Bessy Surtees | Musiewild's blog

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Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Baltic Flour Mills, Bessy Surtees, Charles Avison, Charles Avison Bessie Surtees, Charles I, Maddison Memorial, Newcastle, Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle Millennium Bridge, Newcastle Railway Station, Northumbria University, Sage Gateshead

The view from my hotel bedroom window was not brilliant, but there did seem to be one interesting building over to the right.

Having checked out of my hotel, I was able to look for its frontage, and found this:

I am afraid I had never heard of Avison. But found out more here.

My walk today took me past more splendid 19th century buildings, including the Post Office.

Next was a visit to the cathedral, a huge 13th to 15th century church which only became a cathedral in 1882.

At that point some very fine neo-gothic alabaster work was added, among many other things.

The Cathedral’s own hand-out describes the mid-17th century Maddison Memorial as its ‘most attractive and lively monument’. It commemorates three generations of the family.

Once upon a time, Newcastle had, of course, a new castle: here is its keep.

I moved on towards the River Tyne, via the mediaeval Sandhills area,

and was amused to see this:

Bessie’s elopement with John, who came from a poor family, was not approved by her own, but they came round later…

Moving on towards the quayside, I wondered what this building was. It made me think of a cinema.

It turned out to be the Law Courts.

I was now on the quayside, and got my first glimpse of Newcastle’s famous Millennium Bridge, swung upwards at that point.

Now, I had heard of Paris Plage when I lived in France, but was very surprised to come across Newcastle’s Quayside Seaside (and wondered whether Teesside had thought to get in on the act).

Time to cross the bridge, back to its normal position now, and to look up river to see the Sage Gateshead building, (a splendid concert hall, home to the Northern Sinfonia), and many bridges, including the nearest, the Tyne Bridge, announcing the Rugby World Cup 2015, to be held, it would appear, in the UK this autumn.

Having crossed, I was now in Gateshead, and visited the top floor of the Baltic Arts Centre (more tomorrow, with a wildlife flavour).

(The line is a corner join in the glass through which the panoramic photo was taken.)

I walked back along the Quay on the Gateshead side, through the Sage, by now getting rather chilly (the weather had now turned for the bad, and so it was to remain for the rest of my time away), and crossed back to Newcastle over the red Swing Bridge, which is opened regularly to keep it in working order.

The tourist office walk I was on suggested studying the station, which I did, admiring particularly the huge doors.

My feet were by now pretty sore, so with the prospect of quite a walk to Northumbria University, where the geology symposium was to be held, I went to rest them in the lobby of my hotel which had kindly stored my suitcase, before setting off again. Least said soonest mended about the problems I had getting to the university, but, on the way, I did notice these two interesting features.