Tuesday 30 March 2010

Central Arcade

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The Central Arcade in Newcastle was built in 1906. It has 3 entrances, one on each of Grainger Street, Grey Street, and Market Street .

Monday 29 March 2010

Yummies

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A rather fine building, on Newgate Street, whose appearance has been marred, more than somewhat, by a take-away food establishment.

Sunday 28 March 2010

Whitewall Gallery

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The Whitewall Gallery on Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, is one of a UK chain of galleries selling what I would call populist and formulaic art; chacun a son gout.

Saturday 27 March 2010

speak out....

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It is appropriate that Grey's Monument is a regular location for the voice of religious and political activists, as Charles, Earl Grey ( yes he of the tea fame), was a champion of religious and political freedom in the 19th Century.

Friday 26 March 2010

Amen Corner

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no doubt named due to its proximity to the adjacent Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas....Amen Corners were usually areas within a church " reserved for persons leading the responsive amens "

Thursday 25 March 2010

Bessie Surtees House

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This picture shows the facades of two merchants' houses, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, on Newcastle's Quayside. One is known as the Bessie Surtees House and was the scene in November 1772, of the elopement of Bessie with one John Scott who was later to become Lord Chancellor of England. The site is maintained by English Heritage and the Bessie Surtees House is open to the public from Monday-Friday 10am-4pm.

Wednesday 24 March 2010

Tynemouth House of Correction

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This building was built in 1792 as a Court and 'lock-up' serving as a place of temporary confinement for prisoners en route to the county jail at Morpeth; from 1907 it was a laundry and it is now an architectural salvage premises.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Tynemouth Metro Station

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This photo shows one of two footbridges at Tynemouth Station. the station was opened in 1892 by the North Eastern Railway Company; it is now a Grade II listed building.

Monday 22 March 2010

Master Mariners Homes

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Built 1837-40 by North Shields Master Mariners Asylum for 32 aged mariners and their dependants; John and Benjamin Green, architects. Land donated by 3rd Duke of Northumberland; his statue stands in the gardens.

Sunday 21 March 2010

King's School Tynemouth

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King's School in Tynemouth was originally founded in Jarrow in 1860 but moved to its present site in 1860. It is a private co-educational school with over 800 pupils aged between 4 and 18. The school was originally called Tynemouth School and did not become known as The King's School until the 1960s. The school's name refers to three kings, Oswin, Osred and Malcolm III who were buried at nearby Tynemouth Priory.

Saturday 20 March 2010

North Eastern Railway

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The North Eastern Railway (NER) was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined; in 1923 it was was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) This photo is a tiled map at Tynemouth station showing the extent of its network during its heyday.

Friday 19 March 2010

Cliff's Bakers Confectioners

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a remnant of the old shopping ways when most communities had a local bakers, butchers and greengrocers shop.

Thursday 18 March 2010

www.globegallery.org

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the Globe Gallery on the corner of Saville Street and Howard Street in North Shields is an unexpected gem, well worth a visit for anyone interested in the arts. see: www.globegallery.org

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Sir James Knott Memorial Flats

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the Sir James Knott Memorial Flats were built on the north bank of the Tyne in North Shields in 1938 with funds provided by the Sir James Knott Trust.

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Old High Light

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Trinity House of Newcastle upon Tyne first installed naviagtion beacons on the River Tyne in 1536. The building shown here was constructed for this purpose in 1727. It was replaced in 1807 by the new High Light beacsue of changes in the river channel

Monday 15 March 2010

Pride of the Tyne

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Pride of the Tyne, one of the two Tyne ferries, seen recently on a slipway at South Shields for maintenance.

Sunday 14 March 2010

Quakers' Hole Wetland Project

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Quaker’s Hole is a small area of wetland on the edge of Whitley Chapel village,a few miles south of Hexham in Northumberland. It covers about 6 acres of land which is held by the Parish Council on a 99-year lease from Northumberland County Council. It has been developed and protected with the aid of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Saturday 13 March 2010

Stan Laurel

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Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on the 16th June 1890. He grew up in Bishop Auckland, County Durham where his father was a theatre manager; he later attended Kings School, Tynemouth. He lived in Dockwray Square, North Shields, from 1897 to 1902 where this statue was erected in 1989 . He was to become one half of the famous Hollywood comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy. He died on 23 February 1965 aged 74.

Friday 12 March 2010

Maritime Chambers,

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Maritime Chambers
in Union Square, North Shields was built in 1806-7 as a subscription library for Tynemouth Literary and Philosophical Society. It was later occupied from 1895-1980 by the Stag ( shipping) Line Ltd, which was one of Tyneside's oldest family owned shipping companies. The building still bears their 'Stag' emblem, Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside.The building is now the North Tyneside Registrar's Office.

Thursday 11 March 2010

( not the) The old Borough Treasurer's Office

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This fine looking building is on the corner of Howard Street and Charlotte Street in North Shields. At least part of it was once the old Borough Treasurer's Office. An estate agents premises spoils the frontage with a modern and out of character facade; the building also houses the Exchange Bistro. Since posting this , Novocastrian has helpfully pointed out it was the old police station ( see comments below). The Treasurers's office is on the extreme left.

Wednesday 10 March 2010

The High and Low Lights

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These pictures show the High and Low Lights on the north bank of the River Tyne at North Shields. Because of the difficulty of navigating ships into the mouth of the river past the dangerous Black Midden rocks, buildings were erected with permanent lights burning to be used as a guide by ships entering the river. The Old High Beacon was built in 1727 and this was replaced in 1802 by the High and Low Lights, which are today private residences.

Monday 8 March 2010

North Shields Salvation Army Citadel

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The Salvation Army Citadel on Howard Street in North Shields was designed by John Dobson in 1811. It was built originally for a Church which was established in 1759 by the Reverend Joseph Wilkinson. The original church was known as the Scotch Church because by deed the Minister had to be a licentate of the Church of Scotland.

Saturday 6 March 2010

A flock of seagulls.

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The Spanish Battery car park at Tynemouth is a popular spot for visitors taking in the view and also for the local gull population who know that a regular supply of leftovers from fish and chip takeaways will be theirs. The North and South piers at the river mouth can be seen here behind the excited flock.

Friday 5 March 2010

Wm. Wight, North Shields Fish Quay.

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Wm. Wight is to be found on the Fish Quay at North Shields and was founded after the Second World War by William Wight who provided the local fishing fleet with stores and provisions. It is still going strong to this day, with business from the general public making up for the decline in the local fishing fleet.
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"When I first started you came down at six o'clock in the morning and opened the doors and you had a flood of ships cooks coming in putting in their stores orders for the next day or that night depending on the state of the tides- when these boats went out fishing they had to catch the tides to catch the fish. So the boat came in at seven o'clock in the morning and you had to be out at, say, the fishing grounds for seven o'clock at night, well the steaming time between sometimes they were screaming for the stores because if they got out there and missed the tide and missed the fish they could miss out on a couple hundred boxes of fish which in those days were a lot of money." Martin Wright , the son of the founder.

Tuesday 2 March 2010

The Campaign for an English Parliament

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Unlike Scotland and Wales, England does not have a political assembly of its own to legislate on those matters that only affect people living within the geographical area of England. Now that Scotland and Wales have their own legislatures to deal with such matters devolved by Westminster to them, some people believe the 'English' are somehow missing out, and and one such group, The Campaign for an English Parliament , was in Newcastle yesterday carrying their message to the Geordie Nation. A much cheaper and easier solution would be to bar Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland members of the United Kingdom Parliament from voting on matters that only affect England. http://www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/evolutionofparliament.cfm

Monday 1 March 2010

Tyne Departure

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The tugboat Rowangarth helps manoeuvre the Norwegian ore carrier Rainbow out of the Tyne. To the rear can bee seen the Bull Ring Dock redevelopment underway at North Shields