Milton Free Church, Glasgow

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the Milton Free Church of Scotland on St Vincent Street was designed by Glasgow architect Alexander Thomson (1817-1875) and was opened as a United Presbyterian Church in 1859.

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breakwater North Shields

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The Sage Concert Hall

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the first building for the performing arts designed by Foster and Partners

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Sir Bobby Robson Charity Match

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a crowd of over 30,000 were at St James Park, Newcastle on Sunday evening to see an England versus Germany exhibition match in aid of Sir Bobby Robson's cancer charity: www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk/
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The crowd and players got more than they bargained for when a 'streaker' made an unexpected appearance. Several veteran England internationals played, including Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and David Platt who can be seen wearing white strips ( uniforms), in this photo.
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Red Arrows #2

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the Red Arrows

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The Red Arrows are the acrobatic display team of Royal Air Force. They were officially formed in 1965 and have since taken part in over 4,000 displays in 53 countries. This was taken at the Sunderland Air Show on Sunday.

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The 21st Sunderland International Airshow

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the Red Arrows
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a Hurricane fighter from the Battle of Britain flight
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the only Vulcan bomber still flying
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The Sunderland Airshow is a two-day event and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators every year.
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Daniel Defoe and Gateshead

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Daneil Defoe, celebrated author and political agent is believed to have made the unusual decision to move from London to Gateshead in order to avoid imprisonment for debt; his literary success came years later with the the publication of Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders. This plaque is to be found beneath the Tyne Bridge.
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Summer Tyne Festival

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a wide variety of musical events have been taking place at the Sage this week and today was CoMusica Performance Day. CoMusica is one of twenty-one Youth Music Action Zones in England and Wales, providing music-making activities to young people who might not otherwise have the opportunity. Today was an opportunity for young musicians from around the region to play on this stage right next to the region's premier concert hall.
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Mellow Yellow

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Relegated at the end of last season from the top flight of English football the bruised fans of Newcastle United are now having to come to terms with the new yellow and orange striped away kit, pictured here in the club shop at the Gallowgate end of the stadium. One bright spark has already dubbed the colour combination "Toongerine", 'Toon' being one of the local names for the club. Such is the parlous state of the club's finances that the new kit has already been reduced in price by 20%.

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make it sunny every day

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on a miserably cool and wet day in Newcastle, a message from the City Library.

The Black Gate

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The Black Gate was added to the defences of the castle of Newcastle upon Tyne between 1247-1250. It had a drawbridge to both the front and to the rear. , The original height of the medieval building is not known; the upper floors were added in the early 17th century. The gate was later occupied by Patrick Black, a London merchant, from whom the gatehouse takes its name. By the early 19th century the Black Gate had become a residential slum at one time housing 60 people. It was extensively restored between 1883 and 1885 by the Society of Antiquaries who still use the building as meeting place and library.

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Tynemouth North Pier

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Building of the 2 piers at the mouth of the Tyne began in 1854, and the North Pier, pictured here, was completed in 1895. A great storm in 1897 breached this pier and it was rebuilt and completed 14 years later in 1907. The Lighthouse at the end of the pier was built in 1903.
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the Forth Street Works

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The Forth Street Works in Newcastle upon Tyne were founded by Robert Stephenson in 1823 and they were were the first locomotive works in the world.

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It was here that the locomotives for the Stockton and Darlington Railway were built. The first locomotives produced there were called Locomotion, Hope, Diligence and Black Diamond. The Forth Street works continued to build locomotives until the mid-twentieth century.

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Big Yellow Taxi

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spotted recently in Tynemouth, a long long way from New York City

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performers in pink

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La Fanfare Electrique at the recent Mouth of Tyne Festival
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International Brigade's Banner

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The International Brigade Memorial Trust was formed in 2002 to educate the public about the history of the men and women who fought in the International Brigades and in the medical and other services in the Spanish Civil War . Their banner shown here was photographed at the recent Durham Miners Gala. .
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The International Brigades were made up of volunteers from many different countries who travelled to Spain to fight for the Republic against the fascist Nationalist forces led by General Franco during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. Almost 10,000 volunteers were killed in the conflict.
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Boats, River Wear, Durham

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The River Wear rises in the Eastern Pennines and when it reaches the city of Durham it passes through a deep gorge commanded by the 11th Century Castle and the magnificent Durham Cathedral.( 1080-1140) ; this area being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beneath the Elvet Bridge boats can be hired from Brown's Boats .

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In June each year the Durham Regatta is held which attracts rowing crews from around the region. An Uncle from the family once rowed for Durham University here. There are around 20 boat clubs based on the Wear in Durham.

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Rose Popay at the Mouth of Tyne Festival

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"this particular girl is on a mission to inject a pinch of colour and make the world a touch less grey, a smidgen more glamorous and to leave it smelling of roses... "

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www.thearttart.com/

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HMS Tyne on the Tyne

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HMS Tyne paid a courtesy visit to the river whose name she bears this weekend.
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HMS Tyne is the first of three River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) built for Fishery Protection around the UK. HMS Tyne was built in Woolston Docks, Southampton and is based at HM Naval Base Portsmouth.
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The current HMS Tyne is the sixth ship to bear the name in the Royal Navy.
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125th Durham Miners Gala

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The Durham Miners' Gala is held on the second Saturday in July in Durham City.
The first Union in the Duram coalfield was formed in 1869 and the Durham Miners' Union organised the first Gala 1871.

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The highlights of the gala are the banners, made of silk, which represent Durham lodges of the National Union of Mineworkers. The banners are are usually accompanied by brass bands which march through the town to the old racecourse where political speeches are made. The Gala was cancelled during the two world wars and also during the 1984 miners strike .

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There are no longer any working collieries in County Durham ,but many of the former mining communities retain their banners and brass bands.

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Bessie Surtees House

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Bessie Surtees House is the name given to two 16th and 17th century merchants' houses seen in the background of this picture. They are considered to be fine examples of Jacobean domestic architecture. The buildings, on Newcastle's Quayside, now house the regional offices of English Heritage.

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They are known as Bessie Surtees because it was from there that a young lady of that name eloped with one John Scott, who was later to become Lord Chancellor of England.

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The Cooperage

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Built around 1430 the Cooperage is one of Newcastle's oldest surviving buildings. Some of the timbers in the building are believed to have come from a merchant ship sunk in the River Tyne. In the 16th Century it was home to Thomas Horsley, a Newcastle merchant who founded what is know the Royal Grammar School.; he was also Lord Mayor of the city in 1525 and 1533. It later became a Coopers ( barrel maker) workshop; hence its current name. It is now a pub.
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Beach Huts, Blyth

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fossil in glass

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a detail from Blyth promenade

roadside shrine

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roadside 'shrines' such as this are an increasingly common sight on UK roads ; they are found at the sites of fatal road accidents where the relatives and friends of the victims leave messages, flowers and sometimes teddy bears and football shirts in memory of their loved ones.

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Cathedral Clock

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St. Nicholas Cathedral Newcastle is noted for its lantern spire which was added in 1448 .The original church on the site was built in 1091, but was destroyed by fire in 1216. It was rebuilt in 1359 and became a cathedral in 1882 .

The interior of the church was badly damaged by Scottish invaders in 1640. At a later siege in 1644 the Scottish invaders threatened to destroy the lantern tower with cannon fire; the then Mayor of Newcastle, Sir John Marley put some Scottish prisoners in the tower and told them to go ahead; the prisoners and the spire survived.
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Lucky Spot

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Created by Stella McCartney this crystal horse , called Lucky Spot, is made from thousands of Swarovski crystals and is hung from the ceiling in Belsay Castle's Great Hall. The castle dates back to the 14th century.
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The Sallyport Tower

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The Sallyport Tower, built between 1265 and 1307, was one of several gates on Newcastle’s city walls, so named because it was from there , during times of siege, the defending garrison would ‘sally forth’ to attack the besiegers.

During the reign of Henry VIII John Leland described Newcastle's defences as "far passing all the waulls of the cities of England and most of the cities of Europe" in their strength and magnificence.
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This wonderful piece of historic architecture is now occupied by Kensington & Partners, a firm of architects.
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apres la deluge

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torrential rain fell around parts of Tyneside and Wearside this afternoon ; a friend in Durham for the day said the rains there were of Biblical proportions. The normal distinction between road, kerb and pavements ( sidewalks) disappeared as streets turned momentarily to streams as this snatched photo illustrates.
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Bibilical