John Dobson Street to become a tree-lined boulevard

Tree-lined boulevards are not something I normally associate with Newcastle City Centre, and the track record of the council in respect of greenery in the city has not been good.  OK they probably tick all the boxes on urban green spaces, in no small part due to the Town Moor - a park which according to Wikipedia is larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined (and larger than New York's Central Park), but greenery in the city centre is generally pretty sparse.  The last attempt of something coming anywhere close to resembling a tree-line boulevard was the planting of trees outside the central libary when it opened in 2009.  These were soon vandalised and destroyed, probably after a NUFC derby defeat, but were never replaced (nor are there plans to - the trees are absent on the above video).  

This could be about to change!  John Dobson Street is to become a Tree Lined Boulevard. Newcastle City Council has announced what they call as the “biggest investment in its roads for a generation”, with ambitious plans to turn John Dobson Street into an attractive  tree-lined boulevard. The plans include widened pavements, a dedicated two-way cycle track with limited vehicle access.

http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/re-newcastle-transport-improvements/john-dobson-street-improvements

The soon-to-open Sustrans cycle hub and cafe on the Blue Carpet will complement the flagship cycling route.  They have already installed new bike racks outside the proposed 'hub'.

I think the plans look good. Widened footpaths, improved crossings, raised junctions, cycle routes, reducing unnecessary traffic, are all good measures to improve the experience for pedestrians and cyclists alike. But, unless something is done about the number of buses speeding through the city centre, these measures may not have the desired impact.

Gateshead flyover

It's a great flyover this, architecturally speaking, well at least I think it is, but it's absolute no fun been stuck on it for 50 minutes, as I was yesterday, or stuck under it for 15 minutes today. Dunno what's going on with the traffic this week. Ridiculous. Gridlocked everywhere. 

MEA House gets English Heritage Listing

Gleaming with pride in the Winter sun, MEA House, Newcastle celebrates its listing status with English Heritage.

"MEA House was the first office purpose-built to house multiple voluntary organisations under one roof, demonstrating the growing social relevance of the ‘third sector’. Designed in the early 70s by Ryder and Yates, its unique, innovative design dispenses with the need for columns, instead suspending the building slabs from deep beams within." http://heritagecalling.com/2015/01/28/14-of-the-finest-post-war-offices-designed-by-leading-architects/

I loved this building as soon as it was built back in 1974.  The mirrored glass exterior was unlike any other building in Newcastle at the time and was reminiscent of skyscrapers in American cities.  It is looking a bit dilapidated nowadays, especially the surrounding walkways, but the listing status may now encourage some money to be spent on its upkeep and refurbishment.

Lets hope it can avoid tubs of Artex in future!

http://novumcastellum.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/mea-house-staircase-artex.html

Sustrans to open a bike workshop and cafe

Sustrans encourages us to "commute with confidence"

Back in September 2013, I blogged about a new cafe that looked to be opening in the Fusion bar / Supershop premises on the Blue Carpet: 
http://novumcastellum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/new-cafe-bar-for-blue-carpet-square.html.

Nothing came of this and the premises have remained empty ever since.  But, I have now heard that Sustrans - the "leading charity enabling people to choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys" are set to open up a bicycle hub where cyclists can leave their bikes securely and have a shower.  As well as promoting walking and cycling for our regular journeys, they will have people on hand to give advice on cycling and safe routes. There will also be a cafe on the premises.  Sustrans plan to move their Newcastle office to Higham House, above the cafe. 

Newcastle Winter sun - John Dobson Street

Newcastle in the Winter Sun - Grainger Street

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:

http://novumcastellum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/ls-lowry-sailors-bethel-newcastle.html

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/