George Handyside was born into a poor working family in 1821 at Newton on the Moor near Felton, Northumberland.
During his lifetime, Handyside became a business magnate within the north east with ventures including running farms, operating omnibuses and property developing.
The development was named the Handyside Arcade and was completed in 1906 and it stood until 1987 when it was demolished to make way for Eldon Garden shopping centre.
At the time of his death, Handyside was worth around one million pounds; he left bequests of £92,000 to local charities including the Northern Counties Orphan Institute and Newcastle Eye Infirmary.
[citation needed] A monument to George Handyside can be found within St Johns Cemetery on Elswick road minutes walk from the houses he built, lived, and worked in.