Waterfront (Quayside) in Newcastle / Gateshead in Northern England.

“I remember visiting the waterfront (Quayside) in Newcastle / Gateshead in Northern England. This location includes the River Tyne, and adjoining developments, which literally bridge the gap between the City of Newcastle and the neighbouring town of Gateshead.

For reference, the study area comprises the following key features:

1. The world-famous Tyne Bridge which opened in 1928, and became an early-inspiration for the much larger Sydney Harbour Bridge.
2. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge – the world’s first tilting bridge, opened in 2001.
3. The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art; an imposing Art-Deco style museum located in the remains of a Flour Mill (which opened its doors in July 2002); and
4. The Sage Concert Venue and musical education centre – which opened in 2004.

The study area (shown in red below) was once a heavily industrialized and busy commercial dock side location that served as a focal point for trade and commerce in the City of Newcastle. Towards the end of the C20th the area was in decline, and a longer-term regeneration strategy was produced to forge a new identity for the Quayside. One of the Quayside’s main lasting features is the Tyne Bridge (also known as the “New Tyne Bridge”, which is a Grade 2* listed structure of national significance. The bridge was considered a marvel of engineering at the time of construction and, in many ways, embodies the historic tradition of Northeastern England – as one of the world’s former dominant producers of steel. Around the turn of the Millennium, proposals emerged to construct a new pedestrian-only bridge (The Gateshead Millennium Bridge). The bridge was designed to provide an important new connection to allow recreational pursuits and open up new opportunities for economic development. The bridge has a unique tilting-design which allows larger ships to continue sailing along the River Tyne.

Another close-by feature is the Sage Concert venue, which sits upslope from the water’s edge and has a unique mirrored glass exterior that reflects the changes in movement and colours of the River Tyne. Both the form of the millennium bridge, and the Sage concert venue, were designed to respect the heritage and form of the nearby Tyne Bridge. Other bridges which connect the two sides of the river, and contribute to the unique character and setting of the Quayside, include the low-level Swing Bridge (built in 1876) and the High level bridge (originally built in 1849); which provided important new road and rail connections – allowing continuous travel from London to Edinburgh. Perhaps my most favourite part of the Quayside is the Iconic Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Originally commissioned in the late 1930s, by the Industrialist Joseph Rank Limited, as a dual-purpose factory for the production of flour and animal feed; progress stalled on building the structure until 1948 – after the Second World War. The mill employed hundreds of people until it closed in November 1982. Proposals to transform the Silo building to an Arts Centre first emerged in the 1990s. The final result is a building which visually demonstrates how large former Industrial structures can be repurposed in ways that meet the current day needs of local populations – while preserving the building’s unique built form, heritage, and identity. The modern-day quayside also includes additional space for the arts, music, culture and sport (including the annual Great North Run – which is said to be the world’s largest half marathon event). It combines these activities with other enabling development, including but not limited to housing, office space, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and the Newcastle Law Courts.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2023, p.168).