View allAll Photos Tagged Congested
The London Bus Preservation Trust acquired a building that had once being part of the Vickers aviation complex, which was based in Weybridge. What became the Cobham Bus Museum was located in Redhill Road. Normally a quiet thoroughfare, Redhill Road became as busy and congested as London’s Oxford Street on the once-yearly Open Day events. Buses ferrying visitors from Weybridge Station would drop their passengers outside the Museum entrance, head empty further down the road to do a U-turn, then head back up Redhill Road to tackle the long line of people heading back to Weybridge Station. Meanwhile, other ‘civilian’ traffic (ie ‘Normal People’) wanted to reach the other Redhill Road attraction, the Silvermere Golf & Leisure Centre. Bus enthusiasts eager to photograph the parade of vehicles added to the congestion.
In this 1985 scene, traffic has come to halt as RTW467 (LLU957) waits for an opportunity to turn around.
This bus is today owned by Lord Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London (2006-15) and currently Minister of State for Rail. Back in 1985, he was a London Transport bus manager.
April 1985
Yashica FR-1 camera
Kodak Ektachrome 100 film.
L'orage, c'est le chaos vertical, l'éruption rageuse de l'atmosphère, le jaillissement du désordre destructeur qui propulse vers l'azur l'éblouissante blancheur de ses murailles de vapeurs aux bouillonnements cyclopéens.
Minuscules devant ces prodigieux déploiements de fureur, nous guettons ces congestions dantesques d'un œil à la fois inquiet et fasciné.
Vu de Saint-Léonard (Gers), le 12 octobre 2014.
bangkok Tuk Tuk Driver
Traditionally behold as one of Bangkok's famous and rowdy 'Tuk Tuk Driver' or 3 wheeler transport service provider.It's still very demanding running everywhere in the congested city.
If you are seriously looking for a fast and furious driver? This ferocious chap is the one you shouldn't miss. He is extremely capable with unstoppable gud to cut short your journey for sure and never come cheap at the end of trip, Your day of insurance is in his bloody hand, no precautionary safety measure all at your own risk and responsibility when he accelerate his top speed like a roller coaster to please himself or tourist. Some may find it fun … and I'm definitely ok with it.
Don't just take my words, try at your own risk only,
Kyrenia is one of the most beautiful locations in North Cyprus.
The horseshoe-shaped harbour is dominated by Kyrenia Castle to one side; surely one of the prettiest in the Mediterranean.
The town itself was founded in the 10th century BC, one of Cyprus’s original city kingdoms. Its location on the north coast, only 40 miles from the Turkish mainland, meant that it soon developed as a major trading centre. The harbour-front buildings which now house bars and restaurants, were once warehouses, used to store carob and other precious cargo.
Leading off the harbour are the narrow streets of the old town, which are now often congested with pedestrian tourists. Twenty years ago, the town was no more than a fishing village. Today, as with many other Cypriot tourist centres, it has become a modern sprawling mass; its boundary starting at least 10 miles inland. That said, it remains a favourite destination of ours from where to watch the world and his wife go by. With border crossings so much easier these days, Kyrenia should be visited if at all possible.
A drab day at Par as 37670 propels a ballast train over Five Arches within an engineers possession. St.Blazey Yard was that congested a train of Turbot spoil wagons was stabled on the Par Harbour branch.
Madrid 2008- A nudist cyclist takes part on an ecologycal demonstration as she rides through congested downtown traffic
66620 brakes for Acton Grange Junction FLHH 6M17 0853 Redcar to Fiddlers Ferry bio-mass service on 8th October 2018
The logical route for this train once it crosses the Pennines through Rochdale is to run via the Chat Moss and into Walton Yard. However on today's over-congested rails there is no path and so it meanders from North Manchester through Denton, Stockport, Mobberley and joins the WCML at Hartford.
The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal in Curdworth in North Warwickshire.
The story of the Birmingham and Fazeley begins in 1770, when the Birmingham Canal Company was seen as having a monopoly. At the time, the coalfields at Walsall did not have canal access, and a public meeting was held at Lichfield on 18 August, to discuss an independent link from Walsall to Fradley Junction on the Trent and Mersey Canal, passing through Lichfield. Opposition from local landowners resulted in the plan being shelved, but a further plan was proposed at a meeting held in Warwick in August 1781, for a canal to run from Wednesbury through Fazeley to Atherstone, which was the end of the Coventry Canal at the time. The plans were changed somewhat in October, but shareholders in the Birmingham Canal saw it as a serious threat.
Two bills were put before Parliament in 1782, one for the Birmingham and Fazeley, and a rival one from the Birmingham Canal for a branch from Wednesbury to Walsall. Both sides opposed the other's proposal, and both bills were defeated. The promoters then opened negotiations with other canal companies, to ensure that when the canal was built, it would be part of a larger network. In 1782, they obtained an agreement from the Oxford Canal Company that they would complete the route to the River Thames at Oxford, one from the Coventry Canal that they would extend their canal from Atherstone to Fazeley, and agreed that they would complete the Coventry Canal's route from Fazeley as far as Whittington, as the Coventry Canal company could not finance the whole route. The Trent and Mersey would finish that link by building the remainder of the route to Fradley Junction. A second bill was put before Parliament, and at the same time, the Birmingham Canal presented a scheme for a canal from Riders Green to Broadwaters, near Walsall, with eight branches, and a second canal from Newhall to Fazeley. The Birmingham and Fazeley was authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1784. The new company and the Birmingham Canal merged soon afterwards, becoming the awkwardly named Birmingham & Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Company.
John Smeaton was the engineer employed by the Birmingham and Fazeley, but work did not start immediately, as he was also responsible for the Riders Green to Broadwaters line, which was completed first. The project did not go smoothly, as there were disputes between James Bough, the superintendent of the canal company, and Pinkertons, who were the civil engineering contractors employed to carry out the work. The issue concerned the cement that the Pinkertons were using. Work on the Fazeley line began in April 1786, with Bough still acting as superintenent, and the Pinkertons responsible for the construction of the section between Minworth and Fazeley. In late 1786, George Pinkerton found out that the levels, which had been surveyed by Bough, were wrong. Samuel Bull, the engineer for the canal company, investigated and reported that Pinkerton was right. The Pinkertons started to work on the project from January 1787, even though the contracts were not signed until May. Bough made a series of allegations that Pinkertons' workmanship and the materials used were of poor quality.
The company stopped paying Pinkerton in late 1788, as the costs were exceeding the original estimates, and the contract was taken away from them in February 1789. There was then a financial dispute over money which had been paid to Pinkerton as "extras", but which the company then claimed were overpayments. Some £2,750 was at issue, and the case rumbled on for a decade, until a court case in 1801 gave him only £436 of the claim. Unhappy with the outcome, Pinkerton justified his position, but his remarks about John Houghton, the Company Clerk, were deemed to be libellous, for which he was fined and spent some time in prison.
The canal was completed in August 1789. The benefits of the co-operation with the other canal companies were that when all the links were completed in 1790, it immediately generated a great deal of freight traffic. This created problems, as the flights of locks at Aston and Farmer's Bridge became congested, and this became worse when the Warwick Canal built a junction onto the Digbeth Branch. The problem was not solved until 1844, when the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal to the south east and the Tame Valley Canal to the north west were opened. The name of the Birmingham & Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Company was changed to Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1794.
Photographs taken by me at Point Pleasant Beach. Shot with the Sony 50mm F/1.2 GM At F/11 Shutter speed 6 seconds ISO 100.
It was quite a nice 4th of July full of crowds of people that wanted to spend their weekend at the beach to see the big show. It felt very pre-covid as the crowds were overwhelmingly congested on the Boardwalk. I shot simultaneously with two cameras. The first camera was with a crop sensor. The A6300 with a wide angle lens the Sigma 19mm. The second camera I shot with was my A7Riii with my Sony 50mm F/1.2 GM. The show was suppose to start at 9:00 PM and eventually started at 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, due to the delay it rained a little bit, and some of my photos will reflect that. However, I found the photos that were affected by the droplets of rain falling on the front lens elements to be characterful. That's is why I have decided to share them rather than delete them.
All rights reserved ©
Like most, I went to Madurai to see the Meenakshi temple and experience the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu. When my train queued up on the platform of Madurai train station, I knew little that I was about to live some of the most unforgettable moments of my life; and those moments were, as luck would have it, far away from the Madurai culture and its temples. When I look back, Madurai reminds me the house of Joseph Bethany more than anything else in that city.
Joseph Bethany, as I was told, was a social worker. A friend had given me his email, and in a typical indo-hospitality, he invited me to stay at his place while in Madurai.
And there he was. “You are Nav?”, were his first words. He had already hired a three-wheeler taxi, I felt pampered.
“I am a retired priest”, he said.
I figured from the cross he wore that he was Christian. He had black hair and dark skin with no stretch marks. Before I could ask what he did he said “But now I manage a small handicraft workshop along with taking care of the children”.
I didn’t know what he meant by ‘taking care of children’. He looked young to be retired, but not as young to have toddlers.
Madurai is a beautiful city. Especially seen in the night on a three-wheeler taxi. The two-lane-lighted-up-road was behind us as we entered the smaller congested streets with bicyclists and pedestrian sharing the same path with the traffic coming from both sides. I wondered if Joseph lived close to this street as I made a mental note to come back here for photos. While looking at the shops and people I asked him about his children.
“I have only one daughter of my own”, he said with a chuckle, “but we have 28 kids living in our house at this time”.
When my friend had told me about Joseph, and when I spoke to Joseph on the phone, I wasn’t told that he had a private orphanage running in his house. I looked at him in surprise, as I didn’t know that my two nights would be spent with 28 kids (which I totally looked forward to).
He continued, “These kids are from different villages around Madurai. Many of their parents died in Tsunami. They need help”. It was obvious they needed help. I looked outside and Joseph let me have a moment as he realized that I didn’t know about his Bethany Children’s House, and I was surprised.
Light bulbs, hanging clothes for sale, cheap plastic mannequins, round letters of Tamil language and roadside eateries lined the road. Right there our three-wheeler taxi stopped. Joseph’s home was on the top of a row of five small shops. It was a green building. I wondered what kind of a place it would be where a Tamil ex priest lived with his orphans.
The stairs lead to a balcony that had some rooms connected to it. I had taken couple of steps, before help came in for my bag. I travel with less than 10 pounds in my backpack. A little boy tried to pull away the bag to help me with the luggage was smaller than the bag.
“Unna please!” “Unna please!” With a huge smile on his face he was persistent.
More kids came out from the rooms. I wondered if they stared at me with smiles because of my shaggy looks or just because I was a new face for them. Whatever it was, I was the focus of their glare wrapped in smiles for the next three days.
“We want them to sleep on time for school tomorrow” said Joseph apologetically. Most of the children had already gone to bed. The ones that were awake kept looking at me, and whatever I did. There were innocent eyes looking at all my moves without questioning them. I felt so welcomed. I wanted to take photos of the kids when I heard “say good night, say good night”. Shyly they wished me good night. Photos had to wait for the next morning.
Kids had morning sleep in their eyes. But the moment they saw me, their huge smiles came back spontaneously. I had to smile back. Between the two rooms was an open chamber where the elder kids where giving shower to the younger ones .
After getting the soap rubbed by a 12ish year old girl they would walk to a 12ish year old boy who would pour water with a jug from a bucket. While this assembly line of morning showers continued, the washers and the washees looked at me with huge smiles.
The little ones after getting ready waited for the elder ones to dress up for school. They all went to a semi private school across the street that made them wear brown and white uniform. “It is an elementary school” Joseph said “But semi government. We have to pay for each student, but it is subsidized”.
“Anna … (something in Tamil)” they all would say one by one and left through the staircase. Joseph translated “They are saying that you can take their photo after school.” With wet hair and white talcum powder on their dark skins, they all left.
I stayed there for three days. Only on the third day I was comfortable enoughto help them with showers and getting dressed for school.
I never had helped any one with shower. It is a very different experience. I wonder if kids from other parts of the world accept showers the same way as those kids. Their movement was a dictation of instructions to me, for where and when to put soap or water. They would jump briskly, if I put too much water, and stay still with their head pointing towards me if they wanted more water. Rubbing the face and eyes to shed the water off declared the end of their turn. For these orphan kids, showering together was a bond of kinship that filled the voids that the absence of their parents probably created. Perhaps these voids are just my imagination, because they were happy and at home. Perhaps, children have no voids when they get care and love.
In the evenings the kids would go to the terrace to do their homework and play around. Joseph and his wife have assembled a shed of bamboo sticks and leaves as an open-air class resembling those in the rural areas of the coastal India. Some girls took pride and showed me their handwriting in their notebooks. The boys swirled their notebooks on their index finger and were obviously less interested in handwriting. They were noisy, joyfull and carefree. That rooftop didn’t have any sadness which psychologically is associated to the term orphanage.
“They are not fully orphan.” Joseph explained. “Some of them don’t have a father. Their mothers are too poor to take care of them.” We had a nice conversation on Sunday afternoon over a cup of the famous Tamil filter coffee.
“How is it for a mother, who is a poor widow, to give up a child?” I asked. It was hard for me to visualize a mother voluntarily giving up a child.
“It is not always like that” Joseph explained. “Their mothers come here sometimes. We send the kids back to their village for their birthdays. This is another home for them. Obviously it is hard for them, poverty is a cruel thing.”
Three girls came in the room. They put their elbows on the table and started listening to our conversation. They didn’t understand English, but listened very carefully. Joseph talked to them in Tamil, all of the girls wobbled their head, in approval and in synchrony.
In English, he continued talking to me, “Some of the kids are having no parents or relatives. For them, this is their only home.” I looked around the green walls and the grilled windows of the apartment. It was a very comfortable place to live. However, I felt disenchanted with myself. I had never realized that so much help can be given with what Joseph and his family had. Bethany Children's Home stands on the shoulders of a middle aged and middle class income couple. I had planned to work charitably only after reaching at a certain strata of the society. The joy and the smiles of the little girls with their elbows on the table, and faces in their hands, illuminated for me that help could be given incessantly. I didn’t have to wait.
An Image of two halves. The road surface is not suitable for the volume of traffic and the turning out onto a congested roundabout.
The market places in Vietnam are a buzz of activity and color. A stimulation of all senses. Sometimes I was over stimulated by the sight of the meat and the smell of the fish and I am no stranger to Asian markets. But then I am an American who is used to seeing things wrapped in plastic packages.
The Vietnamese love to visit the market every day to shop for the food they will prepare that day. Da Lat is well known in Vietnam for all of the locally grown fruits and vegetables.
I love the girl's painted nails so l left her foot in the image. Markets are so congested that one usually can't isolate a subject easily.
The inspiration for this view came from driving back after photographing diesels at Irwell Vale recently and we just happened to be stopped by temporary traffic lights and watched helplessly as the green Class 24 set off and the traffic lights went to green as well.
So it was one to re-visit and as we came back from a day out complete with bikes in the car it was just the right time to park up and do a bit of photography.
On the left is the old steam shed that survived an attempt to turn it into a restaurant, apparently. Listed status would be good and put into railway use again.
The road to here is okay from the Greenmount area but is a bit of a nightmare from here on behind me as there are twists turns and plenty of passing places. Given the volume of traffic at times, there are not enough and it gets congested.
I was lucky - there was calm and I could access his view point without a load of flustered motorists hammering it down the narrow road!
It's getting rather congested on Plymouth Sound as these ocean-going yachts take part in an offshore race. This was photographed from the Hoe Road at Plymouth, and gave me an opportunity to use my Tamron 18-270 lens at its limit.
In the background is one of the Royal Navy's Fleet Auxiliary ships, the Fort Victoria (A387). This is a 'one-stop' replenishment ship, capable of providing under way refuelling and dry cargoes (i.e. rearming, victualling and spares). It has generous aviation facilities, providing aviation support and training facilities and significant vertical replenishment capabilities. They are capable of operating and supporting several Merlin and Lynx Wildcat helicopters, both of which are significant weapons platforms.
The ship displaces over 31,000 tons and has a speed of 20 knots. Its defensive armament includes two radar-guided 20mm Phalanx gatling guns and two GAM-BO1 20 mm guns.
Lawrence Ave's Uptown theatre district has multiple music venues just steps from the corner of Lawrence & Broadway. Nightlife here is often vibrant and congested, in contrast to the quiet late Summer morning view pictured. History almost cries out as this area's clubs were once frequented by Chicago's famous and infamous, such as Al Capone. Aragon Ballroom lies just past the El tracks.
Europe, Portugal, Lisboa, Carris, Eléctrico, Rua de Conceição, People, Traffic, Traffic signs , Traffic lights (uncut)
The Eléctricos of Lisbon are one of the defining factors that make Lisbon the city that it is. Yes, icons they are! Propelling themselves through the congested inner city with its narrow and winding streets full of anarchist drivers and daredevil pedestrians.... it's really a site to behold. The old trams are often loaded to their full capacity and beyond that - some passengers never get it in, just attach themselves to some protruding elements of the Eléctrico’s bodywork . Drivers must me tough yet suave dealing with all that .
These are the makings of the delightful and lifely Eléctrico gestalt with a high density of little instant stories along the route. We walked from the Largo das Portas do Sol to the Praça do Comércio – one of the main arteries of the Eléctrico network - trying to capture these stories and sometimes just suggesting them..
This is the start of a new Lisbon series. In the first two shots I've shown you the Eléctricos in their context, in the next eight shots that context will get less important.
The soundtrack is Oxala te veja (I hope I see you) of Barreiro based Oquestrada, playing an unique and upbeat brand of fado, other Portguese folk music and French ‘pachanka’. Check them out here.
The Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat service operates on the Khlong Saen Saep in Bangkok, providing fast, inexpensive transportation through the city's traffic-congested commercial districts. The service has a checkered reputation, due to the polluted water in the khlong and the haphazard nature in which the service is operated. The 18-kilometre route is served by 100 boats of 40-50 seats, and operates 5:30am to 8:30pm daily. Prices are 8 to 20 baht, depending on distance travelled. The service carries about 60,000 passengers per day. It is run by a company called Family Transport. Source: en.wikipedia.org
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Khlong Saen Saep is a canal (khlong) in central Thailand, connecting the Chao Phraya River to Prachin Buri and Chachoengsao. A portion of the canal is used for public transport by an express boat service in Bangkok.
The canal is lined with concrete walkways on either side in many areas where people stroll. In other areas the heavily polluted water oozes into adjacent properties, especially after heavy rainstorms. The canal is connected to many other canals in a large network, though most of the other canals do not have a regular transport service.
The Saen Saep starts from Mahanak canal or Khlong Mahanak around Mahakan Fortress in Bangkok. In Chachoengsao it terminates into the Bang Pa Kong River. Source: en.wikipedia.org
Singapore flyer cityscape aerial view
Shooting through the thick capsule flyers cabin with ambiance lights that easily cause distraction or reflection is a obstacle technique one photographer had to overcome, another crucial factors are probably timing, timing for a spot on composition which react too fast, too high or too slow probably make u miss the impact full angle as regard as terrfic composition. I seen many including some of my fellow peers had misplace their point with too congested elements all throw into a scene. However, not forgetting timing for getting in to ride the singapore flyers capsule will definitely make you regret if u simply do not know how to calculate, estimate the sunset n the duration cover for the first half ride n the balance half ride facing the fantastic cityscape will also disquailfy ur golden hour shot.
Especially for photographers wanting to ride on the singapore flyer had to acquire some great combination skill of the shutter n iso to play with most of the tricky shot here. Likewise, simply just rely on the modern clever technology setting - Auto mode of any modern camera install will somehow not favoring any quality return as i assume.
View all my Singapore Set
Singapore Must Visit Location or
,For ur ultimate viewing pleasure, just click EASY VIEW OF MY SLIDE SHOW or View in Black to enjoy my photostream
Please also consider reading "My Most Interesting Facts" below:-
|[ How I met Photography ] | [ Me & My Prospect Profile ]|
Don't use this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved . . ..
Due to copyright issue, I cannot afford to offer any free image when request. Pls kindly consult my sole permission to purchase n use any of my images.You can email me at : men4r@yahoo.com.
Technical Details:
Non HDR, single exposure process by CS5 software. (Always remain thankful to Mr Andrew Ng-Fiftymm99, for strongly introducing this software)
Basic Standard Gears I rely for Landscape
Canon EOS 5D Mark2 (a full frame ideal for interpolating landscape image).
Tokina 16-28mm F2.8 wide angle lens .
Tripod for landscape only (keep possible sharpness n ability to focus for most idealistic desire composition)
Release cable (reduce hand contact n fully manage desire exposure timing)
Please also note that all the contents in this photostream is copyrighted and protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Copyright Act of Singapore. Any illegal usage of my images without sole permission will face legitimate monetary prosecution for infringement liability!
Drayton Manor Bridge a folly footbridge on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal on the outskirts of Tamworth in Staffordshire.
The story of the Birmingham and Fazeley begins in 1770, when the Birmingham Canal Company was seen as having a monopoly. At the time, the coalfields at Walsall did not have canal access, and a public meeting was held at Lichfield on 18 August, to discuss an independent link from Walsall to Fradley Junction on the Trent and Mersey Canal, passing through Lichfield. Opposition from local landowners resulted in the plan being shelved, but a further plan was proposed at a meeting held in Warwick in August 1781, for a canal to run from Wednesbury through Fazeley to Atherstone, which was the end of the Coventry Canal at the time. The plans were changed somewhat in October, but shareholders in the Birmingham Canal saw it as a serious threat.
Two bills were put before Parliament in 1782, one for the Birmingham and Fazeley, and a rival one from the Birmingham Canal for a branch from Wednesbury to Walsall. Both sides opposed the other's proposal, and both bills were defeated. The promoters then opened negotiations with other canal companies, to ensure that when the canal was built, it would be part of a larger network. In 1782, they obtained an agreement from the Oxford Canal Company that they would complete the route to the River Thames at Oxford, one from the Coventry Canal that they would extend their canal from Atherstone to Fazeley, and agreed that they would complete the Coventry Canal's route from Fazeley as far as Whittington, as the Coventry Canal company could not finance the whole route. The Trent and Mersey would finish that link by building the remainder of the route to Fradley Junction. A second bill was put before Parliament, and at the same time, the Birmingham Canal presented a scheme for a canal from Riders Green to Broadwaters, near Walsall, with eight branches, and a second canal from Newhall to Fazeley. The Birmingham and Fazeley was authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1784. The new company and the Birmingham Canal merged soon afterwards, becoming the awkwardly named Birmingham & Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Company.
John Smeaton was the engineer employed by the Birmingham and Fazeley, but work did not start immediately, as he was also responsible for the Riders Green to Broadwaters line, which was completed first. The project did not go smoothly, as there were disputes between James Bough, the superintendent of the canal company, and Pinkertons, who were the civil engineering contractors employed to carry out the work. The issue concerned the cement that the Pinkertons were using. Work on the Fazeley line began in April 1786, with Bough still acting as superintenent, and the Pinkertons responsible for the construction of the section between Minworth and Fazeley. In late 1786, George Pinkerton found out that the levels, which had been surveyed by Bough, were wrong. Samuel Bull, the engineer for the canal company, investigated and reported that Pinkerton was right. The Pinkertons started to work on the project from January 1787, even though the contracts were not signed until May. Bough made a series of allegations that Pinkertons' workmanship and the materials used were of poor quality.
The company stopped paying Pinkerton in late 1788, as the costs were exceeding the original estimates, and the contract was taken away from them in February 1789. There was then a financial dispute over money which had been paid to Pinkerton as "extras", but which the company then claimed were overpayments. Some £2,750 was at issue, and the case rumbled on for a decade, until a court case in 1801 gave him only £436 of the claim. Unhappy with the outcome, Pinkerton justified his position, but his remarks about John Houghton, the Company Clerk, were deemed to be libellous, for which he was fined and spent some time in prison.
The canal was completed in August 1789. The benefits of the co-operation with the other canal companies were that when all the links were completed in 1790, it immediately generated a great deal of freight traffic. This created problems, as the flights of locks at Aston and Farmer's Bridge became congested, and this became worse when the Warwick Canal built a junction onto the Digbeth Branch. The problem was not solved until 1844, when the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal to the south east and the Tame Valley Canal to the north west were opened. The name of the Birmingham & Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Company was changed to Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1794.
Few years ago I heard about some pre-historic era tombs near Dera Ismail khan. When I first saw the picture of these edifices; I was totally spell bound. The only question revolving in my mind was that why this marvelous architecture didn’t gain much attention? I wished to visit this place but was unable to find the exact location of it.
Finally I found the place and its direction from Google earth so I decided to visit this place. On 23rd December, I along with a friend left for Dera Ismail khan from Lahore, It was one of the most tiring travels of my lifetime. We failed to get tickets for DIK because of two connective holidays of 24th and 25th December. As a last resort we had option of Balouch Transport; one of the oldest buses on roads of Pakistan. It was fully packed with passengers and even the middle walking corridor was jammed with temporary seats. Neither could I move my legs nor could stand on feet’s because of congested space. But despite of my deplorable condition; travelling in public transport helps you to interact with peoples of all colors & help you acquire lots of information. Adding to my misery; the busses started race; it was fun for some but a fearful experience for soft hearted person like me.
We reached Dera Ismail khan before dawn on 24th December. It was a shivering cold morning. Our friend Karim lives there was our host. He arranged bikes for our further travel. Unfortunately the whole city was closed due to holiday. So it took us some time to start our journey on Indus highway. Our next destination was Mahra. This small village situated at some 40 kilometers south of DIK on Indus highway. Further 1.2 kilometers from village will lead to a roadside sign pointing to take right turn for “Ancient Tombs and Graveyard”. It was a seven kilometer long village road and was full of dirt. A watercourse was running parallel to the road. There one can find Temporary houses of IDP’s (Internally displaced persons) of FATA.
It’s not safe to travel alone on this road. One should take some local along or travel in group. After road there is clump of trees on left. From a distance one can see domes of prehistoric tombs. Once we moved inside that clump of trees. We got first full sight. It was amazing four tombs and graveyard; exactly as I saw them in pictures. I was standing among them. This sight gave me a feeling of inner satisfaction; a feeling which cannot be expressed in words. It was an expression of gratitude to great architectures of that era. Locals called this place “Andiray” which means ‘graveyard’ in the local dialect of Pashto. I started asking questions from myself that who could be buried inside those tombs? Whose graves are these? These all are still unanswered questions. Only Dr. Ahmed Hassan Dani has done some authentic research on this place. Dr. Dani was a Pakistani intellectual, archaeologist, historian and a linguistic. In one of his books; “Pakistan through ages”; he points out that this site must have acquired an important geographical position during the travel of Ghaznvids Sultans to Sindh and Punjab.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was part of larger Islamic empires from 963 to 1187, including the Ghaznavid Empire (975-1187) headed by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Mahmud is said to have made seventeen raids into India. At that time, North India was divided into a number of Hindu states. On the frontier of India, there existed the Hindu Shahi kingdom which extended from the Punjab to Kabul.
Lal Mahara, site is an important Islamic Architecture site dated back to 11th and 12th centuries A D. The site consists on eleven monumental tombs and more than 120 graves. But only four tombs and some graves in dilapidated condition were surviving at the time of protection while the rest seven tombs were completely razed to ground only their traces are visible. The rest four tombs have been preserved and restored only. Presently the site is well preserved and free from encroachment. Tree plantation as a barrier against weather affects as well as to restrict fresh burial (modern and ancient graveyard) has been provided. However keeping in view gradual development activities i.e. housing and agricultural in close vicinity it is necessary to take necessary measures to safe guard the site from any encroachment as well as bad effect of excessive irrigation resulting water logging in future. Features: Architectural features of these tombs are worth to mention. In these corner turrets have provided to tomb 1 and tomb 2 are square in plan. While the other two are without corner turrets and square in shape. Here cut and dressed brick work have applied while blue color tiles have utilized for decoration purposes. Furthermore, all the square chambers have converted into octagons by producing squenches. Deptt of Archaeology conducted conservation work in a large scale and preserved all these four tombs while domes are missing.
Remarks: This graveyard site is well preserved site. From southern side iron grill has provided while to all four sides plantation further strengthened its boundaries. Moreover a local chowkidar (Gulu) is performing his duty on the site.
Someone needs to pick up where Dr. Dani has left otherwise his work and legacy will be lost. We are yet to discover much more than we have already, but archeology is not attractive as being Doctor or Engineer
The action express itself through a collective experience, photographs that are left are the only proof of it
[....]
Happening is a gesture of eruption into daily life, organized in defined places and times, where the presence of an artistic production is not contemplated, but the event finds its origins following a flowing improvisation that break the mental habits of the viewer.
[...]
giving life to an abandoned place, resurrecting its forgotten glory. 107 will bring together pneumatics and artists for a congested week-end.
I took a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi. The rickshaw driver pedaled through the old congested narrow streets. There were a maze of stores, wonderful aromas of spice and scents and shoppers and storekeepers busily going about their daily lives.
It was a huge confused, but wonderful dose of life in India. Through the huge crowds of people I saw these piercing eyes. I leaned way out of the rickshaw and shot this portrait. I am never sure what local eyes are saying, but I saw the struggle that is every day India, and the pride and endurance that survives.
A reminder that all of my images are copyrighted and are not for your use in any way unless you contact me.
Happy Mother's Day for all who celebrate!
The local cherry blossoms finally bloomed after a late start this spring. I realized while zooming in on the wide-angle image on the computer screen that I was missing out on some telephoto opportunities.
Does anyone have a strong preference for wide angle vs. telephoto for your landscape photography? I tend to prefer wide angle, but as I live in a congested area, I don't always have the luxury of sweeping vistas. Let me know your thoughts!
I have been taking photos as usual; my PC is getting a little congested, which makes post-processing tedious and unenjoyable. I have archived a load of old band photos as a quick-fix, but I really need to figure out how to erase boot master boot records in the near future.
Thought I would take a break from the usual black border and see how a white one goes down :-)
Europe, Portugal, Lisboa, Rua da Madelena, Carris, Bus, Eléctrico, People, Heavy traffic, (uncut)
The Eléctricos of Lisbon are one of the defining factors that make Lisbon the city that it is. Yes, icons they are! Propelling themselves through the congested inner city with its narrow and winding streets full of anarchist drivers and daredevil pedestrians....it's really a site to behold. The old trams are often loaded to their full capacity and beyond that - some passengers never get it in, just attach themselves to some protruding elements of the Eléctrico’s bodywork. Drivers must me tough yet suave dealing with all that.
These are the makings of the delightful and lively Eléctrico gestalt with a high density of little instant stories along the route. We walked from the Largo das Portas do Sol to the Praça do Comércio – one of the main arteries of the Eléctrico network - trying to capture these stories and sometimes just suggesting them..
This is the start of a new Lisbon series. In the first two shots I've shown you the Eléctricos in their context, in the next eight shots that context will get less important.
The soundtrack is Oxala te veja (I hope I see you) of Barreiro based Oquestrada, playing an unique and upbeat brand of fado, other Portguese folk music and French ‘pachanka’. Check them out here.
Bearded Iris is a subgenus of Iris in the family Iridaceae. It has been divided into six sections; Pogon Irises, Psammiris, Oncocylclus, Regelia, Hexapogon and Pseudoregelia. Pogon Irises refer to the Greek word 'pogon' for beard. Iris takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
Bearded Iris are identified by the conspicuous "beards" on each of the lower petals of the blossoms. They come in an astounding array of colors and color combinations and bloom from early spring to early summer.
In general, nearly all species of Iris are found in temperate northern hemisphere zones, from Europe to Asia and across North America. Although diverse in ecology, Iris is predominantly found in dry, semi-desert, or colder rocky mountainous areas. Other habitats include grassy slopes, meadowlands, bogs and riverbanks.
Various wild forms of Iris and naturally occurring hybrids form the basis of almost all modern hybrid bearded irises. Bearded Irises are sometimes incorrectly referred to as German Iris. Incorrect because Iris germanica is sterile.
Bearded Irises are classified as Dwarf, Tall, or Aril. These elegant flowers are easy to cultivate and propagate and have become very popular in gardens. They are best planted as bare root plants in late summer, in a sunny open position with the rhizome visible on the surface of the soil and facing the sun. They should be divided in summer every two or three years, when the clumps become congested.
ISO400, aperture f/6.3, exposure .006 seconds (1/200) focal length 300mm
Bus Eireann dual purpose school / service bus Leyland / CIE Metsec 'MS110' orbits Busaras on the bank holiday Friday of 1991 seeking space to pull onto the congested forecourt.
For anyone interested in utterly useless information , rumor has it that Navan is the only town in Ireland that can be spelt backwards !
Scan from a slide.
This was taken the same evening as the European Starling bath photos. The Robins came first to drink then the Starlings came for some water, the Starlings went up into the trees when someone came by on the trail but the Robins stayed and started taking baths. Next thing I know the small area is congested with Starlings. I thought this was a good pic of one of the Robins against the water and autumn evening sun.
A beautiful Church in Florence. The place is so congested that this is the maximum I could get in my small camera.
As I left my friend's rooftop and headed over the Brooklyn Bridge to spend some time in the park, I had a slight epiphany that I have never shot anything from north side of the Brooklyn Bridge, and come to think of it I haven't seen too many others either. I could of course be wrong so feel free to tell me so/share the photos. Perhaps it's the blightly lit congested buildings of the financial district that leads most people to point their cameras in the same direction (I'm extremely guilty of this myself) I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's great to see that old cliche of seeing something new in an area you've visited numerous times still rings true.
_____________
Europe, Portugal, Lisboa, Carris, Eléctrico, Largo das Portas do Sol , Passengers, Camera (cut from L & R)
The Eléctricos of Lisbon are one of the defining factors that make Lisbon the city that it is. Yes, icons they are! Propelling themselves through the congested inner city with its narrow and winding streets full of anarchist drivers and daredevil pedestrians....it's really a site to behold. The old trams are often loaded to their full capacity and beyond that - some passengers never get in, just attach themselves to some protruding element of the Eléctrico’s bodywork. Drivers must me tough yet suave dealing with all that.
These are the makings of the delightful and lively Eléctrico gestalt with a high density of little instant stories along the route. We walked from the Largo das Portas do Sol to the Praça do Comércio – one of the main arteries of the Eléctrico network - trying to capture these stories and sometimes just suggesting them.
These are for now the last pics of this Eléctrico series.
And I'm currently very busy - so I'll be less active here on Flickr. See y'all around ! :-)
On BNSF’s infamous Lakeside Sub, a not-so-unusual, yet counterintuitive dispatching maneuver – load upgrade, empty downgrade – an eastbounding empty unit train highballs around Queen Lucas Lake down the low side of Marshall Canyon on the ex-Northern Pacific main while its loaded antithesis on the high side has the lowball at Scribner on the ex-Spokane, Portland & Seattle main waiting for the grainer to clear in order to proceed as the former yet spectacular SP&S main between Spokane and Pasco comes to an end – unfortunately dismantled in the mid-80’s – a mile ahead at Fish Lake Jct. where it will continue its “run” into Pasco Washington on the notoriously hyper-congested Lakeside Sub. (13Feb17 ©)
Sprinting northbound up a congested North End District, NS 180 (Macon, GA - Bellevue, OH) sports the NS 8102 PRR heritage unit in the lead.
Bearded Iris is a subgenus of Iris in the family Iridaceae. It has been divided into six sections; Pogon Irises, Psammiris, Oncocylclus, Regelia, Hexapogon and Pseudoregelia. Pogon Irises refer to the Greek word 'pogon' for beard. Iris takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
Bearded Iris are identified by the conspicuous "beards" on each of the lower petals of the blossoms. They come in an astounding array of colors and color combinations and bloom from early spring to early summer.
In general, nearly all species of Iris are found in temperate northern hemisphere zones, from Europe to Asia and across North America. Although diverse in ecology, Iris is predominantly found in dry, semi-desert, or colder rocky mountainous areas. Other habitats include grassy slopes, meadowlands, bogs and riverbanks.
Various wild forms of Iris and naturally occurring hybrids form the basis of almost all modern hybrid bearded irises. Bearded Irises are sometimes incorrectly referred to as German Iris. Incorrect because Iris germanica is sterile.
Bearded Irises are classified as Dwarf, Tall, or Aril. These elegant flowers are easy to cultivate and propagate and have become very popular in gardens. They are best planted as bare root plants in late summer, in a sunny open position with the rhizome visible on the surface of the soil and facing the sun. They should be divided in summer every two or three years, when the clumps become congested.
ISO400, aperture f/6.3, exposure .001 seconds (1/640) focal length 300mm
A congested Star Ferry Bus Terminus as a procession of vehicles arrives on a baking hot Saturday afternoon in October 1992. Early KMB Metrobus S3M8 from the first batch of 11m tri-axles placed in service in 1986, has just completed its run from Lok Fu on the 7.
This image is copyright and must not be reproduced or downloaded without the permission of the photographer.
Sorry I've been MIA a bit and still recovering. This flu took me down really good or my body just used this flu to remind me that I need to slow down. Still coughing and congested but getting better. I still have to take sick days off for recovering. Hope everyone is well and ok. I'm itching to get back to Flickr but I was ordered to rest for a bit more. Take care and miss you all!!
SSCV Thialf and pipelaying vessel Audacia in Caland canal, Rosenburg.
5sec exposure on slippery rocks, just getting down there was a real adrenalinerush on it`s own :)
Audacia:
Audacia is Allseas’ latest pipelay vessel. Operational since December 2007, she is optimised for the execution of small to large diameter pipeline projects of any length in all water depths, and for associated work such as the installation of risers and subsea protection frames.
Audacia is 225 m long, which in terms of size places her between Allseas’ DP pipelay vessels Lorelay and Solitaire. Precise manoeuvring on full dynamic positioning (DP) with a stinger positioned on the bow allow Audacia to work safely in congested areas and lay pipes in very deep water. Pipeline start-ups and lay-downs are executed in very quick time ensuring any disruption to other activities near platforms is minimised.
Due to her long length and ship-shape Audacia can accommodate multiple work stations and has a greater pipe hold capacity, while her independence from anchor handlers and large buffer capacity ensure she is less dependent on pipe off-loading from supply vessels. Her high transit speed, high lay speed and large carrying capacity make Audacia highly competitive for pipelay projects anywhere in the world.
SSCV Thialf:
Thialf has two cranes with a combined maximum lifting capacity of 14,200 metric tons, making it the largest crane vessel in the world. It is equipped with a class III dynamic positioning system. Propulsion and position keeping is by six 5,500 kW retractable azimuthing thrusters. For shallow waters there are 12 Flipper Delta anchors, 22.5 t, with 2,500 meter, 80 mm mooring wire.
The hull consists of two pontoons with four columns each. Transit draught is about 12 meters. For lifting operations it will normally be ballasted down to 26.6 m (87 ft). This way the pontoons (with a draught of 13.6 meters) are well submerged to reduce the effect of waves and swell.
It is able to accommodate 736 people.
Lightship weight is 72,484 t
Jesmond Dene, a public park in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, occupies the narrow steep-sided valley of a small river known as the Ouseburn, flowing south to join the River Tyne: in north-east England, such valleys are commonly known as denes: the name 'Jesmond' meaning 'mouth of the Ouseburn'.
Lord Armstrong and his wife, of the now-demolished Jesmond Dean (sic) house nearby, first laid out the park during the 1860s. The design is intended to reflect a rural setting, with woodland, crags, waterfalls and pools. Lord Armstrong gave the park to the people of Newcastle in 1883 and it opened to the public in the following year. It is now owned by Newcastle City Council. The current Jesmond Dene House adjoining the dene was the mansion of Armstrong's business partner Andrew Noble. It is now a luxury hotel.
The (now closed to road traffic) iron-constructed Armstrong Bridge spans the south end of the Dene and hosts Jesmond Food Market every first and third Saturday of the month. The building of a replacement road and tunnel, the Cradlewell By-pass, was the subject of a road protest camp around 1993, due to the destruction of many 200-year-old trees.
Jesmond Dene contains a free-entry petting zoo known as "Pets' Corner", which has been a popular family attraction since the 1960s.
Jesmond Dene is home to Newcastle's oldest religious building, St Mary's Chapel. The chapel, now in ruins, was once a site of much significance, attracting a great number of pilgrims.
The park is supported by a group called 'Friends of Jesmond Dene' which provides funds for small projects to improve the park. There is also a group of Volunteer Rangers which carries out physical work tidying the paths, picking up litter, cutting back shrubs and other maintenance tasks.
The dawn chorus of Jesmond Dene has been professionally recorded and has been used in various workplace and hospital rehabilitation facilities.
In 2011, the field area and pets corner were redeveloped. The redevelopment included a new road and a bridge over the Ouseburn river.
In 2012, during excessively wet weather, a landslide occurred on the east side of the Dene, near the Old Mill. The landslide covered several footpaths running along the hillside. The paths are currently still closed as the cost of re-opening them would be excessive.
In July 2014, the Old Mill in the Dene was vandalised with graffiti tags, which have since been removed.
On 1 April 2019, control and upkeep of Jesmond Dene, along with other Newcastle parks, was passed from Newcastle City Council to a newly created charitable trust, Urban Green Newcastle.
The Ouseburn is a small river in Newcastle upon Tyne, England that flows through the city into the River Tyne. It gives its name to the Ouseburn Valley and the Ouseburn electoral ward for Newcastle City Council elections.
The Ouseburn has its source at Callerton in the north of the city near Newcastle Airport. It then flows through the Kingston Park area of the city, Newcastle Great Park, Gosforth Park and Whitebridge Park. The Ouseburn then continues from South Gosforth into Jesmond Dene then through Armstrong Park and Heaton Park, where it marks the boundary between Heaton and Sandyford. The river then flows through a culvert before re-emerging under Ouseburn railway viaduct, whence it flows past the City Farm, Seven Stories and the Toffee Factory and meets the River Tyne.
The river was previously tidal from the Viaduct, revealing dark mud at low tide. However, since 2009 a tidal barrage at the river mouth retains high water in the Ouseburn at low tide, with the objective of providing a more pleasant environment alongside its banks at low tide, thus promoting development. Despite the expense of its construction, the Ouseburn barrage has had operational problems and was left open for a length of time while they were corrected.
The lower Ouseburn Valley, whilst heavily industrialised in the past, serves as of 2013 as a hub for the arts and creative industries, and has a lively pub scene, noted for live music and real ale.
In Roman times the lower Ouseburn Valley was crossed by Hadrian's Wall, but there are now no visible traces to be seen. On the eastern side of the valley, at the eastern end of a new block of flats, there is an information board with an artist's impression of the Wall crossing the valley. This section of the Wall was the later extension from the Roman fort of Pons Aelius (Newcastle) to that of Segedunum (Wallsend). This newer section of the Wall was not backed by the Vallum ditch, because the River Tyne rendered it superfluous.
Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated north of the city centre and to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city.
According to local tradition, some time shortly after the Norman conquest there occurred in the valley of the Ouse an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ruins of St Mary's Chapel, first recorded in 1272, are in Jesmond Dene[1] on the west side of the valley.
A trace of the processions to the shrine which occurred during the Middle Ages is found in the name of that section of the former Great North Road running north of the Tyne called Pilgrim Street. During a period in which the shrine was in need of repair it was endowed with indulgences by a rescript or edict of Pope Martin V on certain feasts of the liturgical year. A spring known as St Mary's Well of uncertain date may also be found near to the chapel. It has the word "Gratia" inscribed upon the stone above it. The greater part of the history of the shrine, its origins and the miracles which were said to have occurred there, were lost in the 16th century when the chapel was suppressed in the Reformation and fell into ruin. The ruin and its grounds later passed through various owners (one of whom tried to turn the well into a bathing pool). It was acquired by Lord Armstrong in the 19th century and given by him to the City of Newcastle. Mass is now offered there on occasion by the local Roman Catholic priest and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. Flowers along with letters and candles are often left in the ruins by pilgrims and others. A booklet outlining the surviving history of the chapel may be obtained from the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Name on North Jesmond Avenue.
The Beatles began writing their second hit single "She Loves You" in the Imperial Hotel in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne on 27 June 1963.
The area is notable for Jesmond Parish Church, Holy Trinity Church, Jesmond Dene woodland and the Royal Grammar School. The area's principal commercial area forms around Osborne Road, Acorn Road and St George's Terrace, the former being dominated by hotels and bars, and the latter by shops and cafes.
Newcastle City Council has designated three conservation areas within Jesmond; Brandling Village, South Jesmond and Jesmond Dene.
The Mansion House was owned by a wealthy industrialist Arthur Sutherland, 1st Baronet, and is one of the most impressive residential properties in Jesmond. Built in 1887, the property was donated to the city by Sutherland in 1953 and is now the official residence of the Lord Mayor and can be used for private events. The house, situated in the centre of Jesmond previously sat in 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land. One acre of the land including previous stables were sold as a private property, now owned by relatives of Arthur Sutherland.
Along with Leeds and Belfast, Newcastle has experienced studentification. Jesmond is a popular residential area for students attending Newcastle University and Northumbria University. Osborne Road in Jesmond has a strong student population with a selection of student bars, restaurants and housing.
Newcastle Cricket Club plays its home games at Osborne Avenue, which is also a home venue for Northumberland County Cricket Club. The cricket club is currently on a 50-year lease to Newcastle Royal Grammar School. The Jesmond Lawn Tennis club is also popular for socialising.
Jesmond is one of the 26 areas in England to have a real tennis club which is used to hold events.
Notable Jesmond residents have included the industrialist William Armstrong, the golfer Lee Westwood, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, actor James Scott, English Rugby Union player Mathew Tait, footballers Shola Ameobi, Kevin Nolan and Jonás Gutiérrez, journalist and broadcaster Nancy Spain, concert pianist Denis Matthews, writer Catherine Cookson, writer and poet Michael Roberts, singers Bryan Ferry and Sting, countertenor James Bowman, TV/Radio broadcaster Bill Steel, songwriter and record producer Steve Hillier, novelists Eva Ibbotson,[15] Yevgeny Zamyatin, and Denis MacEoin (aka Daniel Easterman and Jonathan Aycliffe).
Arthur Sutherland 1st Baronet; former owner of the Mansion House. The only Briton to die[citation needed] in the Killing Fields of Cambodia, John Dewhirst, was born in Jesmond.
West Jesmond Primary School
West Jesmond is a 4-11 primary school. The original building was demolished in 2008 and a new school rebuilt on the same site. The new school building opened on 2 March 2009.
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Central Newcastle High School (girls only) – merged into new school
Church High School (girls only) – merged into new school
Central Newcastle High School and Church High School merged in September 2014 to create Newcastle High School for Girls
Northern Counties School
Newcastle Preparatory School
Notable buildings
Jesmond Parish Church, Newcastle upon Tyne
Jesmond Synagogue
Jesmond Parish Church
Jesmond Library
Television
For its first series, the MTV UK reality series Geordie Shore was filmed in Jesmond.
The La Sagesse School in Jesmond (now closed and converted into housing) was used as a set for The Dumping Ground (2013–), a spin-off of the popular children's television series Tracy Beaker Returns (2010–2012), starring Dani Harmer.
Jesmond is served by three Tyne and Wear Metro stations at Jesmond, West Jesmond and Ilford Road. Jesmond station is the point at which Metro trains travelling north emerge from the underground section. Trains travel southbound to Sunderland or South Shields via city centre and Gateshead and northbound to the airport via Kingston Park, or to Whitley Bay. Jesmond also has an extra section of non-passenger track called the Manors Stock Curve, used for re-routing trains. The old Jesmond station, which formed part of the suburban rail network prior to the Tyne and Wear Metro network, is situated on the Manors Stock Curve and can be observed from Osborne Terrace with intact platforms. The former station building is now a public house.
There has been an active Baháʼí Faith community in Jesmond for over 25 years, the town is home to the only Bahá’í Centre in North East England, located on Victoria Square near the civic centre.
One of the largest evangelical Anglican churches in the UK is Jesmond Parish Church, which is affiliated with the Christian Institute (based in nearby Gosforth).
Due to a rising population of students and young professionals, Osborne Road has in recent years become a popular venue for nightlife, eating and socialising. With a large number of bars and restaurants in one location it can become congested on busy nights. The road also has a number of medium-sized hotels.
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.
Newcastle developed around a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, the settlement became known as Monkchester before taking on the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. It was one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres during the industrial revolution. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it separated and formed a county of itself. In 1974, Newcastle became part of Tyne and Wear. Since 2018, the city council has been part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Angles and the Norsemen amongst others. Newcastle upon Tyne was originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius. The name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England. Due to its prime location on the River Tyne, the town developed greatly during the Middle Ages and it was to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution, being granted city status in 1882. Today, the city is a major retail, commercial and cultural centre.
Roman settlement
The history of Newcastle dates from AD 122, when the Romans built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne at that point. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or 'Bridge of Aelius', Aelius being the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian, who was responsible for the Roman wall built across northern England along the Tyne–Solway gap. Hadrian's Wall ran through present-day Newcastle, with stretches of wall and turrets visible along the West Road, and at a temple in Benwell. Traces of a milecastle were found on Westgate Road, midway between Clayton Street and Grainger Street, and it is likely that the course of the wall corresponded to present-day Westgate Road. The course of the wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort at Wallsend, with the fort of Arbeia down-river at the mouth of the Tyne, on the south bank in what is now South Shields. The Tyne was then a wider, shallower river at this point and it is thought that the bridge was probably about 700 feet (210 m) long, made of wood and supported on stone piers. It is probable that it was sited near the current Swing Bridge, due to the fact that Roman artefacts were found there during the building of the latter bridge. Hadrian himself probably visited the site in 122. A shrine was set up on the completed bridge in 123 by the 6th Legion, with two altars to Neptune and Oceanus respectively. The two altars were subsequently found in the river and are on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle.
The Romans built a stone-walled fort in 150 to protect the river crossing which was at the foot of the Tyne Gorge, and this took the name of the bridge so that the whole settlement was known as Pons Aelius. The fort was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the new bridge, on the site of the present Castle Keep. Pons Aelius is last mentioned in 400, in a Roman document listing all of the Roman military outposts. It is likely that nestling in the shadow of the fort would have been a small vicus, or village. Unfortunately, no buildings have been detected; only a few pieces of flagging. It is clear that there was a Roman cemetery near Clavering Place, behind the Central station, as a number of Roman coffins and sarcophagi have been unearthed there.
Despite the presence of the bridge, the settlement of Pons Aelius was not particularly important among the northern Roman settlements. The most important stations were those on the highway of Dere Street running from Eboracum (York) through Corstopitum (Corbridge) and to the lands north of the Wall. Corstopitum, being a major arsenal and supply centre, was much larger and more populous than Pons Aelius.
Anglo-Saxon development
The Angles arrived in the North-East of England in about 500 and may have landed on the Tyne. There is no evidence of an Anglo-Saxon settlement on or near the site of Pons Aelius during the Anglo-Saxon age. The bridge probably survived and there may well have been a small village at the northern end, but no evidence survives. At that time the region was dominated by two kingdoms, Bernicia, north of the Tees and ruled from Bamburgh, and Deira, south of the Tees and ruled from York. Bernicia and Deira combined to form the kingdom of Northanhymbra (Northumbria) early in the 7th century. There were three local kings who held the title of Bretwalda – 'Lord of Britain', Edwin of Deira (627–632), Oswald of Bernicia (633–641) and Oswy of Northumbria (641–658). The 7th century became known as the 'Golden Age of Northumbria', when the area was a beacon of culture and learning in Europe. The greatness of this period was based on its generally Christian culture and resulted in the Lindisfarne Gospels amongst other treasures. The Tyne valley was dotted with monasteries, with those at Monkwearmouth, Hexham and Jarrow being the most famous. Bede, who was based at Jarrow, wrote of a royal estate, known as Ad Murum, 'at the Wall', 12 miles (19 km) from the sea. It is thought that this estate may have been in what is now Newcastle. At some unknown time, the site of Newcastle came to be known as Monkchester. The reason for this title is unknown, as we are unaware of any specific monasteries at the site, and Bede made no reference to it. In 875 Halfdan Ragnarsson, the Danish Viking conqueror of York, led an army that attacked and pillaged various monasteries in the area, and it is thought that Monkchester was also pillaged at this time. Little more was heard of it until the coming of the Normans.
Norman period
After the arrival of William the Conqueror in England in 1066, the whole of England was quickly subjected to Norman rule. However, in Northumbria there was great resistance to the Normans, and in 1069 the newly appointed Norman Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Comines and 700 of his men were killed by the local population at Durham. The Northumbrians then marched on York, but William was able to suppress the uprising. That same year, a second uprising occurred when a Danish fleet landed in the Humber. The Northumbrians again attacked York and destroyed the garrison there. William was again able to suppress the uprising, but this time he took revenge. He laid waste to the whole of the Midlands and the land from York to the Tees. In 1080, William Walcher, the Norman bishop of Durham and his followers were brutally murdered at Gateshead. This time Odo, bishop of Bayeux, William's half brother, devastated the land between the Tees and the Tweed. This was known as the 'Harrying of the North'. This devastation is reflected in the Domesday Book. The destruction had such an effect that the North remained poor and backward at least until Tudor times and perhaps until the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle suffered in this respect with the rest of the North.
In 1080 William sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, north to defend the kingdom against the Scots. After his campaign, he moved to Monkchester and began the building of a 'New Castle'. This was of the "motte-and-bailey" type of construction, a wooden tower on top of an earthen mound (motte), surrounded by a moat and wooden stockade (bailey). It was this castle that gave Newcastle its name. In 1095 the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Mowbray, rose up against the king, William Rufus, and Rufus sent an army north to recapture the castle. From then on the castle became crown property and was an important base from which the king could control the northern barons. The Northumbrian earldom was abolished and a Sheriff of Northumberland was appointed to administer the region. In 1091 the parish church of St Nicholas was consecrated on the site of the present Anglican cathedral, close by the bailey of the new castle. The church is believed to have been a wooden building on stone footings.
Not a trace of the tower or mound of the motte and bailey castle remains now. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep, which was built between 1172 and 1177 at a cost of £1,444. A stone bailey, in the form of a triangle, replaced the previous wooden one. The great outer gateway to the castle, called 'the Black Gate', was built later, between 1247 and 1250, in the reign of Henry III. There were at that time no town walls and when attacked by the Scots, the townspeople had to crowd into the bailey for safety. It is probable that the new castle acted as a magnet for local merchants because of the safety it provided. This in turn would help to expand trade in the town. At this time wool, skins and lead were being exported, whilst alum, pepper and ginger were being imported from France and Flanders.
Middle Ages
Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress, the centre for assembled armies. The Border war against Scotland lasted intermittently for several centuries – possibly the longest border war ever waged. During the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, David 1st of Scotland and his son were granted Cumbria and Northumberland respectively, so that for a period from 1139 to 1157, Newcastle was effectively in Scottish hands. It is believed that during this period, King David may have built the church of St Andrew and the Benedictine nunnery in Newcastle. However, King Stephen's successor, Henry II was strong enough to take back the Earldom of Northumbria from Malcolm IV.
The Scots king William the Lion was imprisoned in Newcastle, in 1174, after being captured at the Battle of Alnwick. Edward I brought the Stone of Scone and William Wallace south through the town and Newcastle was successfully defended against the Scots three times during the 14th century.
Around 1200, stone-faced, clay-filled jetties were starting to project into the river, an indication that trade was increasing in Newcastle. As the Roman roads continued to deteriorate, sea travel was gaining in importance. By 1275 Newcastle was the sixth largest wool exporting port in England. The principal exports at this time were wool, timber, coal, millstones, dairy produce, fish, salt and hides. Much of the developing trade was with the Baltic countries and Germany. Most of the Newcastle merchants were situated near the river, below the Castle. The earliest known charter was dated 1175 in the reign of Henry II, giving the townspeople some control over their town. In 1216 King John granted Newcastle a mayor[8] and also allowed the formation of guilds (known as Mysteries). These were cartels formed within different trades, which restricted trade to guild members. There were initially twelve guilds. Coal was being exported from Newcastle by 1250, and by 1350 the burgesses received a royal licence to export coal. This licence to export coal was jealously guarded by the Newcastle burgesses, and they tried to prevent any one else on the Tyne from exporting coal except through Newcastle. The burgesses similarly tried to prevent fish from being sold anywhere else on the Tyne except Newcastle. This led to conflicts with Gateshead and South Shields.
In 1265, the town was granted permission to impose a 'Wall Tax' or Murage, to pay for the construction of a fortified wall to enclose the town and protect it from Scottish invaders. The town walls were not completed until early in the 14th century. They were two miles (3 km) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) thick and 25 feet (7.6 m) high. They had six main gates, as well as some smaller gates, and had 17 towers. The land within the walls was divided almost equally by the Lort Burn, which flowed southwards and joined the Tyne to the east of the Castle. The town began to expand north of the Castle and west of the Lort Burn with various markets being set up within the walls.
In 1400 Henry IV granted a new charter, creating a County corporate which separated the town, but not the Castle, from the county of Northumberland and recognised it as a "county of itself" with a right to have a sheriff of its own. The burgesses were now allowed to choose six aldermen who, with the mayor would be justices of the peace. The mayor and sheriff were allowed to hold borough courts in the Guildhall.
Religious houses
During the Middle Ages a number of religious houses were established within the walls: the first of these was the Benedictine nunnery of St Bartholomew founded in 1086 near the present-day Nun Street. Both David I of Scotland and Henry I of England were benefactors of the religious house. Nothing of the nunnery remains now.
The friary of Blackfriars, Newcastle (Dominican) was established in 1239. These were also known as the Preaching Friars or Shod Friars, because they wore sandals, as opposed to other orders. The friary was situated in the present-day Friars Street. In 1280 the order was granted royal permission to make a postern in the town walls to communicate with their gardens outside the walls. On 19 June 1334, Edward Balliol, claimant to be King of Scotland, did homage to King Edward III, on behalf of the kingdom of Scotland, in the church of the friary. Much of the original buildings of the friary still exist, mainly because, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the friary of Blackfriars was rented out by the corporation to nine of the local trade guilds.
The friary of Whitefriars (Carmelite) was established in 1262. The order was originally housed on the Wall Knoll in Pandon, but in 1307 it took over the buildings of another order, which went out of existence, the Friars of the Sac. The land, which had originally been given by Robert the Bruce, was situated in the present-day Hanover Square, behind the Central station. Nothing of the friary remains now.
The friary of Austinfriars (Augustinian) was established in 1290. The friary was on the site where the Holy Jesus Hospital was built in 1682. The friary was traditionally the lodging place of English kings whenever they visited or passed through Newcastle. In 1503 Princess Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England, stayed two days at the friary on her way to join her new husband James IV of Scotland.
The friary of Greyfriars (Franciscans) was established in 1274. The friary was in the present-day area between Pilgrim Street, Grey Street, Market Street and High Chare. Nothing of the original buildings remains.
The friary of the Order of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Trinitarians, was established in 1360. The order devoted a third of its income to buying back captives of the Saracens, during the Crusades. Their house was on the Wall Knoll, in Pandon, to the east of the city, but within the walls. Wall Knoll had previously been occupied by the White Friars until they moved to new premises in 1307.
All of the above religious houses were closed in about 1540, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
An important street running through Newcastle at the time was Pilgrim Street, running northwards inside the walls and leading to the Pilgrim Gate on the north wall. The street still exists today as arguably Newcastle's main shopping street.
Tudor period
The Scottish border wars continued for much of the 16th century, so that during that time, Newcastle was often threatened with invasion by the Scots, but also remained important as a border stronghold against them.
During the Reformation begun by Henry VIII in 1536, the five Newcastle friaries and the single nunnery were dissolved and the land was sold to the Corporation and to rich merchants. At this time there were fewer than 60 inmates of the religious houses in Newcastle. The convent of Blackfriars was leased to nine craft guilds to be used as their headquarters. This probably explains why it is the only one of the religious houses whose building survives to the present day. The priories at Tynemouth and Durham were also dissolved, thus ending the long-running rivalry between Newcastle and the church for control of trade on the Tyne. A little later, the property of the nunnery of St Bartholomew and of Grey Friars were bought by Robert Anderson, who had the buildings demolished to build his grand Newe House (also known as Anderson Place).
With the gradual decline of the Scottish border wars the town walls were allowed to decline as well as the castle. By 1547, about 10,000 people were living in Newcastle. At the beginning of the 16th century exports of wool from Newcastle were more than twice the value of exports of coal, but during the century coal exports continued to increase.
Under Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, sponsored an act allowing Newcastle to annexe Gateshead as its suburb. The main reason for this was to allow the Newcastle Hostmen, who controlled the export of Tyne coal, to get their hands on the Gateshead coal mines, previously controlled by the Bishop of Durham. However, when Mary I came to power, Dudley met his downfall and the decision was reversed. The Reformation allowed private access to coal mines previously owned by Tynemouth and Durham priories and as a result coal exports increase dramatically, from 15,000 tons in 1500 to 35,000 tons in 1565, and to 400,000 tons in 1625.
The plague visited Newcastle four times during the 16th century, in 1579 when 2,000 people died, in 1589 when 1700 died, in 1595 and finally in 1597.
In 1600 Elizabeth I granted Newcastle a charter for an exclusive body of electors, the right to elect the mayor and burgesses. The charter also gave the Hostmen exclusive rights to load coal at any point on the Tyne. The Hostmen developed as an exclusive group within the Merchant Adventurers who had been incorporated by a charter in 1547.
Stuart period
In 1636 there was a serious outbreak of bubonic plague in Newcastle. There had been several previous outbreaks of the disease over the years, but this was the most serious. It is thought to have arrived from the Netherlands via ships that were trading between the Tyne and that country. It first appeared in the lower part of the town near the docks but gradually spread to all parts of the town. As the disease gained hold the authorities took measures to control it by boarding up any properties that contained infected persons, meaning that whole families were locked up together with the infected family members. Other infected persons were put in huts outside the town walls and left to die. Plague pits were dug next to the town's four churches and outside the town walls to receive the bodies in mass burials. Over the course of the outbreak 5,631 deaths were recorded out of an estimated population of 12,000, a death rate of 47%.
In 1637 Charles I tried to raise money by doubling the 'voluntary' tax on coal in return for allowing the Newcastle Hostmen to regulate production and fix prices. This caused outrage amongst the London importers and the East Anglian shippers. Both groups decided to boycott Tyne coal and as a result forced Charles to reverse his decision in 1638.
In 1640 during the Second Bishops' War, the Scots successfully invaded Newcastle. The occupying army demanded £850 per day from the Corporation to billet the Scottish troops. Trade from the Tyne ground to a halt during the occupation. The Scots left in 1641 after receiving a Parliamentary pardon and a £4,000,000 loan from the town.
In 1642 the English Civil War began. King Charles realised the value of the Tyne coal trade and therefore garrisoned Newcastle. A Royalist was appointed as governor. At that time, Newcastle and King's Lynn were the only important seaports to support the crown. In 1644 Parliament blockaded the Tyne to prevent the king from receiving revenue from the Tyne coal trade. Coal exports fell from 450,000 to 3,000 tons and London suffered a hard winter without fuel. Parliament encouraged the coal trade from the Wear to try to replace that lost from Newcastle but that was not enough to make up for the lost Tyneside tonnage.
In 1644 the Scots crossed the border. Newcastle strengthened its defences in preparation. The Scottish army, with 40,000 troops, besieged Newcastle for three months until the garrison of 1,500 surrendered. During the siege, the Scots bombarded the walls with their artillery, situated in Gateshead and Castle Leazes. The Scottish commander threatened to destroy the steeple of St Nicholas's Church by gunfire if the mayor, Sir John Marley, did not surrender the town. The mayor responded by placing Scottish prisoners that they had captured in the steeple, so saving it from destruction. The town walls were finally breached by a combination of artillery and sapping. In gratitude for this defence, Charles gave Newcastle the motto 'Fortiter Defendit Triumphans' to be added to its coat of arms. The Scottish army occupied Northumberland and Durham for two years. The coal taxes had to pay for the Scottish occupation. In 1645 Charles surrendered to the Scots and was imprisoned in Newcastle for nine months. After the Civil War the coal trade on the Tyne soon picked up and exceeded its pre-war levels.
A new Guildhall was completed on the Sandhill next to the river in 1655, replacing an earlier facility damaged by fire in 1639, and became the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council. In 1681 the Hospital of the Holy Jesus was built partly on the site of the Austin Friars. The Guildhall and Holy Jesus Hospital still exist.
Charles II tried to impose a charter on Newcastle to give the king the right to appoint the mayor, sheriff, recorder and town clerk. Charles died before the charter came into effect. In 1685, James II tried to replace Corporation members with named Catholics. However, James' mandate was suspended in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution welcoming William of Orange. In 1689, after the fall of James II, the people of Newcastle tore down his bronze equestrian statue in Sandhill and tossed it into the Tyne. The bronze was later used to make bells for All Saints Church.
In 1689 the Lort Burn was covered over. At this time it was an open sewer. The channel followed by the Lort Burn became the present day Dean Street. At that time, the centre of Newcastle was still the Sandhill area, with many merchants living along the Close or on the Side. The path of the main road through Newcastle ran from the single Tyne bridge, through Sandhill to the Side, a narrow street which climbed steeply on the north-east side of the castle hill until it reached the higher ground alongside St Nicholas' Church. As Newcastle developed, the Side became lined with buildings with projecting upper stories, so that the main street through Newcastle was a narrow, congested, steep thoroughfare.
In 1701 the Keelmen's Hospital was built in the Sandgate area of the city, using funds provided by the keelmen. The building still stands today.
Eighteenth century
In the 18th century, Newcastle was the country's largest print centre after London, Oxford and Cambridge, and the Literary and Philosophical Society of 1793, with its erudite debates and large stock of books in several languages predated the London Library by half a century.
In 1715, during the Jacobite rising in favour of the Old Pretender, an army of Jacobite supporters marched on Newcastle. Many of the Northumbrian gentry joined the rebels. The citizens prepared for its arrival by arresting Jacobite supporters and accepting 700 extra recruits into the local militia. The gates of the city were closed against the rebels. This proved enough to delay an attack until reinforcements arrived forcing the rebel army to move across to the west coast. The rebels finally surrendered at Preston.
In 1745, during a second Jacobite rising in favour of the Young Pretender, a Scottish army crossed the border led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Once again Newcastle prepared by arresting Jacobite supporters and inducting 800 volunteers into the local militia. The town walls were strengthened, most of the gates were blocked up and some 200 cannon were deployed. 20,000 regulars were billeted on the Town Moor. These preparations were enough to force the rebel army to travel south via the west coast. They were eventually defeated at Culloden in 1746.
Newcastle's actions during the 1715 rising in resisting the rebels and declaring for George I, in contrast to the rest of the region, is the most likely source of the nickname 'Geordie', applied to people from Tyneside, or more accurately Newcastle. Another theory, however, is that the name 'Geordie' came from the inventor of the Geordie lamp, George Stephenson. It was a type of safety lamp used in mining, but was not invented until 1815. Apparently the term 'German Geordie' was in common use during the 18th century.
The city's first hospital, Newcastle Infirmary opened in 1753; it was funded by public subscription. A lying-in hospital was established in Newcastle in 1760. The city's first public hospital for mentally ill patients, Wardens Close Lunatic Hospital was opened in October 1767.
In 1771 a flood swept away much of the bridge at Newcastle. The bridge had been built in 1250 and repaired after a flood in 1339. The bridge supported various houses and three towers and an old chapel. A blue stone was placed in the middle of the bridge to mark the boundary between Newcastle and the Palatinate of Durham. A temporary wooden bridge had to be built, and this remained in use until 1781, when a new stone bridge was completed. The new bridge consisted of nine arches. In 1801, because of the pressure of traffic, the bridge had to be widened.
A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Fenham Barracks in 1806. The facilities at the Castle for holding assizes, which had been condemned for their inconvenience and unhealthiness, were replaced when the Moot Hall opened in August 1812.
Victorian period
Present-day Newcastle owes much of its architecture to the work of the builder Richard Grainger, aided by architects John Dobson, Thomas Oliver, John and Benjamin Green and others. In 1834 Grainger won a competition to produce a new plan for central Newcastle. He put this plan into effect using the above architects as well as architects employed in his own office. Grainger and Oliver had already built Leazes Terrace, Leazes Crescent and Leazes Place between 1829 and 1834. Grainger and Dobson had also built the Royal Arcade at the foot of Pilgrim Street between 1830 and 1832. The most ambitious project covered 12 acres 12 acres (49,000 m2) in central Newcastle, on the site of Newe House (also called Anderson Place). Grainger built three new thoroughfares, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street with many connecting streets, as well as the Central Exchange and the Grainger Market. John Wardle and George Walker, working in Grainger's office, designed Clayton Street, Grainger Street and most of Grey Street. Dobson designed the Grainger Market and much of the east side of Grey Street. John and Benjamin Green designed the Theatre Royal at the top of Grey Street, where Grainger placed the column of Grey's Monument as a focus for the whole scheme. Grey Street is considered to be one of the finest streets in the country, with its elegant curve. Unfortunately most of old Eldon Square was demolished in the 1960s in the name of progress. The Royal Arcade met a similar fate.
In 1849 a new bridge was built across the river at Newcastle. This was the High Level Bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, and slightly up river from the existing bridge. The bridge was designed to carry road and rail traffic across the Tyne Gorge on two decks with rail traffic on the upper deck and road traffic on the lower. The new bridge meant that traffic could pass through Newcastle without having to negotiate the steep, narrow Side, as had been necessary for centuries. The bridge was opened by Queen Victoria, who one year later opened the new Central Station, designed by John Dobson. Trains were now able to cross the river, directly into the centre of Newcastle and carry on up to Scotland. The Army Riding School was also completed in 1849.
In 1854 a large fire started on the Gateshead quayside and an explosion caused it to spread across the river to the Newcastle quayside. A huge conflagration amongst the narrow alleys, or 'chares', destroyed the homes of 800 families as well as many business premises. The narrow alleys that had been destroyed were replaced by streets containing blocks of modern offices.
In 1863 the Town Hall in St Nicholas Square replaced the Guildhall as the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council.
In 1876 the low level bridge was replaced by a new bridge known as the Swing Bridge, so called because the bridge was able to swing horizontally on a central axis and allow ships to pass on either side. This meant that for the first time sizeable ships could pass up-river beyond Newcastle. The bridge was built and paid for by William Armstrong, a local arms manufacturer, who needed to have warships access his Elswick arms factory to fit armaments to them. The Swing Bridge's rotating mechanism is adapted from the cannon mounts developed in Armstrong's arms works. In 1882 the Elswick works began to build ships as well as to arm them. The Barrack Road drill hall was completed in 1890.
Industrialisation
In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle's development as a major city owed most to its central role in the production and export of coal. The phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" was first recorded in 1538; it proverbially denotes bringing a particular commodity to a place that has more than enough of it already.
Innovation in Newcastle and surrounding areas included the following:
George Stephenson developed a miner's safety lamp at the same time that Humphry Davy developed a rival design. The lamp made possible the opening up of ever deeper mines to provide the coal that powered the industrial revolution.
George and his son Robert Stephenson were hugely influential figures in the development of the early railways. George developed Blücher, a locomotive working at Killingworth colliery in 1814, whilst Robert was instrumental in the design of Rocket, a revolutionary design that was the forerunner of modern locomotives. Both men were involved in planning and building railway lines, all over this country and abroad.
Joseph Swan demonstrated a working electric light bulb about a year before Thomas Edison did the same in the USA. This led to a dispute as to who had actually invented the light bulb. Eventually the two rivals agreed to form a mutual company between them, the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company, known as Ediswan.
Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine, for marine use and for power generation. He used Turbinia, a small, turbine-powered ship, to demonstrate the speed that a steam turbine could generate. Turbinia literally ran rings around the British Fleet at a review at Spithead in 1897.
William Armstrong invented a hydraulic crane that was installed in dockyards up and down the country. He then began to design light, accurate field guns for the British army. These were a vast improvement on the existing guns that were then in use.
The following major industries developed in Newcastle or its surrounding area:
Glassmaking
A small glass industry existed in Newcastle from the mid-15th century. In 1615 restrictions were put on the use of wood for manufacturing glass. It was found that glass could be manufactured using the local coal, and so a glassmaking industry grew up on Tyneside. Huguenot glassmakers came over from France as refugees from persecution and set up glasshouses in the Skinnerburn area of Newcastle. Eventually, glass production moved to the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. In 1684 the Dagnia family, Sephardic Jewish emigrants from Altare, arrived in Newcastle from Stourbridge and established glasshouses along the Close, to manufacture high quality flint glass. The glass manufacturers used sand ballast from the boats arriving in the river as the main raw material. The glassware was then exported in collier brigs. The period from 1730 to 1785 was the highpoint of Newcastle glass manufacture, when the local glassmakers produced the 'Newcastle Light Baluster'. The glassmaking industry still exists in the west end of the city with local Artist and Glassmaker Jane Charles carrying on over four hundred years of hot glass blowing in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Locomotive manufacture
In 1823 George Stephenson and his son Robert established the world's first locomotive factory near Forth Street in Newcastle. Here they built locomotives for the Stockton and Darlington Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, as well as many others. It was here that the famous locomotive Rocket was designed and manufactured in preparation for the Rainhill Trials. Apart from building locomotives for the British market, the Newcastle works also produced locomotives for Europe and America. The Forth Street works continued to build locomotives until 1960.
Shipbuilding
In 1296 a wooden, 135 ft (41 m) long galley was constructed at the mouth of the Lort Burn in Newcastle, as part of a twenty-ship order from the king. The ship cost £205, and is the earliest record of shipbuilding in Newcastle. However the rise of the Tyne as a shipbuilding area was due to the need for collier brigs for the coal export trade. These wooden sailing ships were usually built locally, establishing local expertise in building ships. As ships changed from wood to steel, and from sail to steam, the local shipbuilding industry changed to build the new ships. Although shipbuilding was carried out up and down both sides of the river, the two main areas for building ships in Newcastle were Elswick, to the west, and Walker, to the east. By 1800 Tyneside was the third largest producer of ships in Britain. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, lack of modernisation and competition from abroad gradually caused the local industry to decline and die.
Armaments
In 1847 William Armstrong established a huge factory in Elswick, west of Newcastle. This was initially used to produce hydraulic cranes but subsequently began also to produce guns for both the army and the navy. After the Swing Bridge was built in 1876 allowing ships to pass up river, warships could have their armaments fitted alongside the Elswick works. Armstrong's company took over its industrial rival, Joseph Whitworth of Manchester in 1897.
Steam turbines
Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine and, in 1889, founded his own company C. A. Parsons and Company in Heaton, Newcastle to make steam turbines. Shortly after this, he realised that steam turbines could be used to propel ships and, in 1897, he founded a second company, Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company in Wallsend. It is there that he designed and manufactured Turbinia. Parsons turbines were initially used in warships but soon came to be used in merchant and passenger vessels, including the liner Mauretania which held the blue riband for the Atlantic crossing until 1929. Parsons' company in Heaton began to make turbo-generators for power stations and supplied power stations all over the world. The Heaton works, reduced in size, remains as part of the Siemens AG industrial giant.
Pottery
In 1762 the Maling pottery was founded in Sunderland by French Huguenots, but transferred to Newcastle in 1817. A factory was built in the Ouseburn area of the city. The factory was rebuilt twice, finally occupying a 14-acre (57,000 m2) site that was claimed to be the biggest pottery in the world and which had its own railway station. The pottery pioneered use of machines in making potteries as opposed to hand production. In the 1890s the company went up-market and employed in-house designers. The period up to the Second World War was the most profitable with a constant stream of new designs being introduced. However, after the war, production gradually declined and the company closed in 1963.
Expansion of the city
Newcastle was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835: the reformed municipal borough included the parishes of Byker, Elswick, Heaton, Jesmond, Newcastle All Saints, Newcastle St Andrew, Newcastle St John, Newcastle St Nicholas, and Westgate. The urban districts of Benwell and Fenham and Walker were added in 1904. In 1935, Newcastle gained Kenton and parts of the parishes of West Brunton, East Denton, Fawdon, Longbenton. The most recent expansion in Newcastle's boundaries took place under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, when Newcastle became a metropolitan borough, also including the urban districts of Gosforth and Newburn, and the parishes of Brunswick, Dinnington, Hazlerigg, North Gosforth and Woolsington from the Castle Ward Rural District, and the village of Westerhope.
Meanwhile Northumberland County Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1888 and benefited from a dedicated meeting place when County Hall was completed in the Castle Garth area of Newcastle in 1910. Following the Local Government Act 1972 County Hall relocated to Morpeth in April 1981.
Twentieth century
In 1925 work began on a new high-level road bridge to span the Tyne Gorge between Newcastle and Gateshead. The capacity of the existing High-Level Bridge and Swing Bridge were being strained to the limit, and an additional bridge had been discussed for a long time. The contract was awarded to the Dorman Long Company and the bridge was finally opened by King George V in 1928. The road deck was 84 feet (26 m) above the river and was supported by a 531 feet (162 m) steel arch. The new Tyne Bridge quickly became a symbol for Newcastle and Tyneside, and remains so today.
During the Second World War, Newcastle was largely spared the horrors inflicted upon other British cities bombed during the Blitz. Although the armaments factories and shipyards along the River Tyne were targeted by the Luftwaffe, they largely escaped unscathed. Manors goods yard and railway terminal, to the east of the city centre, and the suburbs of Jesmond and Heaton suffered bombing during 1941. There were 141 deaths and 587 injuries, a relatively small figure compared to the casualties in other industrial centres of Britain.
In 1963 the city gained its own university, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, by act of parliament. A School of Medicine and Surgery had been established in Newcastle in 1834. This eventually developed into a college of medicine attached to Durham University. A college of physical science was also founded and became Armstrong College in 1904. In 1934 the two colleges merged to become King's College, Durham. This remained as part of Durham University until the new university was created in 1963. In 1992 the city gained its second university when Newcastle Polytechnic was granted university status as Northumbria University.
Newcastle City Council moved to the new Newcastle Civic Centre in 1968.
As heavy industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, large sections of the city centre were demolished along with many areas of slum housing. The leading political figure in the city during the 1960s was T. Dan Smith who oversaw a massive building programme of highrise housing estates and authorised the demolition of a quarter of the Georgian Grainger Town to make way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Smith's control in Newcastle collapsed when it was exposed that he had used public contracts to advantage himself and his business associates and for a time Newcastle became a byword for civic corruption as depicted in the films Get Carter and Stormy Monday and in the television series Our Friends in the North. However, much of the historic Grainger Town area survived and was, for the most part, fully restored in the late 1990s. Northumberland Street, initially the A1, was gradually closed to traffic from the 1970s and completely pedestrianised by 1998.
In 1978 a new rapid transport system, the Metro, was built, linking the Tyneside area. The system opened in August 1980. A new bridge was built to carry the Metro across the river between Gateshead and Newcastle. This was the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, commonly known as the Metro Bridge. Eventually the Metro system was extended to reach Newcastle Airport in 1991, and in 2002 the Metro system was extended to the nearby city of Sunderland.
As the 20th century progressed, trade on the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides gradually declined, until by the 1980s both sides of the river were looking rather derelict. Shipping company offices had closed along with offices of firms related to shipping. There were also derelict warehouses lining the riverbank. Local government produced a master plan to re-develop the Newcastle quayside and this was begun in the 1990s. New offices, restaurants, bars and residential accommodation were built and the area has changed in the space of a few years into a vibrant area, partially returning the focus of Newcastle to the riverside, where it was in medieval times.
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a foot and cycle bridge, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 413 feet (126 m) long, was completed in 2001. The road deck is in the form of a curve and is supported by a steel arch. To allow ships to pass, the whole structure, both arch and road-deck, rotates on huge bearings at either end so that the road deck is lifted. The bridge can be said to open and shut like a human eye. It is an important addition to the re-developed quayside area, providing a vital link between the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides.
Recent developments
Today the city is a vibrant centre for office and retail employment, but just a short distance away there are impoverished inner-city housing estates, in areas originally built to provide affordable housing for employees of the shipyards and other heavy industries that lined the River Tyne. In the 2010s Newcastle City Council began implementing plans to regenerate these depressed areas, such as those along the Ouseburn Valley.
This image is from an overlooking vantage point in the outskirts of Zion National Park. The image is moody. In the distance on the right there are visible traces of rain dashed with warm light. In the center the contested and congested cloudy sky opens up enough for light to shine down on the flat mountainous topography. Rain is falling on the left at distance creating a haziness while in the front right foreground an ominous cloud looks like it will unleash a thunderstorm. In the foreground is a tapestry of forest touched by a mingled and tinted light that gives a warm and inviting feeling. This is nature's moodiness, which even still is replete with beauty. Zion National Park Utah, USA, 25 July 2009.
Photographs taken by me at Point Pleasant Beach. Shot with the Sigma 19mm F/2.8 DG DN Art. At F/11 Shutter speed 4 seconds ISO 100.
It was quite a nice 4th of July full of crowds of people that wanted to spend their weekend at the beach to see the big show. It felt very pre-covid as the crowds were overwhelmingly congested on the Boardwalk. I shot simultaneously with two cameras. The first camera was with a crop sensor. The A6300 with a wide angle lens the Sigma 19mm. Which this series showcases.. The second camera I shot with was my A7Riii with my Sony 50mm F/1.2 GM. The show was suppose to start at 9:00 PM and eventually started at 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, due to the delay it rained a little bit, and some of my photos will reflect that. However, I found the photos that were affected by the droplets of rain falling on the front lens elements to be characterful. That's is why I have decided to share them rather than delete them.
All rights reserved ©
Lufthansa has a very impressive short-haul network, the company has two major bases in Germany; at Frankfurt and Munich. Frankfurt, Lufthansa's largest hub is at times heavily congested; and back in 1992, Frankfurt at the time was struggling for capacity and when Munich opened its brand new airport, Lufthansa announced a second hub at the airport.
Munich Airport celebrates 25 years of operation, the new airport replaced the congested Munich-Riem Airport. Lufthansa is also celebrating 25 years of Munich Airport as they were their first major tenant, and opened Terminal 2 at the airport in 2003.
To celebrate the 25 year anniversary since Munich Airport opened, Lufthansa has adorned one of it's Munich based Airbus A320's with special 25th anniversary at Munich decals. Lufthansa remains committed to serving Munich with new aircraft deliveries, notably Airbus A320's and Airbus A350-900's. The hub also sees dedicated Airbus A330-300's and Airbus A340-600's operate on long-haul flights.
Lufthansa's short-haul fleet largely comprises of the Airbus A320 family which currently stands at 163, which includes 30 Airbus A319's, 65 Airbus A320ceo's, 5 Airbus A320neo's, 20 Airbus A321-100's and 43 Airbus A321-200's. Lufthansa has a large order for 19 Airbus A320ceo's, 56 Airbus A320neo's and 40 Airbus A321neo's.
Alpha India Uniform Romeo is one of 65 Airbus Airbus A320ceo's in service with Lufthansa, delivered new to the flag-carrier in February 2016 and she is powered by 2 CFM International CFM56-5B4/3 engines. She is currently based at Munich.
Airbus A320-214(WL) D-AIUR on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on LH2474 from Munich-Franz Josef Strauss (MUC).
I'd been meaning to upload this image for some time. I don't know about anyone else, but my computer drives are almost totally congested with unworked images. I really don't know what the best technique is for dealing with this as photo mags seem to skip round this issue and just focus on advice, technique, locations and new kit.