Newcastle

After Edinburgh we travelled to Sterling and then down into England (via Hexham) to Newcastle upon Tyne; the City of my birth.  Our hotel, The Copthorne, was, still within our budget, one of the best we stayed in in England. 

We had only a day to see some of the points of interest and unfortunately there is now a large shopping mall at the top of Grey Street.  And we spent the day on foot when we should have used the car. 

So on the whole I left disappointed, having failed to show Wendy places I had previously enjoyed in the city; or to return to where my family had lived or worked.

Nevertheless we walked down along the river and I took some photographs of a few points of interest including the High Level Bridge and Tyne Bridge; that was Dorman Long & Co's miniature prototype for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Tyne Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Dorman Long & Co - engineers of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

This has interested me since a boy.  My father often mentioned this relationship between Newcastle and Sydney and it was probably a factor in them choosing Sydney as our new home in 1948. I have talked about this elsewhere on this website.

Grey's Monument, reminiscent of Nelson's column, at the head of Grey and Grainger Streets is also of interest; as is the cute little Central Arcade nearby.

Grainger Street

Central Arcade

Charles Earl Grey was Prime Minister of Britain in the early 19th century and was noted for successful passage of the (Parliamentary) Reform Act; and for Catholic emancipation.

The foot of Grey's Monument

He is also famous for his affair with the Duchess of Devonshire; and for giving his name to Earl Grey tea.   He is memorialised in Newcastle because the Greys were/are a long-established Northumbrian family seated at Howick Hall, near Alnwick; about 50 km north of Newcastle.

Grey was succeeded as PM by Lord Melbourne, after whom Melbourne Australia is named. Melbourne's wife gained similar notoriety to the Duchess of Devonshire by having an affair with Lord Byron; described by his previous (also married) lover, Lady Caroline Lamb, as: 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'.