[Blabbernsmoke]

I do not have any pictures of Glasgow, but people are welcome to post some as I think it has many similarities to Liverpool.

I spent four days in Newcastle last week and liked the city very much (it is much better in the week as it becomes a bit raucous at the weekend.) There is something about the unique accent and the very friendly people that reminded of Liverpool. Not to mention the fact that it is a port city with lots of wonderful architecture. During the week especially, the place feels very safe, friendly, and laid back. Check out these piccies I took...

The River Tyne and its 7 bridges. The Quayside is fantastic for a strole, and there are some decent bars along there.

The city council building. A modernist master piece, both inside and out.

Beautiful Georgian and Victorian streets. With high quality, chewyless paving.

(Look familiar? ^^)

The Byker "wall" estate. By far the most pleasant and interesting council estate I have ever visited.

The Newcastle underground is very similar to Liverpool's, except there are more actual underground stations. They don't seem to have the strange brown seating in theirs. I noticed that there are one or two underground malls that complement the Newcastle stations. Also, the Newecastle system seems to have street access via stairways (like in Barcelona.) It's a shame they didn't do this on Church St in Liverpool, and perhaps there is a strong argument for having a tube station at PSDA.

Owen Luder's brutalist car park from the film "Get Carter", on the Gateshead side. The box on top was supposed to be a restaurant. This structure is due for demolition in the next year or so. There is no access to the top, but from the seventh level there are superb views of Newcastle...

It's taken me bloody ages to make this with my dial-up connection. So please contribute piccies and thoughts people!

:cheers:

 

[Pietari]

Good work Blabbs,

Nice Pics.....

Your poor feet must be killing you - no wonder you managed to find some pubs along the way.

Although I don`t think that is a problem in Newcastle.....one brownie point already.

:cheers:

 

[scouserdave]

Blab, Newcastle means nothing to me. For some reason, always had a strong affinity with Glasgow. I worked on the fairground in Butlins Minehead one summer many years ago and the Scousers, Glaswegians and the Valley lads (Rhonda) got on great with each other.

My Dad served with the Royal Engineers in the early 50s, spent most of his time in Libya and Egypt. He told me the Scousers and Glaswegians always stuck together and they formed most of their footy team.

 

[Bachy Soletanche]

Dunno about Newcastle, but Glasgow is well worth checking out.

 

[woody]

Newcastle pics................

Great set of pics Blabbs. I was in Newcastle last Sunday, visiting a relative in Royal Victoria Infirmary, drove over the Tyne bridge in pic # 9.
It is a very pleasant city, clean with lots of greenery and of course the locals are just brilliant ,very friendly.

I came back yesterday from 3 days in Dusseldorf and it reminded me of Newcastle ( well just a bit ) narrow river lots of bridges long promenade with plenty of :cheers: and just as bloody cold. Agree with you Blabbs a nice city to visit and plenty of interesting architecture.

PS. Blabbs you should post your pics on the Newcastle Forum, I amsure the geordie boys would appreciate your efforts

 

[Newcastle Guy]

Very nice pics, and I am happy you enjoyed Newcastle I'm not trying to sound biased but it does have some excellent architecture from different times. And I think the quayside has got to be one of the best river locations in the country, with the sage and all the bridges, and the atmosphere at night etc...

 

[Newcastle Guy]

Not my own, but good ones none the less

The tower you can see on the Gateshead side is due for a reclad soon I believe

 

[Pietari]

Regarding Newcastle, (by the way, Welcome Newcastle Kid.....nice pics.)

Wasn`t (old) `Eldon Square` - very Georgion and one of the finest Georgion squares in the country knocked down to build the new `Eldon Square` (ie, 60`s/70`s)

http://www.eldon-square.co.uk/index.mhtml
http://www.eldon-square.co.uk/transforming_eldon/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldon_Square
http://www.ejr.ndo.co.uk/geoeld.html

Right location no doubt - just a pity about the collateral damage.

Not unlike putting a shopping centre on Abercromby Square - Liverpool.

At least `L1` (PSDA) is more or less going on a WWII war damaged site by and large.

 

[Liverpool8]

I like seeing pictures of other cities. It fuels my conceit about this one. Never been to Newcastle but from your pics, it looks like another English town with a Victorian 'core' to me, nice enough but no 'feel' of Liverpool in the way Dublin or New York can feel familiar to a scouser. For me, to have a Liverpool 'feel', a city needs to have a wide river or be facing the open sea. It's an expanse of water thing.

 

[Paul D]

I definitely feel a connection with Glasweigians but Geordies are very down to earth and I like that,great pics Blabbs.

 

[woody]

Well worth a visit.............

Very nice pics, and I am happy you enjoyed Newcastle I'm not trying to sound biased but it does have some excellent architecture from different times. And I think the quayside has got to be one of the best river locations in the country, with the sage and all the bridges, and the atmosphere at night etc...

Be as biased as you like you have a lot to be proud of. Just need a few high risers and more development on the Gateshead side.

 

[woody]

Don`t knock it till you`v tried it...............

Never been to Newcastle but from your pics, it looks like another English town with a Victorian 'core' to me, nice enough but no 'feel' of Liverpool in the way Dublin or New York can feel familiar to a scouser. .

L8 Visit Newcastle at the week end and you will get the "feel" :cheers:
The Quayside has a similar atmosphere to Ropewalks, vibrant ,raucous and edgy ,you will enjoy the experience.

 

[Liverpool8]

L8 Visit Newcastle at the week end and you will get the "feel" :cheers:
The Quayside has a similar atmosphere to Ropewalks, vibrant ,raucous and edgy ,you will enjoy the experience.

I'll put it on my long list of places to visit at the weekend.

 

[Newcastle Guy]

I'd like to visit more UK cities, I havent been to many. I tend to visit the smaller ones and the lake district etc...

 

[Louis1986]

the third picture of Newcastle in the first post has an edinburgh feel about it!

 

[Toadboy]

I quite like Newcastle and its people but I don't buy into the sister city aspect. There's an argument for Liverpool and Glasgow, even Dublin being from the same mould - trading places, outward looking, world cities.

Newcastle is very provincially English to me but with a charm that other provincial English cities of a certain size don't have (Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield etc) and a real character.

Glasgow - I love the place and the people. Load of people from England and even Scotland hate Glasgow and the Glaswegians but I think it's because they miss the point - Glaswegians are proud of their city but aren't so insular as to not aspire or dream of the reast of the world - they don't care much for the UK Londoncentricity and carved out their own niche on the planet and you see that in the architecture, the scale of the place and definately in the people.

 

[Andrew]

I like seeing pictures of other cities. It fuels my conceit about this one. Never been to Newcastle but from your pics, it looks like another English town with a Victorian 'core' to me, nice enough but no 'feel' of Liverpool in the way Dublin or New York can feel familiar to a scouser. For me, to have a Liverpool 'feel', a city needs to have a wide river or be facing the open sea. It's an expanse of water thing.

No disrespect to the photographer but the pics do not do large parts of the city (in particular the Quayside) justice. This is no fault of the photographer or his photos, it's a great set of shots, but those presented simply dont give the sense of scale of the quayside or it's unique character. It's a very difficult thing to capture in images and can only really be experienced by being there.

And I think the quayside has got to be one of the best river locations in the country, with the sage and all the bridges, and the atmosphere at night etc...

I agree, personally I think Newcastle's quayside is one of the most impressive urban riversides in the UK. It definately has got that 'feel' that you're talking about. You cannot see it in these pics but to stand on the quayside near the Tyne Bridge is to stand at the bottom of a river valley with steep sides and buildings all the way up. The majority of the bridges span the whole valley not just the river itself. The Tyne bridge was built above the roofs of buildings up to about 6 stories high. The east coast mainline runs right through the city centre on a huge viaduct with stone arches over many of the city's streets.

Standing at bottom of Dean Street (which is a continuation of Grey Street) where it meets the quayside you get an almost Gotham City feel as the road is relatively narrow, the buildings comparitavely tall, the gradient of the street is particularly steep and the stone arch of the railway viaduct as well as the steel structure of the Tyne Bridge loom way overhead, above the roofs of the old buildings.

Newcastle truely has one of the best city centres of any city in the UK, it's heritage is excellent and so much remains (although unfortunately so much was also destroyed, sadly mostly by short sighted city planners in the mid 20th century, not the war). It's city centre and it's riverside are easily up there with Liverpool's, yes the river is narrower (but then if it was as wide as the Mersey then we wouldnt have the amazing set of bridges we have now) and we dont have anything like Liverpool's 3 graces but character is one thing that Newcastle does have, dispite the best efforts of various planning authorities over the years to get rid of it!

 

[Tony Sebo]

Nice threrad, nice pics, and nice, non contentious posts from peole bigging up their respective burgs..!

Interesting theme as well Blabb, it should help to illuminate this North West identity thing that so riles our friends down the road.

Like most others who have posted, I rellay like Newcastle, as I do Manchester and Leeds, but when it comes to profound notions of identiy, kinship there are cities who Liverpool has affiliations with that we should concentrate on more than the false construct (we're going to become like actors, not being able to mention 'the scottish play' by name for fear of bringing down a commotion).

Dublin and Glasgow are Liverpool type of towns.. and the nicest thing is that it is reciprocated... no conditional warmth so long as we know our place, if you know what I mean?

 

[Blabbernsmoke]

No disrespect to the photographer but the pics do not do large parts of the city (in particular the Quayside) justice. This is no fault of the photographer or his photos, it's a great set of shots, but those presented simply dont give the sense of scale of the quayside or it's unique character. It's a very difficult thing to capture in images and can only really be experienced by being there.

Couldn't agree more. You do have to visit the Quay side to appreciate the scale, and the contemporary feel. Pictures aren't enough. I do have more pics but I'm tired of uploading on this slow connection. A shot from the Tyne bridge towards the Millenium bridge would capture that area well me thinks.

Thanks Sebo, and others for comments. I've been meaning to start this thread for ages. These 3 cities are probably my favourite UK cities.

I've left a link on the Glasgow forum so hopefully we'll get some piccies and opinions from them.

:cheers:

 

[rolybling]

I like seeing pictures of other cities. It fuels my conceit about this one. Never been to Newcastle but from your pics, it looks like another English town with a Victorian 'core' to me, nice enough but no 'feel' of Liverpool in the way Dublin or New York can feel familiar to a scouser. For me, to have a Liverpool 'feel', a city needs to have a wide river or be facing the open sea. It's an expanse of water thing.

Yes when I went to NY I automatically thought it was the spit of Liverpool :runaway: