Newcastle and Gateshead: tourist information, visitor guide, visit photos

	Study, work or travel in the UK. British culture and life.
Homepage	Search	A-Z index	Message Board	Contact us
Britain	Course	Life	Work	Links
English	Prepare	Personal	Travel	Ideas






< Up	Travel / Tours / England / Newcastle
Photos of Newcastle and Gateshead


Sections:	Introduction
	Angel of the North
	Transport
	Bridges
	Buildings & Monuments
	Food & Drink
	Art
	Newcastle United
	Other attractions
	Universities & colleges
	Music
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

Newcastle and Gateshead are cities on the north and south side of the River Tyne (the whole area is known as Tyneside). Newcastle has a population of about 260,000, and the population of Gateshead is about 190,000. The cities expanded during the Industrial Revolution when the area was a major centre for coal mining, steel production and shipbuilding (none of these industries are major employers here these days).

People from Newcastle are known as Geordies. The city has a lively nightlife. The local accent is quite strong (some people may find it hard to understand at first).

Newcastle town emblem

Welcome

Souvenir mugs

A-Z Street Atlas of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland and Durham
Publisher: Geographers' A-Z Map Company
Date: May 2004

Tyneside: A History of Newcastle and Gateshead from Earliest Times
Authors: Peter Alistair Moffat, George Rosie
Publisher: Mainstream Publishing
Date: October 2006

ANGEL OF THE NORTH

The Angel of the North is the largest sculpture in Britain. It is located on top of a hill in Gateshead (an area which was once used for the coal mining industry until the end of the 1960s). You can see it if you come to the area by road or train from the south. It was created by the British artist Antony Gormley, and completed in 1998. It is 20 metres (65 feet) high (the height of four double-decker buses), and 54 metres (175 feet) wide (about the same width as a Jumbo jet). The shape is that of an angel, whose wings are angled slightly forwards as a sign of welcome.

For further information, see: http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/angel or http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/angel

The Angel from the front

View from the back

TRANSPORT

Newcastle and Gateshead are on the route of the first main road / motorway (the M1 and A1). They can also be reached on the east coast railway line from London to Edinburgh (the fastest journeys from London King's Cross take about 3 hours). Within Newcastle and Gateshead there is a convenient local metro system.

Newcastle Central railway station

Metro exit

BRIDGES

Several bridges cross the River Tyne to link the cities of Gateshead and Newcastle.

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a footbridge across the River Tyne which was opened to the public in September 2001. Its unique design allows tall ships to pass underneath by raising the footpath (see picture): this is known as a bridge "tilt". The timetable for tilts can be seen on the website: http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/bridge/bridged.htm

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The Millennium Bridge during a "tilt"

The High Level Bridge was completed in 1849 (it was built at the same time as Newcastle Central train station). It has two levels: the top level is for trains, and the lower one for road transport. The bridge was built by George Stephenson: a man born a few miles outside Newcastle who was a leader in the development of railways and locomotives (see: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RAstephensonG.htm). The Swing Bridge was opened in 1876, and can be rotated to let ships go past.

High Level Bridge

Swing Bridge

The Tyne Bridge was finished in 1928: at that time it was the largest single-span bridge in the world. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge was built more recently and is used by Metro trains.

Tyne Bridge today

Under construction

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge

BUILDINGS & MONUMENTS

Castle keep

Cathedral Church of
St Nicholas

Theatre Royal,
Grey Street

Sage Music Centre: http://www.thesagegateshead.org

Earl Grey monument

Sage Music Centre

Civic Centre

FOOD & DRINK

Newcastle Brown Ale has been brewed in the area since 1927.

Newcastle Brown Ale

Craster kippers

A stottie

Sausage & egg stottie

Chip stall's menu

Chip buttie with gravy

ART

The former Baltic Flour Mill on the Gateshead bank of the Tyne has been converted into one of the largest international centres for modern art outside London. For more information about the Baltic Art Gallery: http://www.balticmill.com.

In the centre of Newcastle is the Laing Art Gallery: http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing.

Male and female nudes on
opposite banks of the river

Baltic Art Gallery

Laing Art Gallery

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Many local people support their football team Newcastle United, which is sometimes called the Magpies. Supporters may be referred to as the Toon army (Toon is a local word for "town"). The football stadium is called St James' Park.

Michael Owen moved from Real Madrid to Newcastle United in September 2005.

Newcastle United's crest

St James' Park

Magpies supporter

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Newcastle has its own small Chinatown in Stowell Street: http://www.newcastlechinatown.co.uk
Life Science Centre: http://www.centre-for-life.co.uk

Chinatown (Stowell Street)

Life Science Centre

UNIVERSITIES / COLLEGES

There are two universities in Newcastle: the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (http://www.ncl.ac.uk) and Northumbria University (http://northumbria.ac.uk).
There are also two further education colleges: Newcastle College (http://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk) and Gateshead College (http://www.gateshead.ac.uk)

MUSIC

Below are some pop musicians or groups who are associated with Newcastle, together with the name of one of their songs. How many of these do you know?

- The Animals singer Eric Burdon ("House of the rising sun")
- Lindisfarne ("Fog on the Tyne")
- Sting ("Shape of my heart" or "Englishman in New York")
- Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler ("Romeo and Juliet" or "Private investigations")
- Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole ("The promise")

Back to top

FURTHER INFORMATION

* Visitor information
Newcastle & Gateshead Tourist Information: http://www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com
Northumbria tourist information: http://www.visitnorthumbria.com
The Crack (young person's guide to what's on): http://www.the-crack.co.uk
City guide: http://www.newcastle.world-guides.com

* Other nearby attractions
Durham: Travel/Tours/England/Durham
Beamish
Alnwick Castle / Gardens
Hadrian's Wall
Holy Island

* Transportation
Train timetables and tickets to Newcastle: Shop/Company/TheTrainline
Coach timetables and tickets to Newcastle: Shop/Company/NationalExpress

* Weather forecast for Newcastle
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2739

* More photos
360 degree panoramic pictures: http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/in_pictures/360_panoramas/local_landmarks/index.shtml

Lonely Planet verdict: Newcastle "Newcastle is a great city, with a fierce sense of pride ... In recent years Newcastle (and adjoining Gateshead) has seen epic new development ... Newcastle's centre has steep 19th-century streets that dive down towards the Tyne, allowing glimpses of the eclectic seven central bridges ... Although Newcastle is dauntingly large, the city centre is walkable, and the Metro underground system (convenient for hostels and B&Bs) is cheap, efficient and pleasant to use" (extracts from "Lonely Planet Great Britain - 2003 edition", used with permission)
	Lonely Planet Great Britain Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: May 2009	Lonely Planet England Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: March 2009
Other Lonely Planet publications

LINKS

Guide to Durham: Travel/Tours/England/Durham
Amsterdam (can be reached by ferry from Newcastle): Travel/Tours/Netherlands/Amsterdam

Introduction to England: Britain/Countries/England
Football: Life/Sport/Football
Transport: Travel/Transport
Accommodation: Travel/Accommodation

Home page: Home

Back to top

© UK Student Life 2002-2009

* Search this website (www.ukstudentlife.com) or the web: