Remembering HISTORIC NEWCASTLE - Old Photos, Maps, even Stories . . .

[maxtoon]

Originally Posted by WilfBurnsFan

But what would it be used for? How many derelict theatres/cinemas does a city need? At the moment there's only the Paramount/Odeon, Pilgrim Street and no-one can think of what to do with that.

I rather like the Newgate Centre, though part of the reason - it's nice and peaceful - may underlie its commercial demise. Anyway, I also like its rational modernistic lines, though it's a shame it was roofed over in the 90s.

I also fear for the future of the independent businesses there. I doubt there will be such variety in whatever replacement is built.

ooh .. did someone mention Paramount/Odeon .. ahh ... the glory days !!

image hosted on flickr
.. 1930's

image hosted on flickr
.. 1990's

[johnnypd]

like many grainger town buildings i imagine they would've demolished the interior and build a more modern building behind the facade.

[Newcastle Historian]

Originally Posted by maxtoon

ooh .. did someone mention Paramount/Odeon .. ahh ... the glory days !!

Ah yes, my favourite, along with The Queens Hall, ABC Haymarket, and The Pavilion of Newcastle's big auditorium cinemas. Even though it was still open and successful in your 1990s photo (above) before it moved to the Gate (and 'spookily' . . became The Empire . . .) didn't the front of the building (the self-same building) look so much better in its 1930's guise than in its 1990's one?

Still (in the 90s) a part-lovely cinema internally, even though converted to screens 1, 2, 3 and 4!

[maxtoon]

ok .. here's an interesting one .. any of you care to have a guess as to where this 1960's picture was taken

image hosted on flickr

[Chatton11]

Well I'm stumped. It looks familiar but I can't place it. Go on, tell me it was demolished long before I was born, let alone I moved to Newcastle....

[Newcastle Historian]

Originally Posted by maxtoon

ok .. here's an interesting one .. any of you care to have a guess as to where this 1960's picture was taken

image hosted on flickr

When I lived (as a child) in the Elswick area, much of the area to the south of our house (and further south of both Elswick Road and Westmorland Road) looked just like this, as there was wholesale demolition going on. It was great fun to explore these areas, and was particularly great at this time of year, collecting loads of wood for our bonfire in the back lane of Crown Street, down from Kingsley Terrace!

But, I don't think it is Elswick.

It occurred to me that it could be 'St Thomas Street' area, just up from Haymarket, as there used to be a small 'United coach-park' just like the one in the photo, in that area until the houses/flats just behind Eldon Gardens were built.

So, it looks like that area, but I don't really recognise any of the buildings.

In fact, is it in Newcastle (my 'area of knowledge') at all?

Over to YOU!!

[maxtoon]

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

When I lived (as a child) in the Elswick area, much of the area to the south of our house (and further south of both Elswick Road and Westmorland Road) looked just like this, as there was wholesale demolition going on. It was great fun to explore these areas, and was particularly great at this time of year, collecting loads of wood for our bonfire in the back lane of Crown Street, down from Kingsley Terrace!

But, I don't think it is Elswick.

It occurred to me that it could be 'St Thomas Street' area, just up from Haymarket, as there used to be a small 'United coach-park' just like the one in the photo, in that area until the houses/flats just behind Eldon Gardens were built.

So, it looks like that area, but I don't really recognise any of the buildings . . .

image hosted on flickr


In fact, is it in Newcastle (my 'area of knowledge') at all?

Over to YOU!!

Yes.. it certainly is Newcastle

It's actually the last remnants of the little known Carliol Square Railway Station !!

Some of the goods yards beyond the gate house were being used as a bus compound. This whole area and the surrounding buildings were in the process of being demolished to make way for the central motorway.

.

[Godscrasher]

If anyone is on facebook search for a group 'old photos of Newcastle west end' Theres tons and tons of old photos in there from around the whole of Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.

[hollow man]

Here's a question for you Historian, to what extent was Tyneside bombed during WW2? For such an industrial powerhouse of the day, we seemed to get off quite lightly didnt we?

[gregstone]

There is a very detailed list of North East incidents during the war at http://www.bpears.org.uk/NE-Diary/Inc/Dindex.html - a number of raids, some heavy and some minor, mostly around 1941-2.

Heaton seems to come off worst for some reason - in addition to the major damage to the Manors area and goods depot, the worst single incident was a direct hit on Guildford Place which killed around 40, and the area seemed to get more hits than other parts of the city, though the west end, Fenham, Jesmond, and Walker / Walkergate also got hit.

[johnnypd]

there was a big incident in North Shields as the underground shelter at Wilkinson's lemonade factory took a direct hit, killing 107 people, 41 of them children under the age of 16.

[Newcastle Historian]

Originally Posted by gregstone

Heaton seems to come off worst for some reason - in addition to the major damage to the Manors area and goods depot, the worst single incident was a direct hit on Guildford Place which killed around 40, and the area seemed to get more hits than other parts of the city, though the west end, Fenham, Jesmond, and Walker / Walkergate also got hit.

Yes, Guildford Place was very badly hit, see photo . . .



The photo shows the results in Guildford Place, of a raid on the night of 25th April 1941. There were heavy caualties throughout the Heaton and Byker areas of Newcastle, especially in the mentioned Guildford Place and Cheltenham Terrace.

The above photo shows the 'clearing up' process in Guildford Place the next day, and bodies were still being recovered from here, five days later.

Unidentified bodies were buried in a common grave, in Heaton Cemetery.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by hollow man

Here's a question for you Historian, to what extent was Tyneside bombed during WW2? For such an industrial powerhouse of the day, we seemed to get off quite lightly didnt we?

I think i vaguely recall during a documentary (cant remember the name of it BUT it was the one presented by Ant and Dec) it mentioning that Tyneside didnt suffer as badly as the rest of the country because Hitler was keen on using it as some sort of industrial capital once he defeated us. Not sure how a) good my memory is and b) how true this was

[Irish Blood English Heart]

It certainly appears that Sunderland suffered a lot more than Newcastle, Hull too suffered greater than any other city (other than Coventry and London). I also heard that Durham was targeted but on the night the planes arrived it was blanketed in fog so was saved, so the nazi's just dropped their bombs randomly hitting some obscure village. Any truth in this?

[Newcastle Historian]

World War Two Bomb Damage in Newcastle

Originally Posted by hollow man

Here's a question for you Historian, to what extent was Tyneside bombed during WW2? For such an industrial powerhouse of the day, we seemed to get off quite lightly didnt we?

While not hit as often as some other cities, we certainly did have some very bad air raids. Gregs 'list' in Post 102 is very interesting, I had not seen that before (I'll add it to the LINKS in the Website List thread I think).

In addition to the photo in Post 104, of Guildford Place, I have a few others that show the devastation caused during the war.

Matthew Bank is the bombsite in Newcastle that I (personally) know best, as I drive past it a lot and you can clearly make out exactly where this took place, by the 'newer houses' built just after the war. The raid took place on 29th december 1941 and was one of the most severe raids on Newcastle. Five people were killed in these houses on Matthew Bank . . .


A bomb crater and severely damaged house at 'The Oval' in the St Anthony's area of the City . . .


The remains of the 'Old Spillers Factory' after an air raid on 2nd July 1940. On that night it is thought that the actual target was the High Level Bridge . . .


Perhaps the most 'famous' bombsite though, was in the City Centre. The impact of the attack on the "Manors Goods Yard" in New Bridge Street, was felt for many years, (as has been said) because it lay desolate until the short-lived WARNERS CINEMA was built there in the 1990s (Now City Campus East of Northumbria University of course). The New Bridge Street Goods Station took a direct hit on the night of 1st/2nd September 1941. The station was packed with railway wagons, many of which were able to be hauled out by volunteer staff. The blaze continued for two days and was fought by firemen from all over Northumberland and Durham, as well as Newcastle. This photo shows firemen 'damping down' the ruins . . .


It is interesting to compare the above destruction with the old photo of the undamaged Manors Goods Yard, posted by johnnypd on 28th October 2009, at Post 98 of this thread - copied below . . .


These PHOTOS are all (except Johnnypd's) from the book "Gone But Not Forgotten 5, Newcastle At War"

[maxtoon]

Some sad but very interesting images there Historian ..

here's the derelict site you mentioned back in 1982 showing the 'still standing' remains of the old Manors goods yard .. also notice platforms 1 & 2 of the old Manors North Station in the foreground and the ghostly metro station beyond !

image hosted on flickr

[johnnypd]

^surreal image, looks like some sort of no man's land

[johnnypd]

Old Chain Bridge between Scotswood and Blaydon:



image hosted on flickr

[Irish Blood English Heart]

Any pictures of the old Redheugh Bridge? You can still see where the old roadway for the bridge arrived on the Gateshead side today where a road just finishes in mid air.

[Newcastle Historian]

All three Redheugh Bridges, over the years . . .


The first Redheugh Bridge in 1876 . .



The second Redheugh Bridge (built 1901) in 1967 . .



The current Redheugh Bridge, taken in 1983 . . .