Archive for September, 2008
This shot is taken from one of the committee rooms in the Civic Centre. The swans are in the Quadrangle of the Civic Centre, which is open to the public and a pleasant place to sit - the busy roads nearby notwithstanding. The five swans represent the five Nordic countries - Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, reflecting the close ties beween these countries and the North East (Newcastle is twinned with Bergen which sends us the Christmas tree at Haymarket every year).
The Civic Centre was opened by King Olav V of Norway. The 40th anniversary of the opening of the Civic Centre is on 14 November this year and King Olav V’s son, Harald V of Norway, will be coming to Newcastle to commemorate the occasion.
The sculpture is by David Wynne and more information can be found here and here.
Apparently, the tree that can be seen in the background grows very tasty cherries, if you can beat the pigeons. There is actually a car park under the Civic, so it only grows in seven feet of soil. Quite an achievement.
(Chris and Cassandra both took shots of these swans, but mine is from above. I think that makes it different enough. What do you think?)
about Swans in Flight, Civic Centre ... posted by Beth
St Mary’s Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1984 and soon after was bought from Trinity House to ensure that it should not be bought privately and lost to locals. The lighthouse is on St Mary’s Island, a tidal island that can be reached along a causeway. The lighthouse cannot be reached at high tide.
There are 137 steps to the top of the lighthouse. There’s only one set, so if you meet someone going up as you go down or vice versa… you have to be very careful. I found it rather nerve-wracking, especially when small children were running past me.
For opening times, click here.
about Two picture Sunday - St Mary’s Lighthouse, Whitley Bay ... posted by Beth
The Newcastle Breweries Building, now the Bruce Building at Newcastle University, was a last-minute addition to the Heritage Open Days, thanks to a guy who works there and who thought that people would like to see such an ornate building that’s usually not accessible to the public. It’s well worth a visit if you ever get the chance. The tiling and mosaics on the floor, the etching in the glass; you’d never find such a building designed these days.
The architect of the building, Joseph Oswald, also designed Central Arcade (as featured in the first photo on this site), the Bee Hive pub, and the Centurian Bar at Newcastle Central Station. You can see the similarities in design.
For more information about the building and its history, click here.
about Newcastle Breweries Offices ... posted by Beth
This photo didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped, but as it’s something that can’t normally be seen in Newcastle, I wanted to post it anyway. It’s in Alderman Fenwick’s House, an old Merchant town house on Pilgrim Street. It’s now owned by the Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust and mostly occupied by firms of solicitors, so it’s rarely open to the public, but two rooms were open for the Heritage Open Days. You weren’t allowed up to the top of the staircase, so I had to lean as far as I dared over the bannister to get this shot of the weathervane in the lantern tower at the top.
For more information about the building and the process of designing a new carpet for it, click here.
about The Weathervane, Alderman Fenwick’s House ... posted by Beth
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