Tyne Theatre and Opera House

The Tyne Theatre's grand Victorian facade stops you in your tracks the moment you turn the corner in Gateshead. Built in 1867, this is proper old-school theatre - all red velvet seats, ornate plasterwork, and a working stage that's hosted everything from opera to pantomime for over 150 years.

Inside, the auditorium feels genuinely magical. The decoration is excessive in the best possible way - gilt everywhere, ornamental boxes, a ceiling that demands you crane your neck. If you catch a live performance here, whether it's a touring production or a local company's work, you'll understand why people still book tickets for this venue rather than the shiny modern places elsewhere.

You don't need to be an opera buff to appreciate it. Theatre lovers will get the most from catching an actual show - the programme's mixed, ranging from classical opera to contemporary drama and comedy. But even just taking a guided tour of the building (worth checking their website for availability and pricing) gives you a real sense of how Victorians approached entertainment architecture.

Gateshead's well positioned if you're basing yourself at Beamish Holiday Park, just six miles south - the park itself centres on the open-air museum, so an evening at the Tyne Theatre breaks up a day of industrial heritage nicely. Allow two to three hours if you're seeing a show; an hour and a half for a tour. Book ahead, always. It's a working theatre, not a museum, so don't expect guaranteed access.