Boiler Shop and 20 South Street are Grade II* Listed because they were built for the world’s first commercial locomotive factory - Robert Stephenson & Co. Locomotive Works, Est. 1823 - by pioneers of the Industrial Revolution: father and son George and Robert Stephenson. Here, they designed and built locomotives that changed the world, including Rocket, which won the Rainhill Trials in 1829. Their radical engineering prowess, entrepreneurial verve and sheer determination transformed travel, trade and human endeavour across the globe.

The present-day owner-custodians, David and Richard Clouston, completed a significant restoration and enhancement programme in 2016 to create their vision of an independent arts, culture and entertainment venue for Newcastle. They dedicate Boiler Shop to the original workers of the Industrial Revolution who, at this site, created incredible new machines and the team leading these eminent buildings forward in the 21st Century.

The revitalised venue was established in earnest when Einstürzende Neubauten played their first-ever Newcastle concert in May 2017, a legendary event.

Boiler Shop has become an internationally respected and much-loved North East institution, welcoming hundreds of thousands of guests annually to experience a broad-spectrum and inclusive programme of entertainment, performing arts and culture.