Blink and you’ll miss it, but last weekend Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley made a brief appearance in the travel section of the New York Times. A one time industrial hub of the North East’s ironware, glass, pottery and soap businesses, the Valley’s focus switched to something even more creative in the 70s when local artists moved into the big empty Victorian spaces.

Now, it’s home to the city’s most exciting mix of creativity, culture and nightlife, and the artists, jewelry and furniture makers, graphic designers and printmakers who make it what it is – plus bigger names like The Cluny, The Biscuit Factory and Seven Stories – will be opening their doors later this month for the annual Ouseburn Open Studio Weekend.

The Northern Line will be there on the 27th and 28th of November to see what’s on offer – and now that it’s been featured in the New York Times, so might a whole bunch of other people you might not have expected to see.

Mark it on your calendars, folks.

By Barry Bell on November 16, 2010