07/11/2025
Contributing to Civic Centre history 🛠️
Nearly 60 years since his father was first commissioned to provide carvings for the historic banqueting wall at Newcastle Civic Centre, Mike Moody, our managing director at Classic Masonry Ltd, has continued the family tradition.
The connection with the Civic Centre dates to its opening in 1968, when Mike’s father, Terry, and a colleague, meticulously carved more than 26,000 letters and numbers onto the wall to honour the city’s most distinguished citizens and historic figures.
Those honoured on the walls of the Banqueting Hall include Honorary Freemen of the City, such as Nelson Mandela, the retired Bishop Christine Hardman, Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and Jackie Milburn.
The Banqueting Hall also commemorates the city’s former Lord Mayors, Sheriffs and several skilled sculptors and stone carvers who helped shape the Civic Centre’s legacy, including Terry.
Mike said: “It is a real privilege to continue a family tradition that stretches back decades and to contribute to something so deeply embedded in Newcastle’s history. This project holds specific meaning for me, as my father carved many of the original inscriptions on the Civic Centre’s walls. To now follow him and add to that legacy is something of which I am incredibly proud. My son, Michael, is carrying on the legacy, also, working in the business as an associate director, heading up our design department.
“It is not just about craftsmanship, it’s about honouring the legacy of those who have shaped the city, helped it prosper and added to the Geordie pride. We are honoured to uphold the standards set by those before us and to continue Classic Masonry’s role in marking Newcastle’s historic milestones.”
https://www.stonespecialist.com/news/news-classic-masonry
Stone Federation
News: Classic Masonry 20 October, 2025 , What do Nelson Mandela, King Harald V of Norway, Sir Bobby Robson, Alan Shearer and Jackie Milburn have in common? As Freemen of the City of Newcastle, they have their names carved upon the historic banqueting wall at Newcastle Civic Centre, along...