NEWCASTLE

I love the earlier days of Newcastle it had everything you could need and much more.

Places I really miss are: The globe – Mallards ironmonger – Plumbers & Decorators Wholesale supplies Ltd – Hollins's plumbing and ironmonger – Haydens – Tiffany’s Night club – however WOOLWORTHS & Wimpy are the ones I miss most of all.

Newcastle baths
Queens Gardens
Tiffany's night club
Market
Undergroung Market
Woolworths
Tesco
Haydens
Globe cafe
Plumbers & Decorators wholesale supplies Ltd
Hollins's plumbing and ironmongers
Safety Glass Replacement
Mellards
Burgesses
Fine fare

I was born in Newcastle-Under-Lyme so in looking up information about the area there is no way whatsoever you could link it to the Tsar or even Russia. The fact is, the Queens Gardens in the Ironmarket has a statute of Queen Victoria that was funded by Sir Alfred Seale Haslam and unveiled by Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia on 5 November 1903

The story goes that the Grand Duke met Sophie when he saved her from a runaway horse – the dashing cavalryman was an outstanding horseman. This time, he did not bother to ask for the necessary permission for the marriage from the Tsar or his parents because he knew it wouldn’t be granted. They were married in San Remo on February 26^th 1891. The marriage was not only morganatic but also illegal under the Imperial house laws and caused a scandal at the Russian court.

Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich was deprived of his military rank and of his position at the Imperial Court. He was also forbidden to return to Russia for life. When his mother heard of his morganatic marriage, she collapsed with shock and died shortly afterwards, for which Michael was blamed. He was not allowed to attend his mother's funeral.

Duke Michael Mikhailovich and wife Sophie von Merenberg settled permanently in England in 1900, leasing Keele Hall in Staffordshire when Tsar Alexander III stripped him of his military titles and banished the couple from Russia. 

The Queens Gardens in Newcastle’s Ironmarket was always worthy of a visit, a statue of Queen Victoria was funded by Sir Alfred Seale Haslam and unveiled by Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich (of Russia on 5 November 1903) who was the grandson of the Tsar hereby mentioned in Homelands.

I didn't know anything about the Tsar until after I saw a picture of Nicholas II's kids. So to have this link to that beautiful picture is just mind boggling.

http://lymetrent.blogspot.com/p/russia.html

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/1904-1905peterhof.jpg