31 August 2016 - The Croft Campsite, Warden Law, Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne & Wear

We decided  today would be a good day for wandering about the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and so headed off to South Hylton, the last station on the metro line that runs south to the Sunderland area. We had several false starts, because our Tomtom did not understand we were unable to turn right at one junction, so ended up driving more distance than necessary.

Our day tickets, able to be used on buses, trains and the Tyne Ferry should we so desire, cost is  £4.80 each, a far cry from what parking in the city might costs us, without taking into consideration  the emotional stress of doing so. 

We disembarked at Central Station and walked up steep Grainger Street, the first of many from which we would appreciate the grand Victorian architecture that graces this city. Unable to find the Information Centre, now relocated to somewhere else other than that marked on the maps dotted around the streets, we found our way to the Library where the lovely folk there armed us with a tear off map and a little booklet summarising all the attractions we should seek out, most mirroring those listed last night.

Grey's Monument

Our first destination was the Laing Art Gallery, close to the library and offering some absolute gems. We enjoyed the 18^th and 19^th century paintings on the first floor, most by artists with a Northumbrian connection. But it’s not a gallery to spend a day in and we were soon back out on the street, now heading to the wide and busy pedestrianized Northumberland Street, where we found a bench to sit and listen to a trio of busking musicians competing with a cat walling pipe player further up the street. Alas the traditional and conservative tunes were popular with the more aged of us eating our cut lunch or just chilling, but not so much with the change-carrying youth whizzing by. 

Fed and watered, we headed back along the street, stopping to admire Grey’s Monument, erected between 1837 and 1838 to commemorate Earl Grey, he of the tea, and a local politician who was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834, and to celebrate the passing of the Reform Act 1832, which attempted to stamp out corruption and increase the number of people eligible to vote. This was one of the first steps to building the democratic parliamentary system Britain has today.  

The monument itself has a story to tell; it was paid for through public subscription and should have stood 150 feet high, however funds were short, so it was built only to 134 feet.

Pedestrianised streets

In July 1941, over a hundred years after its erection, during World War II, lightning struck the statue and the Earl’s head fell onto the tram lines below. Luckily the heavy stone head did not injure any passers-by, but a local journalist reported that the damage included most of the head but that the Earl’s chin was still up. A decision was made to keep the damaged head, with an aim to replace it once the war was over. The damaged monument became a symbol of community determination in wartime. The head was eventually re-sculpted in 1947.

Down on the river bank, we walked along Quayside, from where the seven bridge crossings within the city centre area can be seen. The most prominent is the Tyne Bridge completed in 1928, which is said to closely resemble Sydney’s Harbour Bridge. With a little imagination, one might agree, especially when you consider that they were both built by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough. This here in Newcastle is, however, a very much smaller version.

Gateshead Millenium Bridge

The most recent is the lovely Gateshead Millenium pedestrian bridge, the world’s first tilting span, designed to pivot to allow ships to pass. We were too late to see the day’s opening, today only at midday, however we did cross it taking in all the wonderful views on offer. 

The bridge allows for easy access to the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts. Here we took the external glass lift up to the fifth floor of this converted flour factory which ceased its commercial operations in about 1982. There is a restaurant on the top floor, and the fifth boasts a glass box that protrudes out toward the river, again offering splendid views. 

Tyne Bridge

One floor down there is The Playground Project, a massive mecca for children, and then the next three floors are exhibition spaces for art. The gallery consists of 2,600 square metres of art space, making it the United Kingdom’s largest dedicated contemporary art institution. Today there were works by Caroline Achaintre, Jumana Emil Abboud and Christiana Soulou. While not all the artwork was to our taste, we certainly found it interesting.

We crossed back over the pedestrian bridge and walked back along the quay, now even busier with diners and drinkers in the many restaurants and cafes along the way. As we started back up the hill toward the retail area, we spotted a multi storied Jacobean building, or what appeared so. Further exploration revealed “Bessie Surtees House”, two merchants’ houses on Sandhill that were built in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. We were surprised to find that this is the home to the North East regional branch of English Heritage and delighted to find exhibitions on the first floor, open free of charge to all and sundry. It is a Grade I listed building.

The house is best known as the scene of the 1772 elopement of Bessie Surtees and John Scott, who later became Lord Chancellor. The very first floor window that Bessie climbed out through to reach the stage coach for Scotland is clearly indicated in the exhibition. I was impressed with her great determination.

Like so many old buildings, it was neglected for some years, but was rescued and restored in 1931 by the Right Honourable Standish Robert Gage Prendegast Vereker, later Lord Gort, which must have been a relief for those addressing him.

Then again it fell into disrepair in the second half of the 20^th century. In 1978, it came into the ownership of Tyne and Wear Metropolitan County Council, and the organisation began carrying out restoration work. The House was leased by English Heritage in 1989.

We had been on our way up to the cathedral, but with this little bonus delay, decided to leave further exploration of the city for another day, and made our way back to Central Station. The trains run very regularly, so we only had to wait five minutes or so. Back in South Hylton, we were relieved to find our car there and in one piece, and soon joined the late afternoon traffic to head back to camp.