Newcastle Upon Tyne in the 20th Century

An early 20th century postcard;
 not only the track layout but the signal gantry is impressive.

Electric trams began to run in the streets of Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1901 but they were in turn replaced by buses. Laing Art Gallery was built in 1901, Shipley Art Gallery opened in 1917. The first cinemas in Newcastle opened in 1909.

Redneugh road bridge was built in 1900. King Edward VII railway bridge was built in 1906. Hatton Gallery was founded in 1925 and the suspension bridge, Tyne Bridge, was erected in 1928.

John G Joicey Museum opened in

1934. Discovery Museum opened as a museum of science and industry in 1934. It was renamed in 1993. In the 1920s and 1930s the council built the first council houses in Newcastle, many more were built after 1945.

Shefton Museum opened in 1956, the Museum of Antiquities opened in 1960. Furthermore a new Civic Centre was built in  1968. In 1969 it was given a Civic Trust award. Eldon Square Shopping Centre opened in 1976. Furthermore two sculptures were made by the David Wynne, the River God Tyne and Swans in Flight.

A new Central Library was built in 1968, Newcastle Arts Centre was built in 1988 and Monument Mall Shopping Centre was built in 1992.

In the 20th century coal exports declined dramatically. The last coal mine within the boundaries of Newcastle closed in 1956. Shipbuilding also dramatically declined. During the 1930s Newcastle suffered from mass unemployment.

However. after 1945, as manufacturing industry contracted new service industries grew. More and more people were employed in public administration, retail and education. Newcastle University was formed in 1963. Newcastle Polytechnic was founded in 1969. It was made a university in 1992.

Meanwhile Newcastle Military Museum was founded in 1983. Stephenson Railway Museum opened in 1986.

Newcastle Upon Tyne in the 19th Century

Here is the tram shed in action during 1937.

In 1801, at the time of the first census Newcastle Upon Tyne had a population of 28,000. It grew rapidly. The population of Newcastle reached 53,000 in 1831. the boundaries were extended in 1835 to include Byker, Westgate, Elswick, Jesmond and Heaton. The population of the borough reached over 87,000 in 1851. By 1901 it had risen to 215,000.

In years 1825-1840 the centre of Newcastle was rebuilt. This was mostly the work of three men, John Dobson - an architect, Richard Grainger - a builder and John Clayton - the town clerk. All three have streets named after them. Dobson designed Eldon Square and Grainger built it 1825-31. A man named Thomas Oliver designed Leazes Terrace. Grainger built it in 1829-34. Dobson designed and Grainger built Grey Street in the 1830s. It was named after Earl Grey prime minster 1830-34. (Earl Greys monument was erected in 1838). Grainger also built the market named after him.

A new Theatre Royal was built at that time, Leazes Park was laid out in 1837 and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary built in 1844. Like all 19th century cities Newcastle was dirty and unsanitary. An epidemic of cholera in 1832 killed 306 people. Another epidemic in 1848-49 killed 412. The worst outbreak was in 1853 when 1,533 people died.

However there were some improvements in Newcastle during the 19th century. After 1818 the streets were lit by gas. In 1836 a modern police force was formed. In 1858 a Corn Exchange (where grain could be bought and sold) was built. So was a Town Hall.

In 1838 a railway was built from Newcastle to Carlisle. It followed by one to Darlington in 1844 and one to Berwick in 1847. In 1849 a railway bridge, High Level Bridge, was built over the Tyne to connect Newcastle to London. Queen Victoria opened central railway station, which was designed by Dobson in 1850.

In 1862 a memorial was erected to Stephenson. A swing bridge was erected in 1876 and Hancock Museum opened in the present building in 1884. The first public library in Newcastle opened in 1878. From 1879 horse drawn trams ran in the streets of Newcastle.

The first public park in Newcastle, Leazes was opened in 1873. In the 1870s the rest of Town Moor was laid out as parks, Brandling Park opened in 1880.

A new diocese was created in 1882 and the Church of St Nicholas was made a cathedral. Newcastle became a city, also in 1882 a drapers shop in Newcastle became the first shop in the world to be lit by electricity.

In the early 19th century an alkali industry flourished in Newcastle but it had died out by the end of the century. The pottery industry and the glass industry also declined. During the 19th century shipbuilding continued to be important. So did the iron industry, mechanical engineering also prospered in Newcastle.

Newcastle Upon Tyne in the 18th Century

The West Gate Road site in 1810

By the mid 18th century the population of Newcastle had risen to around 20,000. In the later 18th century the city spread beyond the walls and suburbs were created.

In the last part of the 18th century work began on demolishing the walls and the gates at Newcastle since they impeded traffic.

Although there was much poverty in Georgian Newcastle Upon Tyne (as there was in all cities) there were some improvements. In 1711 Newcastle gained its first newspaper. In 1736 an assembly room was built where balls were held and card games were played.

In 1751 an infirmary was built in Newcastle. In 1777 a dispensary was opened where the poor could obtain free medicines. In 1755 Newcastle gained its first bank.

After 1763 the streets inside the walls of Newcastle were lit by oil lamps and night watchmen patrolled them. (Although it is unlikely they were very effective). A customs house was built in Newcastle in 1766. The Theatre Royal was first built in 1788. However in 1773-81 a new bridge was built over the Tyne after the Medieval one was destroyed by a storm.

In the 18th century private companies began providing piped water but only a small number of people could afford it. For the wall off life in Newcastle was more comfortable and more refined than before. In the later 18th century the salt industry in Newcastle declined but a pottery industry began to flourish,

History of Newcastle

Medieval Newcastle upon Tyne

The city of Newcastle Upon Tyne was founded at the lowest place the Tyne could be easily crossed. In 1080 the Normans built a wooden fort to safeguard the crossing. They also erected a wooden bridge. (The 'new castle' rebuilt in stone in the 12th century). Soon a little town grew up in the shadow of the new castle and was named after it. In the Middle Ages towns often grew up by castles because the garrisons provided a market for the townspeople's goods.

Medieval Newcastle Upon Tyne prospered partly because of the wars between the English and the Scots. There was much traffic through Newcastle and travelers spent money there.

Newcastle Upon Tyne also became a busy port. In the Middle Ages the main export was wool. (Wool was by far England's most important export). Hides, grindstones and lead were also exported. Newcastle also famously exported coal, from the 13th century onward. Much of it was exported to London where it was used in many industries. Imports included alum and luxuries such as spices and wine.

Newcastle also had a shipbuilding industry in the later Middle Ages. The first record of a ship being built there was in 1294, there was also a rope making industry (ropes being essential for sailing ships). There was also a leather industry in Newcastle. There were skinners, tanners, saddlers.

Wool cloth was manufactured in Medieval Newcastle. First it was woven, then is was fulled. In other words it was pounded in a mixture of water and clay to clean and thicken it. Wooden hammers worked by watermills pounded the wool. When it dried the wool was dyed, in Newcastle there were also the same craftsmen you find in any medieval town such as butchers, bakers, brewers and smiths.

In the Middle Ages there were 2 fairs in Newcastle, fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year and they would attract buyers from all over Northumberland and Durham. Furthermore in the late 13th century walls were built around Newcastle - a sign of its growing performance. There were 7 main gates and 19 towers.

The church was very important and powerful in the Middle Ages, there were 4 churches in Newcastle, from the 13th century there were also friars. The friars were like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world they went out to preach. In Medieval Newcastle there were Franciscan friars (known as grey friars because of their grey costumes), Dominican friars, (known as black friars) Carmelite friars (white friars) Trinitarian friars and Austin friars. There was also a Benedictine nunnery in Nun Street. There were also several 'hospitals' run by the church in Newcastle. In them monks cared for the sick and the poor as best they could.

Newcastle Upon Tyne had a mayor as early as 1216. In 1400 it was made a county in its own right separate from the rest of the county. By then Newcastle had a population of around 4,00. It would seem tiny to us but by the standards of the time it was a large town.

Newcastle Upon Tyne in the 16th Century and 17th Century
In 1539 Henry VIII closed the friaries in Newcastle. In 1540 he closed the nunnery. However, Henry also founded a grammer school in Newcastle which was incorporated in 1600.

In the 16th century exports of coal boomed and it overtook wool as the town's main export. It is estimated that in 1500 and about 15,000 tons of coal were exported from Newcastle each year. By the mid 17th century that had soared to around 400,000 tons a year.

By 1600 the population of Newcastle Upon Tyne has risen to about 10,000, By the standards of the time it was a large and important town. In 1635 a writer called Newcastle 'the fairest and richest town in England inferior for wealth and building to no city save London and Bristol'.

In 1642 came civil war between king and parliament. Newcastle sided with the king but in 1644 a parliamentary army laid siege to the town, Newcastle surrendered in October 1644.

In the late 17th century coal exports continues to boom so did the shipbuilding industry in Newcastle. Rope making also flourished. Lime was made in kilns for fertilizer. Salt was made from seawater. The water was heated in pans to evaporate it and leave behind a residue of salt. From the late 17th century there was a glass making industry in Newcastle. By the early 18th century there was also an iron and steel industry, another industry in Newcastle was clay pipe making.

At the end of the 17th century the travel writer Celia Fiennes described Newcastle Upon Tyne as a noble town. She said it resembled London more than any other town in England. The streets were broad and the buildings were tall and made of brick or stone.

The Sage

Sage Gateshead is an international home for music and musical discovery, bringing about a widespread and long-term enrichment of the musical life of the North East of England.

The Sage Gateshead contains three performance spaces; a 1,700-seater, a 450-seater and a smaller rehearsal and performance hall, a Northern Rock Foundation Hall. The rest of the building was designed around these three spaces to allow for maximum attention to detail in their acoustic properties.

Structurally it is three separate buildings, insulated from each to prevent noise and vibration travelling between them. The gaps between them may be seen as one walks around inside. A special 'spongy' concrete mix was used in the construction, with a higher-than-usual air capacity to improve the acoustic. These three buildings are enclosed (but not touched) by the now-famous glass and steel shell. Hall One as intended as an acoustically perfect space, modelled on the reowned Musikverein in Vienna. It's ceiling panels may be raised and lowered  and curtains drawn across the ribbed wooden side walls, changing the sound profile of the room to suit any type of music. Hall Two is a smaller venue, possibly the world's only ten-sided performance space. The building's concourse was designed to be used for informal music-making. Below the concourse level is the Music Education Centre, where workshops, community music courses and day-proofed rooms, one of which is also a recording studio.

The building is open to the public throughout the day. Visitors can see rehearsals, soundchecks and workshops in progress. It has five bars, a brasserie, the "Sir Michael Straker Cafe", and "The Barbour Room" - a multi-purpose function room which holds around 200 people. There was also "ExploreMusic": a technologically well-equipped musical branch of Gateshead public library, stocking books and current magazines covering all aspects of music, a CD library with listening posts, and computers with free internet access, subscriptions to music websites and music software. However this was closed in March 2011 owing to funding cutbacks to Gateshead Council, who funded this particular part of the building.

The fact that the main entrance doors to the western end of the building are still not working properly, seven years after the building's opening, was described as "disappointing" by centre general manager Anthony Sargent in the North Music Trust's 2010-11 annual report. As of February 2012 significant work has begun on improving the entire Western entrance to the building, including brand new disabled and fire access doors and reinforced revolving doors. As of March 2012 this has now been completed.

The Baltic

The notion of BALTIC began in 1991 when Northern Arts (now Arts Council England North East) announced its ambition to achieve 'major new capital facilities for the Contemporary Visual Arts in Central Tyneside'.

Construction began in 1998: only the south and north facades of the original 1950s building were retained. A new structure consisting of six main floors and three mezzanines was secured between the facades which contained 3000sqm of arts space (four galleries and a flexible performance space), artists' studio, cinema/lecture space, shop, a library and archive for the study of contemporary art and the Rooftop Restaurant on Level 6.

An additional two-storey structure: The Riverside Building, was constructed to the west of the main building, providing the main entrance into BALTIC, which looks out across Baltic Square and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art opened on Saturday 13 July 2002. The inaugural exhibition, B.OPEN, featured work Chris Burden, Carsten Holler, Julian Opie, Jaume Plensa and Jane & Louise Wilson, and attracted over 35,000 visitors in the first week. Since the BALTIC has exhibited 186 exhibitions, worked with 358 artists and presented from 5 countries around the world.

In April 2013, the BALTIC welcomed its 5 million visitor.

The founding director, Sune Nordgen was appointed in 1996 and after close to 6 years, left to take up a new post as founding Director of the National Museum for Art, Architectural and Design, Oslo, Norway. He was briefly succeeded by Stephen Snoody, who went on to become Director of the The New Art Gallery, Walsall and from 2005 Peter Doroshenko, who went on to accept the role of Director with the prestigious PinchukArtCentre in Ukraine.

BALTIC was delighted to welcome Director Godfrey Worsdale as Director of BALTIC who took up his new position in November 2008. Following an immensely successful time as Founding Director of mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Godfrey Worsdale joins BALTIC with over 15 years of experience in gallery management and programming.

Toffee Factory

Toffee Factory is a beautifully refurbished new building providing high quality, contemporary serviced office space for a range of digital and creative businesses, from start-ups in a shared workspace to larger offices for established companies. Thoughtfully designed by local architects xsite, and furnished with both design classics and locally produced furniture and art work. Located in the heart of The Ouseburn area  of Newcastle adjacent to the Quayside, it is within walking distance of the City Centre and the Railway Station with good transport links by road and a frequent local bus, Q2, dropping off near the door.

The Ouseburn has a unique community feeling of its own with excellent pubs and places to eat on the doorstep: The Tyne Bar, The Free Trade, The Cycle Hub Cafe, The Cluny, The Cumberland Arms and Ouseburn Farm are just a stroll along the river away. There is even accomodation at the neighbouring Hotel du Vin. Meeting rooms are available for hire for our internal companies for free. Toffee Factory also has an Event Space for external hire with a fixed projector and seating for up to 70 people. The Toffee Factory is a landmark building located at the mouth of the Ouseburn Valley in Newcastle upon Tyne.

As with many other sites and buildings in the Valley, it has a long history of different uses that reflect the changing fortunes and roles of the area itself, and gives insight into the lives of the people who have inhabited the building over the years. The Toffee Factory occupies the South Western corner of Lower Steenbergs Yard, with two sides formed by nine metres retaining walls holding up Ouse Street and the Glasshouse Bridge. The Yard itself is a strip of land between the small Ouseburn river and the retaining wall to Ouse Street, running from Cut Bank to the Quayside Road. From there, a narrow tunnel provided the only access.

In 1870 Newcastle Corporation decided  to develop a 'Foreign Cattle Yard and Slaughter Shops' at the north end of the site. This was a response to the increasing importation of live cattle from abroad, particularly from Scandinavia. The corporation  purchased the land in 1872 for £83,000 and agreed a contract with Henry Hudspeth in 1877 to build a 2-storey sanatorium that could hold up to 635 cattle and 3,000 sheep. The building has since been demolished, but the ramp that was used to get the cattle in and out of the Yard is still a prominent feature.

Livestock imported to Newcastle Quayside could now be sent directly to this new facility, to be quarantined for a minimum of twelve hours and if found free from disease to be then transferred to open pens for sale and subsequent slaughter.