Newcastle Upon Tyne town guide
The city of Newcastle stands on the north bank of the River Tyne. The river here passes through a shallow gorge, which it is believed was first bridged by the Romans. Downstream are the docks built to handle the traffic that grew with the industrial expansion of the city. Principal amongst this was of course the coal traffic, many colliers have sailed from the Tyne to London carrying coal for heating.
To cater for the ever-increasing traffic passing through the city many great bridges have been thrown across the Tyne in the city, culminating with the Millennium Bridge, a work of engineering that is both functional and graceful. This opening bridge pivots on either bank to allow passage of tall ships, because of its construction it has been dubbed the Millennium Eyelid.
Newcastle has remained an important centre of trade, even as the size of seagoing vessels has increased beyond the capacity of the River Tyne. Regular ferries still connect Newcastle with ports in Northern Europe, including Bergen, Hamburg and Ebsjerg.
No far out of Newcastle the remains of Hadrian's Wall can be found. Stretching from the east coast of England to the west coast, this imposing structure was built to secure the boundary of the Roman Empire against the marauding tribes from the north.
Newcastle is not short of museums and art galleries to visit or for the shopper there is the Metro Centre at Gateshead, one of the largest in Europe. There is even a fun-fair to keep the kids amused.
In South Shields the museum ahs a display devoted to Catherine Cookson, the famous local authoress.
For a quieter time, Kielder Water is the largest man-made lake in Europe. This huge reservoir provides Newcastle with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of good clean water.
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