Newcastle Upon Tyne is located on the Tyne River in Northwest England.  We ended up in Newcastle because Trigere had a conference, so it was ‘worked’ into our trip.  We took the train from Edinburgh to Newcastle – 1.5 hours of coastline and rolling hills. It was gorgeous! In this post we will be featuring a glimpse of the city and the sites we saw.  It’s a great city, but we saw enough of it and will be exploring other English towns next time we are in the area!

City of Bridges

Located on the Tyne River, Newcastle was a major shipbuilding and manufacturing hub during the Industrial Revolution. It’s now a center of business, arts and sciences.  That being said – the city is full of bridges.  To name a couple  – Tyne Bridge (a suspension bridge), Swing Bridge, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, High Level Bridge, Metro Bridge.  It was interesting to learn about each of these bridges and what their main purpose was for the town.

Tyne Bridge

This is an arch bridge over the River Tyne that was designed by the same engineer as the bridge in Sydney Australia. (Tyne bridge was built first)  It was opened in 1928 by King George V.  Tram lines were built into the bridge

Swing Bridge

The Swing Bridge connects Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead.  The hydraulic power is still used to move the bridge and has the ability to move 360 degrees to allow vessels to pass on either side of it.

High Level Bridge

This bridge is a road and railway bridge and was built between 1847 and 1849.  It was the first major example of wrought iron tied arch or bow-string girder bridge.

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

Also known as the Metro bridge, this bridge was specifically developed for the Metro System.  It’s a tunnel on either side and only emerges into open air to cross the bridge.  It was officially opened in November of 1981.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead’s Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank  Opened in September of 2011, this bridge was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II and cost about £22 million to build.  The bridge tilts to allow river traffic to pass.  The bridge takes as little as 4.5 minutes to rotate through the full 40° from closed to open, depending on wind speed. Its appearance during this manoeuvre has led to it being nicknamed the “Blinking Eye Bridge”

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

The BALTIC was located down the quayside from our hotel.  It’s a huge landmark industrial building in Gateshead featuring contemporary art from all around the world.  We spent a couple hours walking around looking at the unique art and enjoyed the beautiful views from the top.  It’s free, so be sure to check it out!

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

 

Another free exhibit, this contemporary art gallery is the largest commercial art, craft and design gallery in the UK.  The building has been restored  – the brick bones of the building still exists, but they have incorporated metal, wood and drywall into the space. The staircase leading up to the second floor is also a piece of artwork itself.  Be sure to check this space out – including the dining room they have for events.

Around Town!

Cheers,