New Year's Eve Winter Carnival

Newcastle's annual New Year's Eve Winter Carnival was held this evening, culminating in a firework display at the Civic Centre.

Pan Haggerty

Pan Haggerty is a restaurant on Newcastle's Quayside.

Tel und Gina's

Tel und Gina's Bratwurst booth at the Sunday Market on Newcastle's Quayside

tinsel warrior

in a shop window in Newcastle upon Tyne

sole food

a Garrafish salon in Newcastle upon Tyne. This  recent pedicure craze has raised health concerns.

in Palestine a long time ago...

Newcastle All Stars

The accomplished Newcastle All Stars Steel Orchestra entertaining shoppers at Grey's Monument recently

rainbow

part of the protest encampment at the base of Grey's Monument in Newcastle upon Tyne.

not working

these were seen on Sunday at the market on Newcastle's Quayside

Cycling Santa

This cycling Santa was spotted on Sunday at The Baltic on Gateshead's Quayside

Xmas grotto

in a garden at a house in the Heaton suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne

Burke & Norfolk

The current exhibition at Side Gallery on Newcastle's Quayside contrasts photography from two Afghan wars separated by about 130 years.

Side Gallery is one of Newcastle's cultural gems, please visit it if you have a chance to do so.

Unit 44

Unit 44 is a superb Gallery specialising in 'street' art , and is to be found in Hoults Yard , Newcastle upon Tyne. The gallery celebrated its 1st Birthday last night.

Hoults Yard was once a depot for Hoults removal company but has been re-developed as a location for creative media businesses. The site is run by Charlie Hoult.

Xmas cheer on Northumberland Street.

The Mask on Northumberland Street

rent a reindeer

this forlorn looking creature was  in a pen on Newcastle's Grey Street this afternoon

Turner Prize at The Baltic

and a Pardew in a Pear Tree

a festive advert at the club shop at St James Park, home of Newcastle United FC

Turner Prize 2011

The Turner Prize finalists are currently on display at  The Baltic in Gateshead .This year's winner is Martin Boyce

Xmas Decorations by Helena Seget

These delightful porcelain Xmas decorations are made by Helena Seget in her studio at Lime Street Studios in Newcastle upon Tyne

uphill struggle

 a street in Newcastle's artistic quarter in the Ouseburn valley

Dear Newcastle

Dear Gateshead

Gateshead is Newcastle upon Tyne's nearest neighbour divided only by the River Tyne. The two places are increasingly marketed as one entity  'Newcastle Gateshead'

Open Your Eyes

Many public sector workers are on strike today in protest against Government plans to alter their pension entitlements. Protest 'camps' have also sprung up in various city centres, including a small one at the base of Grey's Monument in Newcastle, where this picture was taken.

Newburn Church

Newburn  is about 5 miles to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne and  has a long history dating back to Roman times during which it was the most easterly fordable spot on the River Tyne. There has been a church on the site since at least the 11th Century.

mushrooms

mushrooms in Blaydon Burn Nature Reserve, a few miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne

Clara Vale War Memorial

Clara Vale  is a small former coal mining village to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne . Its war memorial is unusual as it refers to the dead 'of  the colliery' rather than the dead of the village.The memorial bears the names of the 56 men employed at the Colliery who were killed during the Great War. The site was a gift from the Stella Coal Company which owned the colliery. The memorial also lists the names of two men from the village who died during the Second World War

navigation lights

Navigation Lights on the River Tyne near Bill Quay

VR

this is an old Victorian, now unused, post box on the International Paints site at Gateshead on the River Tyne. International paints are part of the AzkoNobel Group which is a Global Fortune 500 company.

Clara Vale Lodge Banner

 

In 1889 two shafts of Clara Vale Pit ,in County Durham, were sunk by the Stella Coal Company. In 1897 the pit produced 180,000 tons of coal and at its height employed nearly a thousand men.  The pit was nationalised in 1947and  was closed in 1966 for economic reasons. The old lodge banner hangs in the Community hall which was once the village school.