Tom Collins House

Tom Collins House is a block of sheltered housing built between 1976 and 1978 for the City of Newcastle upon Tyne by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor, with Vernon Gracie as the site architect and structural engineering by White, Young and Partners. The main contractor was Shepherds Construction Ltd. The building features an in situ concrete frame clad in strong brown, orange, and buff patterned metric modular bricks at the entrance and lift shaft, with lighter colors on the east side and white Eternit cladding on the south-west face.

The structure has a wedge-shaped plan and a sharply stepped profile, rising from four to thirteen storeys, and serves as a prominent terminating feature to Dunn Terrace. The lower four storeys have gallery access from a separate entrance, while flats 89-128 are accessed via covered steps at the south-east corner. The building includes aluminium windows, with those in the lower storeys set in timber frames, while the upper windows are top-hung casements. Red-brown timber balconies are present for flats 89-128, and the gallery serving the lower flats features brown and red-brown balustrading. Large bay windows are located in the common rooms on the lower floors, facing south and south-west. Tom Collins House is a significant landmark in the Byker Estate, noted for its role as a recognition point within Byker and its relationship to the city center.