Newcastle and Gateshead I

People who have never visited the North East are frequently unaware of the fantastic architecture to be found in Newcastle city centre. In fact, this city has more listed classical buildings than any other city in the United Kingdom, in particular the wonderful range of buildings in Grainger Town, known as 'Tyneside Classical'. There are also several unique bridges crossing the River Tyne, including the iconic Tyne Bridge, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the High Level Bridge and the Swing Bridge. The past few decades have also seen an increase in the number of attractive modern buildings, typified by The Sage in Gateshead.

The River Tyne walking upriver along the Quayside

The Crown Posada, The Side in 2004.

The Crown Posada is approximately 250 years old and was named by a 19th century owner and sea captain who had a wife in Spain and a mistress in Newcastle whom he installed in the pub. Posada is Spanish for inn or resting place.

The pub has hardly changed at all since the Victorian era. As you enter the pub from the street you step into a long, narrow room, divided by mahogany and stained glass screens into three areas; a tiny snug, a standing area in front of the bar and a comfortable lounge area with seating. There is an old gramophone on the bar which is still used to play records. I have visited this pub on several occasions and have never had a bad pint!

O’Neill’s, Neville Street

In 1971 the British crime film, Get Carter, starring Michael Cane, was released. Most of the action took place in the North East and Newcastle and Gateshead featured prominently. Now, over 40 years later, these places have changed considerably, but it is still possible to pick out a few of the locations used in the film.

One pub that featured in the film was The Victoria and Comet; this was a really rough pub back in the 1960s and was known locally as the Spit and Vomit. The building still stands, although it has been reinvented as an Irish theme pub called O’Neill’s.

The Bodega, Westgate Road, with my daughter, Vicki.

If you would like to taste a range of real ales in Newcastle, look no further than The Bodega. This was originally an old music hall attached to the Journal Tyne Theatre. There are usually 9 real ales on offer; 3 permanent ales and 6 guest ales. The permanents include Durham Brewery 'Magus' (3.8%) and Big Lamp 'Prince Bishop Ale' (4.8%). Weston's 'Old Rosie Scrumpy' (7.3%) is usually available on draught.

This pub boasts a traditional long bar, Victorian stained-glass domes and elaborately tiled floors.

The Bodega, which is Spanish for wine cellar, was originally called The Black Bull Inn, but after closure, it was bought by the Sir John Fitzgerald chain and re-opened in 1995 under its current name.

The Station Hotel, Half Moon Lane, Gateshead

This unassuming little pub is a fine example of the old town pub that is fast disappearing from our streets. It is situated on the south bank of the Tyne in Gateshead, only a short walk from the river and tucked under a railway bridge,

The Station Hotel. Note the narrow, wedge-shaped lounge.

The North East of England seems to have had more than its fair share of engineers and inventors. Perhaps the most famous is George Stephenson, ‘The Father of Railways’ who not only designed and built one of the first steam locomotives, ‘Locomotion’, but built several of the early railways including the Stockton and Darlington railway (the first in the world to carry passengers on a steam locomotive). The rail gauge of 4 feet 8½ inches which he used is now the world’s standard gauge.

George Stephenson’s most famous locomotive is The Rocket which is commemorated by the Wylam Brewery in the name of their Best Bitter.

George Stephenson also designed one of the world’s first miners’ safety lamps which he demonstrated at Killingworth Colliery a month before the scientist Humphry Davy presented his design to the Royal Society. Although the two designs differed, Stephenson was accused of stealing Davy’s idea and Davy was awarded a prize of £ 2,000. Later a House of Commons committee exonerated Stephenson and awarded him £ 1,000. Davy and his supporters refused to believe that an uneducated man could produce such a design – both Stephenson’s parents were illiterate and George Stephenson was illiterate until the age of 18 and paid for himself to learn to read and write.

From an early age George’s only son, Robert, worked with his father on several projects and became a successful engineer in his own right. His many achievements included the ‘Planet’, a locomotive far more advanced than the Rocket. He was Chief Engineer for the London to Birmingham railway and designed and built several bridges, including the Royal Border Bridge over the river Tweed at Berwick and the two-deck High Level Bridge for road and rail from Gateshead to Newcastle.

The Bridge Hotel, Castle Garth, Newcastle

This large, comfortable pub, overlooking the River Tyne, always has a good range of well-kept real ale. At the far end of the bar is a raised area with a good view over the Tyne. There is live music (including folk and jazz) most nights of the week in the 1st floor function room.

One afternoon I popped into The Bridge for a swift half (well, pint) and a bite to eat. The landlady mentioned that she had made a few sspecial Scotch eggs. I couldn’t decide which one I preferred, so I tried them all. This photograph shows the haggis egg, the black pudding egg and the bacon and cheese egg served with piccalilli and home-made chutney. They were all absolutely brilliant!

The Bridge Hotel at night

Football fans will be well aware of the fierce rivalry between Newcastle United and Sunderland AFC. However, the conflict between these two neighbouring cities goes back for several centuries to the English civil war when Newcastle supported the Crown and Sunderland the Parliamentarians. But as you can see, some football supporters still manage to get on very well! This photograph was taken a couple of years ago in The Pickwick Pub in Basle, Switzerland and shows Benji Berger, Vicki Allen and Alan Cassidy.

The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle

The Free Trade Inn, St Lawrence Road. Newcastle

The Free Trade is a traditional pub to the east of the city with a fantastic view over the river Tyne. I dropped in here for a quick bevvy with Terry Smith and was struck by how friendly the people in this pub were.