Newcastle

Newcastle initially grew from a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius which had a population of approximately 2,000. When the Romans left Britain in 410 A.D, Newcastle was absorbed by the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria and was known as Munucceaster (often modernised to Monkchester) but, unfortunately, conflicts with the Danes in 867 almost destroyed the settlements along the River Tyne.

In 1080, following the Norman invasion of Britain, Robert Curthose (Son of William the Conqueror) built a wooden castle in Newcastle (because of its strategic position) which became known as Novum Castellum or New Castle. In 1087, the wooden structure was replaced by a stone one and was then once again rebuilt in 1172 during the reign of Henry II. Interestingly, Scots King William the Lion was locked up in the castle in 1174.

In the thirteenth century, a huge stone wall was erected around the town to prevent attacks from invaders during the Border War against Scotland. Then, in 1400, Henry IV separated Newcastle from the county of Northumberland and it became a county in its own right known as Newcastle upon Tyne. A new charter was also granted by Elizabeth I in 1589.

During the fourteenth century, the wool trade was the main contributor to Newcastle’s economy, followed much later by coal mining and ship building. It is worth mentioning the Sandgate area of Newcastle, which is where keelmen and their families lived and worked and were responsible for the transference of coal from the river banks to the waiting colliers, for export to London and other places in the UK.

Unfortunately, over 7,000 of 20,000 inhabitants perished in the 1630s during the Plague which was devastating for Newcastle, and, tragically a further 53 people lost their lives in 1854 with the Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead.

A print industry thrived in the area in the eighteenth century and it also gained a reputation for producing excellent flint glass. On the third of June 1882, Newcastle became a city following St. Nicholas’ Church becoming a cathedral.

Newcastle was very important during the Industrial Revolution boasting a great shipbuilding industry and a healthy, heavy engineering sector – which declined in the second part of the twentieth century. It was also one of the first cities in the world to be illuminated by electric lighting and also introduced such innovations as the safety lamp, electric light bulbs and the steam turbine.

In the twentieth century, electric trams ran on the streets of the city but these were gradually replaced by trolley buses from 1935, though these stopped running in 1950. As cars became popular, the roads in and around Newcastle were improved and Redheugh Bridge and Tyne Bridge were opened. The city’s first art galleries were opened in the early part of that century (the Laing Art Gallery and Hatton Gallery) and two museums were also opened at this time: The Museum of Science and Industry and the John G Joicey Museum.

There was a big effort made from the 1920s to the 1970s to replace inner-city slums with council housing and a lot of private housing being built. And in the 1930s, Newcastle witnessed a record rise in unemployment. In addition, 141 people lost their lives during World War II air raids which also culminated in 587 injuries.

The second half of the twentieth century, saw the demise of coal mines, heavy industry and ship yards on the banks of the River Tyne which were partly replaced by the office, service and retail sectors over a period of years. Importantly, Newcastle University was founded in 1963 and a polytechnic in 1969 – which became Northumbria University in 1992.

Today, the city of Newcastle is the most populous in the North East of England and possesses mainly a medieval street layout with alleys or ‘chares’ which need to be accessed on foot. Much of the architecture was designed in the 1830s by Richard Grainger and John Dobson in a style that is called ‘Tyneside Classical’. Many of these buildings are now listed. People of this area are known as ‘Geordies’ and local delicacies are Pease Pudding and Stottie Cake.

Normally, Newcastle is a fabulous place to have a night out with many pubs, bars and nightclubs around the Bigg Market and the Quayside area of the city centre. There is also ‘The Pink Triangle’ on Times Square where many LGBT-friendly bars and clubs are to be found. You could also pay a visit to Chinatown or one of the many other excellent international restaurants in the city.

If you enjoy a trip to the theatre, Newcastle has many to offer like The Theatre Royal, The Live Theatre and The People’s Theatre. There are also annual fairs and festivals to consider attending such as the Hoppings funfair on the Town Moor, Newcastle Beer Festival and Newcastle Mela. The largest music venue is the Metro Radio Arena opened in 1995 and which seats 11,000 people. Some people may be interested in visiting one or more of the city’s interesting museums or galleries, or spending time in Leazes Park.

If you fancy a bit of retail therapy, then why not visit the shops on Northumberland Street or those on Grainger Street and also the area around Grey’s Monument?

Sport is very popular in the Newcastle area and the city boasts the great Newcastle United (not forgetting Newcastle United Women’s Football Club) as well as non-league clubs like Newcastle Benfield. There is also the rugby union team Newcastle Falcons and the rugby league team Newcastle Thunder. If you like Speedway, you could maybe pay a visit to Brough Park in Byker to watch the Newcastle Diamonds. It would be remiss of me not to mention the Great North Run which starts in Newcastle or the great horse racing at Gosforth Park.

So maybe a trip to Newcastle might be a good idea as the city has so much to offer the visitor. You can easily fly into the area at the Newcastle International Airport (situated at Woolsington), use the excellent bus services, Newcastle Railway Station or go via the very adequate road network.

Geordies are reputed to be a very friendly lot, so why not visit Newcastle and find out for yourself!

* With a lot of help from Wikipedia

 

With a lot of help from Wikipedia Newcastle is featured within FTHM Issue 78

Featured Image By Chris Morgan, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link