How an old Princess just isn’t regal enough for the new Tyne

Jan 15 2008 By The Journal

The end of an era for Tyneside nightlife will dawn early next year when the Tuxedo Princess floating nightclub is towed out of the Tyne. Graeme King looks at ‘the boat’s contribution to the area and what will be built to replace it.

EVERYONE knows the Tuxedo Princess. Even those who have never stepped aboard and felt queasy on its revolving dancefloor know its reputation for good times. For 23 years the vessel has been a beacon of Tyneside’s well deserved ‘party city’ reputation, and its distinctive profile has become an integral part of the riverscape. When the vessel first arrived on the Tyne in the early 1980s, the area was very different to the quayside of the 21st century.

The apartments, bars and restaurants which now line both banks of the river were still a long way from being designed, let alone built.

There was no Baltic, no Sage Gateshead and certainly no Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

The river was also yet to benefit from the building of a new sewer so had an unwelcome reputation for giving off a bad smell.

In the intervening years the Tuxedo Princess gained a reputation for attracting celebrities, and for the raucous nights out to be had on board, with no anecdote about a Tyneside stag or hen night complete without the boat making an appearance.

However in recent years, there has been a growing consensus that the boat has started to look a little out of place amongst the newcomers to the Gateshead quayside – The Sage and the Baltic – though many have queried why lowest common denominator entertainment can’t co-exist with the more highbrow end of North-East nightlife.

Gateshead Council says the Tuxedo Princess looks “tired” and does not fit into its vision of how the area is to develop.

So a deal has been struck with owner Absolute Leisure for it to depart, and a £10m office and leisure scheme to be built on the quayside where its mooring ropes are now tied.

Absolute boss Tony Knox, while understanding the need to develop the area, says he is sad to see the Tuxedo Princess move on given its contribution to the rebirth of the quayside.

He says: “It’s been very regenerative for the quayside. It was first opened in 1984 when this area was largely derelict and deserted.

“Any development was bars, restaurants and clubs, but now we are seeing prestige office schemes in the area.”

Gateshead Council’s deputy leader Ian Mearns is not so conciliatory.

He says: “Times change and the boat doesn’t really fit into our vision for Gateshead and the ongoing quayside developments.

“It has started to look tired in the context of the new developments going on so from the council’s perspective, this (new building project) is a very positive development.”

The £10m ‘Princess Quay’ development to be built on the quayside will feature 25,000sq ft of offices alongside a complex of four family-friendly restaurants. Absolute is hopeful plans could be passed this year, with a one-year build programme to come after that.

The new development has been designed by architects RyderHKS and uses colours and materials intended to work with the quayside site and the Tyne Bridge.

One unusual feature will be a “living wall” at the western end of the restaurant complex, which will be covered in plants.

Mr Knox adds: “Although we will always operate leisure venues we are also investing into prestige landmark projects, which show our confidence in the local economy.

“People are maturing, becoming more sophisticated in their tastes. Also, the focus of NewcastleGateshead is to make the river more of a tourist attraction.

“We are looking at quite a mixture of styles for the restaurants – but family friendly.”

Graham McDarby, architectural director of project designers RyderHKS who designed Princess Quay, says: “This design makes a substantial yet sensitive contribution to the composition of Gateshead Quayside.

“The proposed materials and detailing are inspired by the industrial heritage of the area, with pre-patinated and pre-oxidised copper cladding, together with a series of timber decks to complement the wharf where the Tuxedo Princess is currently moored.”