Mark Toney, the beloved Tyneside ice cream parlour and coffee shop, has closed for good after 134 years, with a social media statement confirming the permanent closure following weeks of both city-centre cafes remaining shut.
A Geordie rite of passage
The business was woven into childhood memories of knickerbocker glories, French salad sandwiches and family trips into Newcastle. For many, a visit to Mark Toney was a Geordie rite of passage.
Mark Toney traced its roots to the Marcantonio family from Picinisco, a mountain village in the Lazio region of Italy. They arrived on Tyneside in the 1890s and began selling ice cream from a cart in 1892, the same year Newcastle United was formed.
From Italian roots to a Tyneside brand
While many Italian emigrants headed to America, others settled in British cities including Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. According to a family spokesman, Antonio and Angela Marcantonio brought their ice cream recipes from Italy. Angela made the ice cream by hand, using ice, cream and salt, while Antonio sold it on the streets.
As the business flourished, parlours opened across Tyneside, including in Byker, Gateshead and Low Fell. The family later anglicised their surname to Mark Toney amid anti-Italian sentiment during the early 20th century. The company opened its first Newcastle shop in the Grainger Market in 1902, followed by Percy Street in the 1930s (moving to its later location in 1974) and Grainger Street in 1962.
Fond memories shared by customers
After 134 years, the curtain falls on a Tyneside institution. Hundreds of posts on the Chronicle History Facebook page shared fond memories of Mark Toney.
Marc Stewpot wrote: "My grandma took me on the yellow bus into 'the town' for shopping, lunch and a trip to Mark Toney's. Fifty years on, it still feels like yesterday." Allan Wilson said: "I loved the décor, sprinkles and glamorous customers with colourful hair rinses. Much more stylish than today."
Avril Deane commented: "Mark Toney's French salad sandwiches were legendary. Angela (owner and manager) and her family should be proud of their contribution to Newcastle." Margaret Dunne added: "Angela and her brother kept the business going for years. A well-earned retirement and the end of a childhood memory."
Susan Dillon reflected: "I've been going there since I was 14. I'm 69 now. Where am I going to go?"
