Visually Yours

Autum Morning - Telfrod

Priorslee Circle

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaf on pedestrian road

Shrub - I don't know its name

Priorslee Lake

Walk Way Tunnel - Priorslee Lake

Durham Cathedral & Other Newcastle Snaps

Durham Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, which is almost always referred to as Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham, County Durham, North East England, was founded in AD 1093 and remains a centre for Christian worship today. It is generally regarded as one of the finest examples of a Norman cathedral in Europe and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green, high above the River Wear.

The Cathedral houses the shrine and related treasures of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a 7th century saint, and these are on public view. It is also home to the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede. One can also climb the 325 steps to the top of the 217 feet (66 m) tall tower, from where an outstanding view of Durham and the surrounding area can be enjoyed.

There are regular services sung by the cathedral choir. Except for Mondays, and certain vacations, the choir sing every day.

The bishops of Durham were very powerful prince-bishops up to the mid-19th century. The seat of Bishop of Durham is still the fourth most significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and signposts for the modern day County Durham are nowadays subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."

For more information, please check Durham Cathedral

The Hoppings

The Hoppings, reputedly the largest travelling fair in Europe, takes place on Newcastle Town Moor every June. The event had its origins in the Temperance movement during the early 1880s and coincides with the annual race week at High Gosforth Park.

St Mary's Cathedral

St Mary's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the mother-church of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The Cathedral was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin and built between 1842 and 1844. The cathedral is a grade I listed building and a fine example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture championed by Pugin.

View of Newcastle Central Railway Station from the cathedral

For more information, please check St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne

Tyne Bridge

Tyne Bridge as seen from India Quay Restaurant

Grey Street

Grey Street is a street in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is renowned for its Georgian architecture by John Dobson, and was in 2002 voted 'Best street in the UK' by BBC Radio 4 listeners.

Sir John Betjeman said of it: As for the curve of Grey Street, I shall never forget seeing it to perfection, traffic-less on a misty Sunday morning. Not even Regent Street, even old Regent Street London, can compare with that descending subtle curve.

Grey Street was built by John Dobson and Richard Grainger in the 1830s; Dean Street had been constructed earlier, in 1749. Grey Street houses the Theatre Royal and entrances to Monument Metro station and the Central Arcade.

Both the above photographs were taken on a Saturday early morning at around 0230 hours.

Street Musicians - Newcastle

I have usually found a lot of street musician performing close to the Grey's momument and also in and around a lot of nearby buildings, eg. Central Aracde. Following are some of the snaps of these musicians.

Father & Sons

He has moved (from one building to another) :)

Pals - Trying to gig ... But no one seems to take a note of them :(

St Georges Day Celebrations

15-16 April 2007

The celebrations began as the orchestra came together with a locally-recruited choir and 25 snare drummers in a procession around Newcastle. The procession started at 2:30pm next to Haymarket Metro station. Drummers lead the procession down Northumberland Street to Grey’s Monument then on to the Grainger Market, then the Bigg Market and ending at the Theatre Royal. Performers were ‘dropped-off’ along the way to entertain in a number of locations throughout the afternoon.

The orchestra perfomed on Sunday, a day later at Saltwell Park, in a performance called as 'Before the Wolf by La Banda Europa'. Musicians who performed include Pascal Lefeuvre, considered the best hurdy gurdy player in the world, trombonist John Kenny, ranked in the world top 10 by the Observer magazine, Ditte Anderson, the foremost player and authority on the nyckelharpa, and bass clarinettist Dick Lea, a multi award-winning composer and a past Creative Scotland awardee.

Overall, the weekend celebration was a very watchful and entertaining event. I hope you will like these pictures

Bridges on River Tyne - Newcastle, UK

The Tyne Bridge is a bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. It was officially opened on October 10, 1928 by King George V. It is a fine example of a Compression arch suspended-deck bridge.

The Tyne Bridge is also the name of a parliamentary constituency that covers areas of central Newcastle and central Gateshead.

For more information click here

The following snap is of the The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cycle bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead on the south bank, and Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived by architects Wilkinson Eyre, with structural engineers Gifford and Partners.

This photograph was taken by standing in middle of the Tyne Bridge.

I have made a separate blog entry for the Millennium Bridge. Click here to read more about it.

You will be surprised to know that there 7 different kind of brides on river Tyne within a distance of 1 KM. All these bridges are located close to each other in the Newcastle City Centre.

People - Newcastle

A lil girl participating in the general festivities on St. Patrick's Day at the City Centre.

Asian Boy - What are you looking at?

Butcher from the local butcher shop

I must confess that I have not really taken people photographs in the UK. Neither have I taken a go at Street Photography :( I will take more photographs on these kinds instead of just being awestruck by the European Architecture which is pervasive in the Newcastle City Centre. Click here to see more pictures of the Newcastle City Centre.

Whitley Bay

The following snaps are of Whitley Bay and St. Mary's Lighthouse, which is only 8 miles east of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 11 miles southeast of Ashington. Whitley Bay is on the A193 coastal road and is north side of Cullercoats.

A popular seaside resort, Whitley Bay is an extension of the adjacent town of Cullercoats. Whitley Bay is of Victorian origin with its roots firmly established as a holiday resort. Over 200 years ago Cullercoats had become a small bathing town, which gradually expanded north forming the larger town of Whitley Bay.

Reached between the tides via a short causeway, St Mary’s Lighthouse has all the fascination of a miniature, part-time island. The Lighthouse, completed in 1898, on a hazardous coast for shipping, remained operational until 1984 when it was superseded by modern navigational techniques.

Visitors can climb the 137 steps to the top of the Lighthouse, which provides spectacular views of the North East coast. The surrounding Nature Reserve contains an area of rock pools, cliff top grassland, a beach and a wetland habitat.

Newcastle City Centre & Nearby Areas

Grey's Street - Voted as one of the best streets in the UK.

Central Arcade Building - From Outside

Central Arcade - Oblique view with Grey's Mounment also included in the frame.

Grey's Monumnent - As seen from one of the many radial streets

View of the street from the Grey's Monument

Tourist's View of the Street

Farmers Market - At the Grainger Town. Located close to the Grey's monument.

War Memorial - (In Memory of the soldiers who fought in South Africa). I will have to check the details. This memorial is located at the Haymarket Metro Station.

Another statue at the above War Memorial.

Hmm...May be a Knight? I have to find the details of this Gentleman :)

Another memorial. This is loacted at the Civic Centre gardens.

Concrete Pillars of the Civic Centre Building

Iron Pillars of the Civic Centre Building

God Of Tyne - Civic Centre Building

God Of Tyne - Civic Centre Building - Another Angle

Gardens of the Civic Centre

Gardens of the Civic Centre. You can see the War Memorial on the left edge of the photograph.

Architecture - At one of the buildings on Moseley Street. I do not know the name of the building. But it is the building which is next to the St. Nicholas Cathedral.