’s menu and that the food seemed reasonably priced.
Our final (and most eagerly awaited) stop was the bookshop and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint! There was a separate section with books by the authors and illustrators featured in
the exhibitions, a section with signed books, merchandise as well as a wide selection of general children’s books. Here too the aim was to be as interactive and child-friendly as possible with colouring sheets and crayons laid out for use which kept Ketchup and Mustard busy during my lengthy browse.
Having visited the Discover Story Centre in London last year, I was expecting the Seven Stories to be similar. However while the Discover Story Centre usually has one exhibition dedicated to an author/illustrator (currently Judith Kerr but it was Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler when we went) the rest of the focus is on creating various abstract ‘story worlds’ to inspire children’s imaginations. Seven Stories, in my opinion, goes one better by incorporating a host of authors and illustrators, past and present, into their exhibits. The Centre’s passion for championing books comes across at every point, from the wonderfully interactive exhibitions to the infectious enthusiasm of the staff, and it doesn't end there; for those living close by, there are regular workshops, parent and child courses and author visits!
TripAdvisor recommends setting aside 2-3 hours to visit Seven Stories, so judging by the fact that five and a half hours after we'd arrived, I had to drag out two hungry, tired but nevertheless extremely-reluctant-to-leave children, I think it's fair to say the trip was a hit! Check out the website for more information: https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/ and get planning that visit!
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