Halloween

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somewhere on a Tyneside doorway

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

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The Theatre Royal has been at the heart of Newcastle's cultural life since it was opened in February 1837; it is located on the on the magnicient Grey Street at the heart of Grainger Town and is currently hosting the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of The Winter's Tale. The actor Sir Ian McKellen has praised the venue as his favourite theatre.

The Call

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The Call by Benno Schotz, 1937-38.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

windows

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Sir William Burrell gave his amazing collection of over 9,000 works of art to the City of Glasgow in 1944. The collection is vast and is contained in a museum known as The Burrell which was purpose built for the collection and opened in 1983. Architectural features from the collection have been integrated into the structure of the building, like the windows you can see here.

Evening Reflections

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this was taken at dusk on the riverfront in Glasgow; the building on the left is the Crowne Plaza Hotel; that on the right is a concert hall, known locally as 'the Armadillo; the building in the middle is, I believe, an exhibition building; look closely and you'll see a rainbow.

the swimmer

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a large scale painting under a flyover section of the M8 motorway in Glasgow

Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow

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Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art opened in 1996 and is housed in the old Royal Exchange

dusk at Bell's Bridge, Glasgow

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once a great shipbuilding river, the Clyde, like many other old centres of industrial excellence in the UK, has witnessed regeneration. Here can be seen a surviving relic of a long gone age, a crane from the 1930's reflected in the windows of the BBC Scotland HQ.

Tyne Port Health Authority

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the Port of Tyne Health Authority was established in 1879 to help stop the spread of imported diseases from foreign-going shipping on the Tyne. The Authority occupied this building in South Shields from 1886 until 1985.

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Newcastle University

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A School of Medicine and Surgery was founded in Newcastle in 1834 becoming the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1963. Its coat of arms, shown here, are those granted to it when it was called King's College.

getting ready for Halloween

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a gruesome welcome at a shop in Royal Quays Shopping Centre, North Shields

"watch yer heed!"

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Built in around 1430, the Cooperage is one of Newcastle's oldest buildings. Until very recently it was a working pub/bar, but is currently closed. This photo is of its main entrance; 'heed' is Geordie for 'head'.

the Tyneside Cinema

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Described by The Guardian newspaper as "perhaps the finest independent cinema in the country" the Tyneside Cinema occupies a building designed and built in 1937 by Dixon Scott, the great-uncle of film directors Ridley and Tony Scott. The cinema , after years of decline, reopened in May 2008 following a £7 million pound refurbishment and restoration which included 2 additional screens in addition to its original art deco main theatre.

The cinema specialise in World, Independent and "Art-House" films but mixes these with an occasional blockbuster. It is a real gem and a delightful antidote to its multiplex alternatives. The extension and redevelopment was designed by Fletcher Priest Architects.

Retro

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Retro is a delightful shop which sells an eclectic mixture of bric a brac , jewellery and furniture from decades gone by. The shop is on Churchill Gardens in the Newcastle suburb of Jesmond.

Bluegrass on Tyne

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Shop mannequins watch a fine band of young Bluegrass musicians busking near the Monument in Newcastle City Centre

sex in the city

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a sexual health advert, Newcastle city centre

Pilgrim Street

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many of the buildings on Pilgrim Street, of which this is one, are either empty, derelict or otherwise crying out for redevelopment.
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Pilgrim Street was once a much more important and illustrious thoroughfare, running northwards within the old city walls and leading to the long-gone Pilgrim Gate on the north wall of the City. The street's name has two probable origins; one being that pilgrims passed through Newcastle on the way to visit St Mary's Chapel in Jesmond, now an inner city suburb ; the other being that the friary of Greyfriars nearby contained relics of St Francis, the founder of the order, and pilgrims travelled up Pilgrim Street to see them.

Walker

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a flank wall at the end of a row of terrace houses still still displaying the colour scheme of the demolished house next door. This is in the Walker district of Newcastleupon Tyne ; Walker is a relatively poor and run-down residential suburb to the east of the city. Its name derives from the old English Wall and the Viking Norse kjerr meaning marshy woodland So the name means marshy woodland by the wall; with the wall referring to the old Roman Wall which ran through the area on its way to Wallsend (Segedunum.)

View from the Keep

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This picture was taken on Saturday morning from the top of the Castle Keep (12th C) ; in the distance can be seen the Black Gate (13th C) and St Nicholas Cathedral (14th C). In the foreground are students from St Chad's College ( founded 1904) Durham University.

Monument

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Masonic Cribbage Board

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Cribbage is a card game that involves playing and grouping cards in certain combinations which gain points. The Cribbage board, is used to record the points. This board , on display at Beamish Museum, is inlaid with the principal symbolic tools of Freemasonry, the square and the compass.

The Merchant Navy Memorial. South Shields

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thousands of merchant seamen who sailed from South Shields lost their lives in World War II. This monument was unveiled by Countess Mountbatten of Burma on 19th September 1990 in their memory.
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Some boys, too young to join the armed forces, joined the Merchant Navy and many were to perish in the conflict. One of these was William Hills, Deck Boy, Age 14, of the S.S. Rio Azul who died on 29th June 1941. Son of Robert and Charlotte Hills, of South Shields, Co. Durham.

Victory to the Miners...Victory to the Working Class

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Once a redundant grain warehouse The Baltic, on the Gateshead side of the Tyne, is now a centre for the contemporary visual arts.

time and tide.......

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...wait for no man
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Holy Island, Northumberland,

the causeway Holy Island

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Holy Island , off the coast of Northumberland, is cut off from the mainland twice a day by the tides. This photo, taken yesterday shows the road just beginning to be covered by the encroaching waters

The High Light, North Shields

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The High Light building, located above the quayside of North Shields, was built in 1808, and together with the Low Light building helped guide ships into a safe channel on the River Tyne . The High light is now a private house.

The 'new' Low Light, North Shields

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The tall white tower seen here was built between 1808-10 by Trinity House, Newcastle, to replace the Old Low Light which served as a navigational aid to ships. When aligned with the `new` High Light higher up the river bank to the West it indicated a safe shipping channel to vessels entering the river Tyne. At the top right of the picture can be seen some of the ruins at nearby Tynemouth Priory.

The Customs House. South Shields

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The former Customs House, on the South bank of the River Tyne, was built in 1848 and now houses a 441 seat theatre, a gallery, a restaurant and cafe and a community room that holds up to 100 people.

Newcastle Civic Centre

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Newcastle Civic Centre was designed by George Kenyon the city architect, and was completed in 1967. It was officially opened by King Olav V of Norway on 14 November 1968.
This photo shows the installation on the tower roof on which can be seen some of the symbols of this proud city. The castles represent the Norman castle from which city took its name. The original castle was built in 1080 under the orders of Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. The seahorses represent Newcastle's past as a seaport.