The most populous city in the North East, Newcastle is famous for the Angel of the North, the Gateshead Millenium Bridge, and of course it's football team. Our Newcastle skyline gin glasses and tumblers incorporate all of these icons and more and in this blog we go into more depth about the individual landmarks featured.

St James' Park Stadium

Home to the city's football team Newcastle United, St James' Park is the seventh largest football stadium in England, seating 52,388 spectators at full capacity. As well as football matches, St James' Park has also hosted Rugby League and Union matches, charity events, and even rock concerts! RANDOM FACT: The location of the stadium was historically a place of execution. In 1650, 22 people went to the gallows including 15 witches. The last hanging to take place there was in 1844.

Life Science Centre

The Life Science Centre is an award-winning science centre home to a variety of hands-on exhibitions created to bring out your inner scientist. At Life, you're actively encouraged to get stuck in to interacting with the exhibits which include a science theatre, planetarium, and 4D motion ride. The centre also regularly hosts science events such as a monthly computer coding club, astronomy evenings, and hands-on science sessions for children and teens.

Grey's Monument

Standing at over 40 metres tall, Grey's Monument acts as the centre point of Newcastle's bustling city centre. Erected in 1838, the statue depicts UK Prime Minister (1830 - 1834) Charles Earl Grey who's government passed the Great Reform Act of 1832 which lead to changes to the country’s unfair electoral system. As a result, the monument was created in his honour by local architects John and Benjamin Green, and sculpted by Edward Hodges Baily, who also created Nelson's statue in London's Trafalgar Square. RANDOM FACT: During World War II Earl Grey’s statue stood without a head after being decapitated by a lightning strike!

Civic Centre

The Grade II listed Civic Centre is the main administrative and ceremonial centre for Newcastle City Council and was first opened in 1968. The grand entrance to the Centre features nine huge flambeaux's which can be lit on demand, a hark back to days past when huge barrels of tar would be lit to draw crowds to council meetings.

St Nicholas Cathedral

Originally built as the parish church in 1091, St Nicholas Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle, of the Anglican Church. The Cathedral forms part of the medieval area of the city with Medieval features including a stained glass roundel of the Virgin Mary, an ornate front cover, and the Thornton Memorial Brass which is the largest Flemish brass in the country. RANDOM FACT: The Cathedral has the finest collection of ‘colours’, or regimental flags, anywhere in the country outside London.

Theatre Royal

Regarded as one of the finest theatre buildings in the country, the Theatre Royal is one of just nine Grade I listed theatres in England. One of the grandest venues in town, the theatre hosts over 300 shows every year, attracting over 300,000 visitors. The Theatre Royal opened in February 1837 with the first show being a performance of The Merchant of Venice and is now home to the Shakespeare Company, Opera North, and the National Theatre.

The Castle

Once part of a large fortress, the Castle is where Newcastle got its name and is one of the city's most historic buildings. Used for defensive purposes in Roman times the castle was also the last line of defense for the town during the English Civil War and graffiti from the eventual stand-off with Scottish forces can still be seen inside. The most prominent remaining features of the site are the fortified stone tower, known as the Castle Keep, and the Black Gate, a fortified gatehouse. RANDOM FACT: In 1733, a showman attempted to make a donkey ‘fly’ from the roof of the Castle Keep. Miraculously, it survived!

Gateshead Millenium Bridge

The Gateshead Millenium Bridge holds the title of the world's first and only tilting bridge. The unique design of the bridge was the result of a competition held by Gateshead Council which gave a brief to create a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists which:

• Allowed ships to pass underneath;
• Did not overshadow the world famous view of the existing bridges;
• Didn't obstruct the Quayside.

The winning, tilting, design was created by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and Gifford and Partners and first opened to the public in September 2001. RANDOM FACT: The Gateshead Millenium Bridge contains enough steel to make 64 double decker buses!

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

The BALTIC is housed in a vast converted flour mill on the South bank of the River Tyne and is the UK's largest dedicated contemporary art institution. Visitors to BALTIC are invited to discover powerful ideas, reflect on provocative new concepts, and experience a collection of innovative international as well as local art. The centre's exhibitions are ever-changing and aim to create greater understanding of the world and which give an insight into the practice of contemporary artists.

Sage Gateshead

The Sage Gateshead is an international music venue and centre for musical education regarded as one of the finest centres for music in the world. The iconic silver curved building was designed by renowned architects Foster + Partners and first opened in 2004. Every year the Sage hosts over 400 concerts made up of international, regional, and local artists as well as over 10,000 music classes and workshops. Internationally famous artists to have graced the Sage stage include Morrissey, James Brown, Nancy Sinatra, and Blondie. RANDOM FACT: The Sage definitely splits opinions with its impressive architecture having won both the Local Authority Building of the Year in 2005 and Private Eye's 'Worst Building of the Year' in 2004.

Tyne Bridge

Connecting Newcastle with Gateshead, the Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson and built by Dorman Long and Co. who later went on to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge was opened on the 10th of October 1928 by King George V and at the time was the world's longest single span bridge. These days, you'll probably most recognise Tyne Bridge from the annual Great North Run which sees thousands of runners pass over the bridge whilst being spurred on by an aerial display by the RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows.

Angel of the North

Perhaps the most famous of Newcastle's landmarks, the Angel of the North attracts visitors from all over the UK, and even the world, to the city. The giant angel sculpture measures an impressive 20 metres tall with a wingspan of 54 metres and stands proudly overlooking the A1 into Tyneside. Created by Antony Gormley the steel Angel was primarily funded by the National Lottery and is regarded as the UK's most famous piece of public art. RANDOM FACT: Due to its exposed location, the Angel of the North is built to withstand wind speeds of over 100mph! You can see our Newcastle gin glass here and our glass tumbler here. For our full range of Newcastle products, click here.

Mother's Day is just around the corner and if you're anything like us, you'll be rattling your brain to think of something special to gift the woman who has everything! To help you out, we've curated this list of Mother's Day gifts covering the classic to the colourful.

Handmade Natural Soap by BahariBlossom

We all know Mum's are always rushed off their feet so what better gift to help them relax than this vegan handmade soap from Bahari Blossom. Enriched with vitamin rich sea kelp 'The Ocean Calls' is an exotic mix of lime, coconut, and marine fragrances reminiscent of salty sea air and tropical summer holidays. Available to order online here.

Cupcake Gift Box by Hey Little Cupcake

If there's one day where Mum's can indulge, it's Mother's Day. Our lovely friends over at Hey Little Cupcake have created this floral cupcake gift box made up of delicious vanilla sponge cupcakes topped with pink vanilla roses. Cake AND flowers? What Mum wouldn't love this?! Choose from a box of 4, 6, or 12. Available to order online here.

Skyline Gin Glass by MehaArt

Raise a glass to your gin loving Mum and their favourite city with one of our stunning skyline balloon gin glasses. Choose from cityscapes including London, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, and Durham for a gift that's both practical and sentimental. See the full range of Skyline Gin Glasses and order online here.

Personalised Floral Make Up Bag by Mosie & Furl

Nothing says you've really thought about a gift like having something personalised. Handmade from vintage fabric this beautiful floral make up bag from fellow Manchester maker Mosie & Furl is perfect for making your Mum feel special with a gift created just for her. Available to order online here.

Manchester Skyline Apron by MehaArt

Our vibrant 100% cotton aprons make the perfect gift for Masterchef Mum's and are guaranteed to brighten up even the dullest of kitchens. This multicoloured design features Meha’s much loved illustrations of Manchester icons including the Central Library, Beetham Tower, Castlefield, and lots more. Available to order online here. To see our full range of aprons click here.

Manchester Bee Wooden Coaster by Jessica6Designs

Available in walnut or oak this laser cut Manchester Bee coaster is sure to be a hit with tea loving Mums and with the option of adding a special engraving makes a perfect personalised gift. Far from being just a coaster, this geometric bee also makes a great piece of contemporary art and can even be framed for a unique piece of wall art. Available to order online here. Our last order date for Mother’s Day is Wednesday March 27th.

Following the 2017 attack on the Manchester Arena, the Manchester bee symbol has come to represent the defiant spirit and unity of the city but did you know this best-known symbol of Manchester has been around for much longer? The worker bee icon first became associated with Manchester during the 18th and 19th centuries, during the period more commonly known as the Industrial Revolution. The bee represents the city being a hive of activity, with the workers of textile mills and factories being referred to as 'busy bees', a reflection on their hard work ethic and ability to work together. Officially introduced to the city's coat of arms in 1802, you can now find the bee icon all over the city, from adorning bins and plant pots to the clock face of the Palace Hotel. As a result of the bee becoming a symbol of solidarity following the Manchester Arena attack, there was also a huge movement of people who had the Manchester icon permanently tattooed on their skin as a reminder of the cities unity. Whilst the events of May 22nd were horrific, the public's response showed the world the true spirit of Manchester, with people from all walks of life coming together to support those involved in the attack. Taxi Drivers gathered around the arena to take victims to local hospitals, Sikh temples gave out food, and many Mancunians offered refuge in their own homes to those left stranded. It was a striking display of resilience and a community brought together through tragedy. In the wake of the attack, the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund was set up to help the bereaved families and those injured or traumatised by the event, and over the following months an incredible £21.5 Million was raised by people around the world wanting to show their support. Another recent display of the Bee symbol was the Bee in the City trail which saw a huge colony of 101 giant bee sculptures take over the streets of Manchester. Meha was delighted to be involved, creating a bee featuring a colourful depiction of the ever-changing Manchester skyline and sponsored by Henry Boot PLC. 77 of the Bee's were auctioned off in aid of the We Love MCR Charity raising an amazing £1.1 Million, with Meha's Bee being purchased by a private collector for an impressive £10,000!! With the bee's popularity continuing to rise, Meha has had many requests to replicate her colourful worker bee design as murals, with her most recent piece brightening up the office space at Ashfield Healthcare alongside a larger piece depicting the Manchester skyline. The Manchester Bee's representation of hard work make it the perfect icon to adorn the walls of office spaces across the city, whilst bringing a splash of colour too! If you fancy brightening up your space with a hand drawn Meha mural get in touch with us today by emailing orders@mehaart.com.

Photo Credit: @StreetArtAtlas Credit: Stanley Chow World-famous illustrator Stanley Chow produces iconic prints with defined strokes that have become his unmistakable style. His work has been featured across the world in The New Yorker, GQ and Wired and he began the art by sketching his friends, including fellow famous Mancunian, Elbow’s Guy Garvey. Born and raised in Manchester, much of his work is a pinnacle of the north. He has produced artwork for local campaigns portraying local music artists such as Sting, and his Great Northerners collection featured portraits of legends such as Liam Gallagher and Sir Ian McKellen, with 15% of sales going to local charity Forever Manchester. Meha Hindocha To see the full blog over on the Housing Units blog, click here.

From proposals to holidays, our detailed cityscapes are always a great talking point at markets, evoking memories from different cities. Below we take you on a more detailed look through just some of our skyline range, pointing out recognisable icons which boldly feature on our gin glasses and tumblers. London The most famous UK skyline, our London design features iconic landmarks such as Big Ben, The London Eye, and Tower Bridge as well as skyscrapers The Shard and The Gherkin. Durham Adorning our Durham skyline you'll find historic landmarks including the UNESCO world heritage sites, Durham Cathedral and Castle. Newcastle Our Newcastle design celebrates all that is great about the city including the Gateshead Millenium Bridge, Angel of the North, and St Nicholas Cathedral. A series of Magpies flying across the skyline gives a nod to Newcastle United as well as featuring the teams home, St James Park. Leeds Beautifully captured in our Leeds skyline are some of the city’s best known landmarks including The Royal Armouries Museum, Bridgewater Place, the First Direct Arena, and the Grade I listed Town Hall. Other skylines available include Manchester and Liverpool. See our full range of Skyline Glasses here.

With our Skyline Gin Glasses proving ever more popular we thought we'd give you a little 'behind-the-scenes' of the process each of our glassware pieces goes through before reaching your home. Handmade Glassware All of our glassware is handmade with each individual piece being mouthblown and hand finished using techniques unchanged for over 2,000 years! We use lead free crystal which is harder than leaded glass and so perfect for etching with the fine details you'll find in our Skyline range. Lead free crystal is made up of sand, soda ash, limestone, and barium oxide in place of lead. It's the barium oxide which gives the glass it's stunning sparkle and clarity. Each glass is permanently etched with iconic buildings using a sandblasting process which carves deeply into the glass surface and ensures the glasses remain dishwasher safe and ready for a lifetime of G&T's! Want to get your hands on one of our Skyline glasses? See the full range here or check out our Valentine's competition below to be in with the chance of winning a Gin Glass of your own.

Valentine's Competition To celebrate Valentine's Day, we've teamed up with Liverpool Gin to giveaway one of our Liverpool Skyline Gin Glasses and a bottle of Liverpool Gin! All you have to do to enter is head over to our Facebook or Instagram and tell us who your Valentine is, or who you'd love it to be. Good luck!

If you’re Manchester based, you might have noticed there’s been a bit of an outbreak. A swarm of giant Bees have landed on the streets of the city…and they’re here to stay for the summer! Wild in Art and Manchester City Council have joined forces on #BeeintheCity – a project which promises to celebrate the city’s great wealth of creative talent with over 100 winged designs, on display now until 23 September. My design was kindly sponsored by Henry Boot PLC - one of the most progressive companies of its kind within the UK. Established over 130 years ago, the company operates nationally in property development and investment, land promotion, construction and plant hire. They create spaces that not only impress but that also stand the test of time. I’ve already been on a bit of a journey with this project from the very early stages of pitching my idea and my design being selected, to taking on the huge sculpture…which took around 6.5 days to finish – and quite a few late shifts! My colourful, illustrative bee takes inspiration from Manchester’s ever-changing skyline. It tells a story about the bustling city and the worker ‘bees’ that have shaped it. I don’t want to spoil it for those yet to see it but you can expect a flavour of my original Manchester cityscape with lots of surprises along the way. This design includes all three of the city’s universities alongside familiar greats like the Central Library and the Town Hall and Danger Mouse. Yes, Danger Mouse! I wanted to celebrate even more greats born from the city with this drawing and that included Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall from Cosgrove Hall Films, the British animation studio who created the famous rodent! Right, I’ve said enough, I promise there’s lots more to see and find on the surface of my bee but for now I’ll leave it for you to discover. Watch this space for detailed annotations of my design - so you can check whether or not you spotted everything hidden in my doodle lines! As I write this, the bees have only just settled into their new homes and I’ve already seen so many great shots of my bee in situ in St Ann’s Square (please do tag us in yours and use #skylinebee on social!). I’m loving hearing about all the different things people are spotting in my drawing. I wanted people to be able to spend time looking at my bee (maybe over several days or weeks) and spot something new every now and again that makes them smile. To take on finding the 101 Manchester bees, download the trail map here. Discover my Manchester inspired range of gifts and homeware here.

Get the feeling he’s got enough socks or maybe even one too many mugs? Don’t worry, as Father’s Day looms, we’re taking a look at some of our gifts guaranteed to make Dad smile. *NEW* Stadium Range How could we not start with Meha’s latest designs? The perfect present for football crazed Dads can be found in our Stadium range. If the man about your house is a fan of Man U, Man City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, West Ham or if he simply loves to watch England play – take a look today! Our glass coasters from this range are proving a popular pick and come in easy to wrap branded boxes! Meha will be adding even more stadiums to the range too, so if there’s one you’d love to see let us know. Cityscape Coasters The perfect companion for all of those mugs (which we also stock just in case he hasn’t got quite enough!). Our range of skyline coasters are sure to take Dad down memory lane with illustrations depicting Manchester, London, Liverpool, New York and even more available. Perfectly sized to post to Dad’s that don’t live nearby, opt for classic glossy wood coasters or take a look at our premium glass options. Discover the range now! Serving Platters Our new Serving Platters will delight cheese board lovers and midnight feast fans alike! Your Dad will be able to enjoy the famous skylines of Manchester and Newcastle alongside his favourite nibbles with our current platters – available in a variety of sizes and woods. AND if it really is a mug you’re after. Our bold cityscape mugs offer something a little bit different for a Dad who thinks he’s seen it all…. Our last order date for Father’s Day is Monday 11 June, and delivery is FREE on orders of £50 or more with code 'HappyDad'!

If there's one day of the year you don't want to forget, it's probably Mothering Sunday. And this year it falls earlier than usual. Famed as THE day to celebrate and thank the women that brought us into the world as well as other maternal figures, Mums across the country are already excited at the prospect of a lie-in (and maybe even the possibility of breakfast in bed!) on Sunday 11 March. We told you it was early! We all know the thing most Mums value is quality time spent with loved ones. If you’re looking for some inspiration of what else to give, read on to discover our top picks that might just help Mum remember a precious moment (or two) spent in some of the UK's most famous cities – as well a few further afield… If Mum’s going to be able to relax and maybe even get cosy, one of our cityscape cushions will provide the perfect backdrop a little ‘me time’. In a range of multicoloured designs as well as some bold black and white options, our printed cushion covers can be bought separately making them incredibly easy to wrap and post! This bright London design is one of our most popular cushions. And if some quiet time doesn't sound quite enough, why not treat her to a slice of her favourite cake and a good brew? Our range of mugs will whisk her away and invite her to get lost in one of many vibrant cities. A coaster might be a welcomed gift too if she’s not a fan of watermarks – or already has one too many mugs! If she’s a collector of tea towels (we all know a few, right?!), look at our range of eye catching designs guaranteed to brighten up any kitchen. Our newest addition to the selection available online boldly displays the sights and landmarks of Newcastle. That’s our top three gifts for Mum! Don’t forget to take a look at our range of prints too, which include New York and Vegas skylines, and maybe even top your gift off with one of our cityscape gift cards for extra brownie points.

The perfect partner to your Valentine’s favourite drink? Our Newcastle Gin Glasses are now available online, joining our popular Manchester design. Just in time for a romantic tipple - we think they’re quite the pair! The balloon Gin Glasses are boldly decorated with highlights from both illustrations, meaning next time you enjoy a drink you can also take in the sights of these famous cities. To celebrate, we’ve been searching through the recipe books and have found this winning concoction for the big day...

Roseberry Gin Cocktail:

Ingredients: 1/2 c. rose petals // 1/2 c. sugar // 1/2 c. water // 1 egg white // 1/2 c. fresh raspberries // 1oz . Gin Rose Syrup: Dissolve sugar in water, medium heat. Add raspberries and rose petals, simmer. Cool and strain-off syrup. Cocktail: Mix Rose Syrup with gin in a shaker. Add egg white, shake until slightly foamy. Pour into a Gin Glass and garnish with raspberry or serve simply with ice. Treat your next drink further by pairing your Gin Glass with one of our cityscape coasters - get one to match the same location or mix things up and pick from our range of designs. Our coasters are a great way to add splashes of colour to coffee tables as well as creating a real talking point amongst friends and family. As devoted fans of gin ourselves, we’ll be posting more cocktail recipes over the coming months. If you have one you think we should share, we’d love to see it - please get in touch!