THE NORTH EASTERN BITS OF THE NORTH EASTERN CITY

In the last post, I left you in Wallsend, without actually seeing the Wall. Here's what's left of it (Creative Commons License).

 Up to the north is Shiremoor, the home of Blue Bell Pit, circa 1900.

Nearby, Blue Bell Level Crossing, in 1915.

Not too far away, the NER station at Backworth, served by new-fangled electric trains.

Backworth Colliery, depicted on an old postcard.

NCB Backworth retained steam locos into the 1970s.

In case this area isn't familar to you, here's a link to the map. Don't worry, it opens in a different tab. Meanwhile, let's move on to Benton station in NER times.

By 1970, the third rail had gone and DMUs were in use (Ben Brooksbank).

Around the corner is the Benton Ale House, with beers from the Marston's range.

At Four Lane Ends Metro station, there's interchange with various buses, including those of Arriva, Stagecoach and an independent called Northumbria Buses.

We now move on to Gosforth and here's an old postcard of the High Street.

Race Day traffic on Gosforth High Street sometime between 1895-1900.

The Newcastle Corporation tram terminus by Gosforth Park Gates.

Today, Arriva is one of the companies serving Gosforth High Street.

At a busy junction on the High Street is the Gosforth Hotel.

Nearby is the County.

There's also a Wetherspoons, the John Bulman.

If you need to repent your sins, Trinity Church, Gosforth, is nearby (Creative Commons License).

We take another Arriva bus - to South Gosforth.

Here we find another pub, the Victory.

There's a Metro station at South Gosforth.

Not far away is High Heaton, where County Durham operator OK Motor Services had a small depot.

Next stop, West Jesmond station, with an EMU in NER times.

Tyne & Wear PTE 675 was found in West Jesmond.

We could get a trolleybus straight into Newcastle......

.............but we'll diverge eastwards to Heaton, where the NER had a major loco shed.

In BR days, Heaton MPD was home to both steam and electric locos.

Heaton is now in use by diesels. 08802 was photographed there in 1993.

That's it for now. The next post will find us above and beside the Tyne.

WE REACH THE END (OF THE WALL)

From Tynemouth, it isn't far to North Shields, where we find Sackville Street.

Here's Albion Road in the 1920s.

Preston Road, North Shields.

Albert Edward Dck on the Tyne at North Shields.

Looking up the Tyne from North Shields in 1994.

Shipping on the river in the '80s.

A Russian freighter is towed along the Tyne.

The Royal Navy looks on!

The ferry arrives from South Shields.

Northern General provide an open-topper to take us up into the town centre.

Tynemouth was the main bus operator in North Shields. Here's an early Atlantean at Northumberland Square.

Tynemouth, part of Northern General, had a depot in North Shields.

Another Atlantean, in NBC livery.

Hunters of Seaton Delaval also served North Shields.

Go Ahead is now the principal bus operator.

Back down by the ferry was the Porthole, now no longer a pub.

The Prince of Wales, nearby, is long term closed.

Oh dear! Another good pub gone - the Chain Locker.

The Magnesia Bank, high above the Tyne. No real ale these days.

The Berwick Arms, with its lovely exterior, closed in 2010.

At last! We can get a decent pint. Here's the Oddfellows, since renamed the Seven Stars.

We head away from the Tyne for a while, reaching Middle Engine Lane, headquarters of the Stephenson Steam Railway.

In the shed, one of the Harton electric locos from the South Shields area.

The Stephenson Steam Railway.runs down to Percy Main, where the NER once had a loco shed.

Percy Main was also the site of a Northern General bus depot.

Moving on to Church Bank, Wallsend, with a Tynemouth tram.

The Tynemouth trams met the Newcastle ones in Wallsend.

Here's Wallsend New Colliery - a postcard view.

Wallsend is on the Metro system (Roger Joanes CC).

Despite its name, Cullercoats Brewery is now in Wallsend.

I'm not certain as to the current status of the Rose Inn at Wallsend, but it's where I'm finishing this post.

The next one will see us in the Newcastle suburbs. Here's a link to the map.