Fenwick's Christmas Windows 1993

Fenwick's Christmas Window display

21 years cannot erase the emotional scars from the last time Alice in Wonderland was the theme for Fenwick's  Christmas display. Is it too soon? I think so. It seems like only yesterday that I recoiled at the ugly contorted face of Alice as she falls through the rabbit hole.  The soundtrack was no better - what with the Queen of Hearts exhortations to "chop off his head" followed by musical refrains of "chop chop chop off his head".  It wasn't well received by the people of the North East either, judging by the bad press it received at the time.

All last week, the windows of Fenwick's Newcastle store were the shrouded in black plastic, as the final tweaks were made to this year's Xmas display which was unveiled on Friday evening.   This annual event in Newcastle, for over forty years now, is hotly anticipated and draws more crowds each year.  This year's theme is Alice in wonderland - AGAIN.  I caught a glimpse of the display this week and was horrified. From 50 yards away, I immediately recognised the vortex representing Alice falling down the rabbit hole - surely not the same display?  On closer inspection, I could see that Alice was not quite as disturbing as the one years ago. Phew!

View of the Tyne from the Baltic

Looking North East from the second floor of the Baltic art gallery.  In the centre of the picture, below the triangle of white (part of the Byker Wall) you can see the old Sailor's Bethel on Horatio Street, which was once painted by LS Lowry:

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Newcastle Vintage Aerial Shot - Guess the Year

Goat Herding on the Tyne: Newcastle Vintage Aerial Shot - Guess the Year: I posted this picture on a Facebook group "Old Photos of Newcastle" to see if anyone could come up with the year the photo was taken.  From the responses I got, the most likely date seems to be 1983.  For me, the main clue has to be the date on which the Tuxedo Princess arrived on the Tyne.  It opened as a floating nightclub in December 1984, but I have no idea how long it had sat on the Tyne before it opened.  The former owner of the Tuxedo Princess, The Michael Quadrini Group, bought the boat in 1982.  In 1983, it was renamed Tuxedo Princess (having previously been called Caledonian Princess - a car ferry operating in Scotland until was retired from service in 1981).

Other clues:

• Manors Metro station opened in 1982 - seen here as the pristine white square building on the upper right hand side of the picture.
• NCP Car Park on John Dobson Street - not yet built but the land has been cleared for construction
• Planning permission for the car park given in 1981&1982
• Further planning permission sought for alterations in 1984 (so the car park had to have been built by then).

Interesting fact: while trying to find out information on the Tuxedo Princess, I found out from Wikipedia that the famous revolving dancefloor in the night club was originally a turntable for maneuvering the cars on deck - the Princess was a roll-on/roll-off car ferry, but it only had a rear set of doors.

Co-Op Clocks

The former Co-Op building on Newgate Street is undergoing a major re-development as it is turned into a Premier Inn hotel.  In 2012, thieves managed to steal the clocks and barometers from the building's two towers. 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-co-op-clocks-stolen-scrap-7273365

They have not yet been recovered, but some replacements have been made and were installed last week.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/clocks-targeted-thieves-historic-newcastle-7943794

These are some photos I took back in 1994 when I had a brief spell working in Newgate House next door (which was demolished to make way for The Gate leisure complex). I was working on the second floor, but the rest of the building was empty so I went for a bit of an explore.  I discovered that there were some excellent views from the top floor, especially from the the former weather centre which looked directly onto the clock.

Town moor run

Too windy for cattle 'worrying', but a lovely day for a bracing and invigorating run instead, especially when engaging in a spot of freikörperkultur.

Darth Vader busker Northumberland Street

Laing Art Gallery Secret Garden

A great spot to sit and eat a Greggs pasty

Newcastle Vintage Aerial Shot - Guess the Year

A few years ago, I salvaged this  5' x 4' wooden photo panel from the rubbish in the basement at work. It had been dumped during a refurbishment of a vacated office in our building.  Although the photo is scratched in parts and has flecks if plaster on it, I thought it was too good to throw away, especially since the photo aerial shot of Newcastle was taken some years ago.  

I have tried to work out when the photo was taken by looking at what was and wasn't built and have come up with an approximate year, but I can't determine the exact date. Can anyone help?

Below, I have zoomed in on sections of this picture, in a rough grid pattern moving top to bottom, left to right. 

From the top right of picture, here is the Town Moor, Exhibition Park, RVI, University, down to Percy Street and Eldon Square.

Percy Street, Eldon Square, Grainger Market

Percy Street / Old Eldon Square down to Bigg Market and Westgate Road, opposite Central Station

Newgate Street / Bigg Market down to the Turnbull Building and the Quayside

Exhinition Park to Haymarket

Haymarket to Pilgrim Street - Dobson Street car park seems to be missing, I wonder when that was built.

Blackett Street / Pilgrim Street to Dean Street and the Castle Keep

St Nicholas cathedral to the river Tyne

The River Tyne

West Jesmond down to about John Dobson Street

"East Pilgrim Street" Northumberland Road to Swan House Roundabout (55 degrees)

Swan House Roundabout down to the Quayside

The River Tyne

Jesmond and Shieldfield to Mea House, Central Motorway and Panden Building

New Bridge Street roundabout over Central Motorway down to All Saints Church and Panden Bank.  Ooh. . . that white concrete square building looks a bit new, what year did that open?

The Quayside, River Tyne, Bottle Bank

Jesmond to Shieldfield

Shieldfield to Melbourne Street

New Bridge Street to Panden Bank and Quayside

Gateshead City of Culture: Part Two

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Trainspotting Part 2: Metro No. 4001

Wehey!  Just found this picture and text from the Tyne & Wear Archive & Museum's Flikr account:

"Prototype Metro Cars - Birmingham Factory 

This photograph shows a prototype rail car being constructed at a Birmingham Factory at some time in 1975.

The photograph is taken from a collection of black and white contact prints documenting the development of the whole of the Metro System in Tyne and Wear.

The images are taken from the Mott, Hay and Anderson Collection, consulting civil engineers responsible for the Tyneside Metro light rail system and the Tyne pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular tunnels.

Most of the photographs were taken by Amber Film Associates and Lambton Visual Aids, 5 and 9 The Side, Newcastle."

https://www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/8692558512/in/set-72157633362537279/

Trainspotting: Metro No. 4001 still in service

I would recognise that dirty battered livery anywhere, and the old Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority logo is a dead giveaway. I'm waiting at Monument Metro station in the centre of Newcatle, for the first time in a long time, counting down the Metro-time minutes till my train arrives. Metro-Time (the displayed minutes between trains) feels like the ratio of dog years to human years .  A metro pulls into the station and I look up to see if it's mine; it's not, but a cursory glance at the rear carriage in the set (yes, the metro comprises two carriages known as a set) and I get an immediate sense of familiarity and recognition, a certain frisson perhaps.

I checked the number on the side of the carriage, just to be sure, even though deep on my heart I didn't need to. It was indeed the 4001. One of the first metro carriages if not the first one in operation. 35 year old and still going strong. Woohoo!  I was slightly taken aback that I knew this fact and recognised the train, but disturbed at the obvious pleasure it brought me - it was like seeing an old friend. It cheered me up. I think I must be a closet train spotter. Such a perfect day!

Stepney bank photo opportunity

I was out for a run today along the quayside and to Ouseburn Valley, a pleasant run until you hit the killer hill of Stepney bank. Usually, I run out of steam half way up and walk the rest of the way to the Tanners pub at the top. Towards the top of Stepney bank there is a car  mechanic's garage specialising in fixing old classic cars - Peugeots think. 

This photo does not do the place justice,  but I have passed here when there has been bright sunshine coming to the skylight, shining like a spotlight onto a classic car elevated on the ramp.  I've always thought it would make an interesting photo with the right lighting and a decent camera.

 

The Queen Opens Newcastle Central Library November 2009

It

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