Generations of Geordies shopped at Mawson, Swan and Morgan between 1878 and 1986
00:15, 12 Apr 2026
The Mawson, Swan and Morgan store on Grey Street, Newcastle, in the 1950s(Image: NCJ Media)
Forty years ago, The Journal was reporting on the imminent demise of a long‐standing favourite store. The front‐page story on April 23, 1986, announced: “One of Newcastle’s oldest shopping landmarks is set to close after 108 years of trading in the city. The Mawson, Swan and Morgan store, launched in 1878, is likely to be bought by the Newcastle‐based Isaac Walton group in the coming weeks.”
The paper added that the distinctive Grey Street building would be mothballed until a new tenant was found, and noted the 30 staff employed at the book and stationery store. In the event, Isaac Walton – another long‐established Newcastle retailer – did not take over the site, but the business would still change hands, bringing a long chapter of Tyneside shopping history to a close.
The former home of Mawson, Swan and Morgan on Grey Street, Newcastle, is now occupied by men’s clothing store End(Image: NCJ Media)
Generations of Geordies had shopped at Mawson, Swan and Morgan, just a stone’s throw from Grey’s Monument. Its roots stretched back to 1878, when Queen Victoria was on the throne, Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister, and Newcastle United were still 14 years away from playing their first competitive match just along the road at St James’ Park.
The firm began as an apothecary’s called Mawson and Proctor. In 1912 it merged to become Mawson, Swan and Morgan Ltd, incorporating Sunderland‐born physicist and chemist Joseph Swan, inventor of the light bulb. Swan ran the business with his sister, Elizabeth Mawson, and bookseller‐chemist Joseph Marston.
The store soon specialised in books and stationery, later expanding into printing, publishing, leather goods, a theatrical agency and an art gallery. Early in the last century, the Evening Chronicle carried regular adverts for displays of notable artwork at the store.
When William Irving’s famous 1903 painting, Blaydon Races, was shown in the window, crowds grew so large that police asked for the blinds to be closed.
Mawson, Swan and Morgan on Grey Street, Newcastle, in the early 20th century(Image: NCJ Media)
The business continued to grow, opening branches in Bristol and Hull and staging art exhibitions around the country. Alongside its Grey Street headquarters, it also ran an artists’ materials shop and gallery in Grainger Street.
When the firm marked its centenary in 1978, the Evening Chronicle produced a special supplement. General manager Barrie Swann said the company was thriving despite tough times for traditional booksellers. But the pressures proved relentless. In 1986, Mawson, Swan and Morgan closed its doors for the final time, and Newcastle lost one of its best‐loved retail names.
The current building at 104-108 Grey Street dates from around 1904. Ten gas lamp standards were installed outside at the same time – six on Grey Street and four on Hood Street – and remain in place today, now converted to electric. The Edwardian four‐storey sandstone building is Grade II‐listed and sits comfortably among the city centre’s elegant architecture.
The closure of Mawson, Swan and Morgan 40 years ago marked the end of an era. Since then, the site has had four tenants. Waterstones was the first to move in, followed by clothing chain H&M and later burger restaurant Byron. Today, men’s clothing retailer End occupies the landmark location.
Did you know you can make ChronicleLive a preferred source of North East news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.
Our ChronicleLive Daily newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East.