Newcastle Quayside photo opportunity

A guy I worked with years ago, knowing that I had a bit of interest in photography, would frequently recommend that I walk along the quayside to take a photo through one of the mooring rings on the quayside.  By carefully picking your ring, ahem, you can use it to frame all of the bridges for an interesting photo!  Twenty odd years later I decided to try this with a mobile phone camera - unfortunately, the metal railings that have been installed now prevent you from completely lifting the rings, and do tend to get in the way a bit; but at least there is now an extra bridge to capture!

Newcatle City Wall - Gallowgate / Newgate Street

There used to be a music shop on Gallowgate, on the ground floor of International House, where I used to go to to by guitar strings and sheet music in the 1980s.  Upstairs in the shop, I was intrigued to find an old stone wall with a hand written card attached to it describing that this was part of the old city walls.  I loved that - the unexpected discovery of something historic and ancient in such a mundane setting - a bit like seeing parts of the Roman wall next to a housing estate in Denton Burn on the West Road A69 out of the city.

The music shop was replaced by an electrical shop "Electromode" in the 1990s and I was pleased to discover that the wall and the same placard were still there.  Not sure what is there now (Global Cafe on the ground floor) but I wonder whether they still have the brickwork exposed?

As you can see in the photos, the rear wall of the Gallowgate buildings are built partially on the 13th Town Wall.

Mea house staircase Artex

eeh, me mam did that!

I don't like graffiti and I don't really understand the motivation of those who deface the urban landscape with spray paint.  I concede that some graffiti has some artistic merit, but mindlessly tagging every available blank wall with spray paint, like a dog has to piss on every lamppost, is anti-social at best. Why do it?  Is it for fame, infamy, notoriety, self expression, look at me!, making one's mark, recognition, legacy. I don't know, but I suspect it is perhaps all of the above. I do know that it was with certain amount of pride when I spotted these splashes of paint on a staircase leading to the raised pedestrian walkways around Mea House when out running the other day. My mam dropped a tub of Artex down these stairs in the late 70s / early 80s, which spilled on to the footpath at the bottom and all over the bottoms treads.  As you can see, some of it is still there!  Wehey!

UPDATE: Note to Council: it wasn't really my mother who spilled the artex, honest. She does, however, admit to assisting in the extensive cleanup operation afterwards.

The last house in Newcastle to get electricity

The last house in Newcastle to get electricity was probably a house near Brandling Park.  I went out for a run today and headed up towards Jesmond.  I've run through Brandling park many times but I did not realise that this was close to where my great grandmother lived up in the 1970s.   I remember going to her house when I was very young and it was quite scary experience - a dark room shrouded with heavy black curtains.  There was a huge cast iron fireplace range - just like something you would see in the houses at Beamish museum.  

Her house was next to the Royal Grammar School and I remember her giving me a rugby ball which she had confiscated after it had landed in her garden. Also nearby was a Dunlop factory or offices at which my mother used to work.   I couldn't identify the house and I definitely remember this alleyway be in the Terrace.