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History & Facts
Over the last 200 years NewcastleGateshead has made a number of outstanding contributions to the region, the country and the world. These achievements show what NewcastleGateshead is capable of – they’re part of our heritage and are a signpost to our future.
A few examples of NewcastleGateshead’s heritage of innovation seem in order.
- Mosley Street can claim a spectacular double first – in 1811 it was the first street in the country to be lit by gas light and in 1891 it was the first to be lit by electricity.
- During the late 19th Century, Joseph Swan of Gateshead invented the carbon filament light bulb, the predecessor of present day light bulbs.
- The Turbinia, the first steam turbine powered steamship in England and the fastest ship of its day, was launched from the south bank of the Tyne, while the
- Rocket locomotive, the first passenger carrying steam engine in the world, was built in Newcastle by father and son George and Robert Stephenson.
- The High Level Bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson .The world's first road and railway bridge; the railway being carried above and the road below.
- Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the world's first and only tilting bridge to be built across the River Tyne for more than 100 years
We’re rightly proud of our history, and at the start of the 21st century we’ve reinvented the north east’s tradition of scientific, creative and technological excellence to deliver world-leading research in the life sciences, healthcare, molecular engineering, marine technology, transport, environmental sciences, architecture and design.
Key Facts
Accolades
- In 2011 the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art will be the first non-Tate venue outside of London to host the most prestigious contemporary art prize in Europe – the Turner Prize.
- Trip Advisor picked out the destination for praise in 2010 when Newcastle was voted 7th in the ‘Top 10 Nightlife Destinations in the World’ category, as part of their travellers’ choice 2010 awards, with comments including; “...the locals make Newcastle a truly special place to visit. ‘Geordies’ embody the pride, industriousness and resilient spirit of their city.
- NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau – the conference arm of NewcastleGateshead Initiative - recently scooping Silver in the Best UK Convention Bureau category at the 2010 Meetings and Incentive Travel (M&IT) Industry Awards.
- Newcastle topped Forum for the Future’s Sustainable Cities Index in 2010 and 2009 after coming 8th in the list 2007, and 4th in 2008.
- NewcastleGateshead was shortlisted for the Academy of Urbanism 2009 awards, as European City of the Year.
- Dance City, Newcastle, was winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards in May 2007. According to the Jury Chair the building ‘sits well in its context, brings cohesion to a piece of the city, and is a delight to be in.’
- The streets surrounding Grainger Town were named some of the greatest in England by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in May 2007.
Headlines
"Newcastle fans are the most passionate in the country, if not the world, and that is far more important than silverware when it comes to determining whether you are a BIG club, so yah boo sucks to the London-based media." The Guardian, 9 August 2010
"There's so much to see in this revamped and pulsating city. The historic landmarks (Tyne Bridge, classic Georgian streets, Castle Keep and St Nicholas Cathedral) have been upstaged by new iconic landmarks…" The Sunday Telegraph, 10 January 2010.
"NewcastleGateshead is a remarkable monument to urban tenacity and how you just can’t keep a good city down. Having lost the mines, shipyards and steelworks that helped power England ahead in the industrial revolution, NewcastleGateshead has now reinvented itself as a centre for high-tech manufacturing, the arts and, of course, tourism – a thriving industry that is the envy of other European cities." Independent on Sunday, 14 March 2010.
"Thirty years ago, Newcastle’s Quayside warehouses, factories and tenements, some dating back to the 16th century, were rotting. Now the Quayside teems with glossy flats, brassieres, boutique hotels and public sculpture, beneficiaries of the city’s commitment to reinvention and investment in its cultural life." The Washington Post, 9 May 2010.
We’re rightly proud of our history, and at the start of the 21st century we’ve reinvented the north east’s tradition of scientific, creative and technological excellence...
