Lower Steenberg's Yard, Cattle Sanatorium

The cattle sanatorium buildings were constructed in the late 1800s, and opened in 1876-77 to hold cattle and sheep imported into Newcastle (mostly from Scandinavia) for temporary quarantine. Newcastle was a centre for imported meat. The animals were held here until they were inspected for disease and declared fit to eat. The complex could hold up to 3000 sheep and 600 cattle. The animals were then sent either to the cattle market or to the abbatoir on Lime Street. The complex is shown on the 2nd edition Ordnance Survey map map. The site was sublet in the early 1900s, superceeded by a sanatorium at St Lawrence . By 1941 the site was occupied by an oil works (HER 11743), warehouse (HER 11744) and Maynards toffee factory (HER5472). It is now commonly known as Lower Steenberg's Yard, after the hauliers who eventually took the site over for storage and wagons. The site became derelict in the late 1980s. Further deterioration has occurred in the early 1990s due to vandalism, fire and theft. The Cattle Sanatorium was demolished in 2005 but was recorded beforehand.Remains of the demolished Cattle Sanatorium were recorded during a building recording in 2018.