Sophie and I have started going out again for photo shoots now that winter is (supposedly) behind us, and in February Sophie wanted to ‘do’ the bridges over the Tyne. The weather was cool but with blue skies so off we went.
History Bit
The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson, comparably to their Sydney Harbour Bridge version.These bridges derived their design from the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. The bridge was completed on 25 February 1928, and officially opened on 10 October by King George V and Queen Mary, who were the first to use the roadway, travelling in their Ascot landau. The opening ceremony was attended by 20,000 schoolchildren who had been given the day off. Movietone news recorded the speech given by the King.
The Tyne Bridge’s towers were built of Cornish granite and were designed by local architect Robert Burns Dick as warehouses with five storeys. But the inner floors of the warehouses in the bridge’s towers were not completed and, as a result, the storage areas were never used. Lifts for passengers and goods were built in the towers to provide access to the Quayside; they are no longer in use.
This was the first bridge we walked over, taking pictures of the views across the rooftops and of the other bridges.
As you walk up to the bridge, the Cale Cross building looms above you. An environmentally friendly (hmm) office building housing loss adjusters, insurance consultants and accountant types, great views from the top I should think.
On to the bridge and you can see the Sage concert hall through it to the left.
Looking over the rooftops
chim-chim-cheree
Roof garden π
Looking back towards Dean Street
Nice stone work
View of the Swing Bridge, The High Level Bridge and the blue Queen Elizabeth 2 metro bridge behind it.
Sailors
The top end of the Cathedral can be seen poking above the roof tops, you can see pictures and read about the cathedral HERE
The Moot Hall is a Georgian building dating from 1812, with the courtrooms restored to Victorian design from 1875. Described on completion as the most perfect specimen of Doric architecture in the North of England, the Moot Hall has a columned portico to the front, whilst the design of the rear is based on the Parthenon in the Athens. You can see Newcastle Castle behind it and see & read about it HERE
and finally looking back from the end of the bridge to Newcastle.
Next we move on to the High Level Bridge, but that’s Part 2 for another day π
Stay tooned!
fraggle ~ rocking a camera across the Universe 
Good evening π
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and to you too π
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tHANK YOU VERY MUCH π
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I love those bridges. And the Tyne Bridge is so iconic, featured in many films. Your shots are all spot-on too.
I even wrote about that bridge on my blog!
https://beetleypete.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/architectural-admiration-6/
Best wishes, Pete.
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Will have to check that out π
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Great shots! I can imagine walking through some of the streets, across the bridges.
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Thanks Naomi π
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Much as I like a good bridge its the chimney pots that got me, great shots of things you wouldn’t normally see.
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Hah I would love to do proper rooftop shots but think I’d probably kill myself. cheers Ed π
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Fabulous!
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Thanks π
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This is a great selection of pictures fragg. I am having such a good time looking at your architectural photography that is so different from what one would point a camera at in the part of the world I live in. Gosh, 100 years is old here.
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Thanks N-man, I love the architecture of Newcastle, so diverse.
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I bet the kids who got that day off of school remember it better than most of the days they spent at school!
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Bearing in mind it was 88yrs ago there might not be any left! π
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Lovely shots, it was like walking next to you. π I especially liked the view back on Dean street and the iconic bridge, so beautiful.
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Thanks π
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Seems like a place to walk and touch, so many textures and materials on it; also the kid on me would love to climb the bridge (hehe I guess policemen would love to restrain me to do it xD)
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A few people have climbed it, and been arrested after π
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Beautiful. You’ve made them glamourous if just for a moment. Strange to think of a bridge opening being so celebrated…and that we still use it 100 years on.
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There’s a stone bridge further north from me that was built in 1611 and is still in use, will have to go and shoot it one day π
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It’s been a while since I’ve been to Newcastle, but the bridges there do very much stick in my mind.
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I’m in awe Fraggy!!!! those buildings.. that town.. wow absolutely stunning. something we don’t see here.
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I remember visiting Newcastle-On-Tyne on one of my trips to England with my dad years ago.
It was a very beautiful place I recall. π
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It still is, if you have any photos of that time it would be well cool to see them.
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My dad sadly died from cancer 8 years ago and since his will was never found, I had a legal battle with my sister over his estate which I lost.
I lost track of so many of his possessions including his vast collections of photos, drawings, sketches, watercolours and oil paintings.
I still remember to this day his sitting by the stream in the Scottish borders town of Jedburgh and sitting there with his chair and canvas and painting pictures of the ruined Abbey there and other historic landmarks of the town.
And he was soon surrounded by a vast array of townspeople looking at what he was doing.
One would think they had never seen an artist before.
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