Newcastle

Before this trip, my only reference to Newcastle was the expression "like taking coals to Newcastle", describing a pointless action. This referenced the fact that in the past, Newcastle was famous for its coal mines, the last of which closed in 2005. I guess I couldn't envision what the city would look like. I certainly wasn't prepared for the glorious Georgian architecture that greeted me.

There was no visible reference to its days as a mining center but, clearly, that history would account for the obvious wealth that allowed such building. Of course, it came on the backs of the coal miners, but don't get me started on my socialist ravings.

We made our way past the Newcastle Theatre Royal

and down the hill to Newcastle Castle.

Sounds a bit redundant, but it's the castle that gave Newcastle its name. The site is divided in two, the Black Gate and the Keep. The railway cuts through the center of the grounds. This is pretty odd, but it was a good solution to the issue of where the railway would be located. Original plans called for the Black Gate to be demolished to make way for the railway, so this seems a good compromise.

There have been fortifications on this site since the Roman times when the area was called Pons Aelius (Hadrian's Bridge.) Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, built a wooden motte and bailey castle in 1080 on the site of the Roman fort. Curthose built this 'New Castle upon Tyne' after he returned south from a campaign against Malcolm III of Scotland. Henry II built the stone Castle Keep between 1172 and 1177 on the site of Curthose's castle. Henry III added the Black Gate between 1247 and 1250. Nothing remains above ground of the Roman fort or the original motte and bailey castle.

During the English Civil War, the Royalist mayor, Sir John Marley, repaired and reinforced the castle against expected attack. In 1644 the Scottish army crossed the border in support of the Parliamentarians and the Scottish troops besieged Newcastle for three months until the garrison surrendered. The town walls were extensively damaged and the forces surrendered on 19 October 1644 from the Castle keep. In the 16th and 18th centuries, the keep was used as a prison. By 1800 there were a large number of houses within the boundaries of the castle, known as the Garth.

The Black Gate now houses a small museum and, of course, a gift shop. The museum's displays are focused on The Garth.

The museum tells the story of the life of the people in the Garth and displays bits that were salvaged when it was pulled down.

From the Black Gate, one passes the Heron Pit, a dungeon or "oubliette" used by corrupt sheriff William Heron,

then under the railway bridge to the keep.

Once inside the keep, there's a small hall which probably served as a place for soldiers, though its exact purpose can only be surmised.

Beneath it is a dungeon where prisoners were kept chained or in stocks, as they awaited trial.

Sheriff William Heron, mentioned above, would charge townspeople sixpence to come and jeer at the prisoners. The money, of course, went into his own coffers.

There is also a room known as the king's room, though there is no evidence that it was ever used by a king. Most likely, it was used by a member of the aristocracy or a high ranking official, since it had its own fireplace and garderobe (toilet.)

The Great Hall is the most impressive of the rooms.

It would have been used as the sheriff's court, with trials being held here two or three times a year. Witch trials were also held here. Just behind the hanging banners are large holes in the wall. This indicates that at some point, there were two floors here, not just one with a vaulted ceiling. The windows high in the wall provide a stunning view over the room.

Off the Great Hall one finds the chapel featuring typical Normal stone carvings.

Also nearby is the Well Room. The keep needed a supply of fresh water to resist a siege. The well here is 99 feet deep.

From the top of the castle there are commanding views over Newcastle.

With so many stairs, this is not a place for the faint of heart, especially because the stairs are not of a uniform height.

Handily, just across the street from the keep is the Bridge Hotel, built in 1901, as the Victorian age became the Edwardian age.

Its leaded glass windows hinted at its amazing interior. Art Nouveau tiles line the entryway

and stained glass windows are all around.

The bar itself is quite grand (ignore the tired, thirsty tourist.)

After a pint for Bruce and a cider for me, we were on our way, Bruce to more pubs, me to wander the city.

Once back in town I found the Grainger Market, a glass covered market with shops and a huge selection of food stalls. In one side hall there are restaurants, though half the hall is blocked off while reparations are being made. (See a pattern here?)

A bit further down the street is the Central Arcade, a gorgeous shopping arcade built in 1906 and designed by Oswald and Son, of Newcastle

As you know from previous posts, I'm a huge fan of these wonderful arcades with their glass roofs and curved glass shop windows. They make me long to travel back in time and experience how grand a shopping outing could be.

A couple of days later I ventured back into Newcastle for a visit to The Biscuit Factory, the UK’s largest independent gallery of contemporary art, craft & design.

It started life as a biscuit factory in 1870, when the first records show the building being referred to as The Tyne Biscuit Factory. Since then the building has been a wallpaper and paint warehouse, a boxed game warehouse and a retail outlet for carpets and kitchen furniture, before becoming a contemporary art gallery in 2002.

It's a gallery, but everything in it is for sale, with prices ranging from about 3 pounds to several thousand pounds. I saw that there was a cafe upstairs so I stopped there first. I ordered what I thought was a light lunch of a sandwich with salad, but what I got could easily have fed two or three people. It's a lovely, airy space with delicious - and generous - food and low prices.

Then it was on to the art. There was something for nearly every taste. I took a few photos of my favorite pieces, wishing I could find a way to get them back to the states.

Me and My Shadow, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, by Darren Dearden:

Deep Blue Sea, oil on board, by Stuart Buchanan:

Ice-bearg Polar Bear, recycled paper and cardboard by David Cemmick:

Electric Leopard, Recycled electrical copper wire, David Cemmick:

I loved this wall of wire sculptures by Zoe Robinson:

Bamburgh Beach, oil on board, by Graham Rider: It reminded me of the dunes of Westport, MA.

On the ground floor there are lithographs, wood block prints, ceramics, glass, and jewelry as well as ornaments and cards. There were countless things I could have bought, were it not for the fact that I'll be travelling for another couple of months (and I'm not wealthy.)

From the Biscuit Factory it was a short walk to the Laing Gallery of Art

which had a really cool piece of sculpture near the entry, the sign on which said, "Please touch."

It was a piece of tactile art aimed at sight impaired people. One side of the piece featured a braille panel which, I assume, explained about the sculpture.

Up the stairs there was another tactile piece made of glass. It was a 3-D replica of the stained glass window above it .

One gallery was showing the photography of Chris Killip. He's widely regarded as one of the most influential British photographers of his generation. His book, In Flagrante, a collection of photographs made in the north east of England during the 1970s and 80s, is now recognized as a landmark work of documentary photography. The photos, in black and white, were a bleak account of the end of the shipbuilding industry on the Tyne.

It was quite moving. Check out more of his images at In Flagrante.

The main collection is housed in two large rooms. The first room is decorated with wonderful murals on the ceiling arch.

The collection spans many genres. I chose some favorites to share.

The Herring Season by Charles Walter Simpson, about 1924:

The Breton Shepherdess by Paul Gauguin, 1886:

In the Springtime by Harold Knight, about 1908-09:

That one reminded me of Lunching of the Boating Party by Renoir.

It was nice to see some female artists represented.

The Flight of Antony and Cleopatra from the Battle of Actium by Agnes Pringle, 1897:

The Beach, by Dame Laura Knight, about 1909:

In the end we all succumb to the pull of the molten core by Glenn Brown, 2016:

One is meant to see two faces, one young & one old in that painting.

There were the requisite Pre-Raphaelites:

Laus Veneris by Edward Burne-Jones:

Isabella and the Port of Basil by William Holman Hunt, 1868:

My favorite was Study of "The Unknown" by John C. Dollman, 1912:

We really just scratched the surface of what Newcastle and the northeast have to offer. Next time I want to rent a car so we can explore the villages along the coast and go inland to see Hadrian's Wall and the Roman ruins scattered along the length of it.