Pictures of Gateshead

in the county of Tyne & Wear

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About Gateshead

The urban sprawl of Gateshead rises majestically skywards in a seemingly endless mixture of concrete and glass. Gateshead stretches for almost 13 miles along the banks of the River Tyne. The new high rise glass buildings disguise the fact that Gateshead is an ancient place with roots going back to Roman times. Roman coins where discovered here late in the 18th-century and recent archaeological diggings have exposed evidence of a Roman Road and buildings in the Bottle Bank area. When the present Swing Bridge was constructed across the Tyne Gorge in 1875, an alter dedicated to Neptune was dredged from the river bed, further evidencing the occupation and strategic importance of the area for the Romans.

Not a great deal of historic Gateshead remains - the town was virtually raised to the ground in the great fire of 1854 but the beautiful church dedicated to St. Mary remains, and is now a Visitor Centre. The building, which is Grade I Listed still shows fragments of Norman work. Medieval St.Edmunds Chapel which was originally part of The Chapel and Hospital of St.Edmund, Bishop and Confessor, dates from the middle of the 13th-century.

During the 16th-century the sweeping agricultural landscape of Gateshead gave way to the coal fields that eventually brought prosperity to the whole of the Tyne and Wear region. The coal industry was to flourish for centuries and when, in 1970 the last pit in Gateshead closed, mining had dominated for over 300 years. The years of the Industrial Revolution played a big part in the building of Gateshead; locomotives were built here, iron foundries and giant chemical plants where built, leading more workers arriving in the town and a demand for more and better housing. By the turn of the 20th-century Gateshead had developed from a small market town into a thriving industrial heartland.

Today, there remain traces of a rich and varied historic past. Vast estates built by pit, foundry and factory owners still exist, in particular, in the beautiful Derwent Valley where you will find Gibside Hall and Axwell Park, the respective homes of George Bowes and Sir Thomas Clavering. In 1886 skaters on Swan Pond in Gateshead Fell, were the very first to skate under the misty, outdoor charm of the electric light bulb invented by Sir Joseph Swan. The engraver Thomas Bewick lived in the town, so too did William Wailes, noted stained glass artist, who lived at Saltwell Towers.

The Gateshead of today sits comfortably with the past. Old industries have long since gone to be replaced with business, commerce and new technology. An excellent college attracts a youthful community and good hotels attract tourists to come and explore for themselves the legacy of past industries whilst enjoying the very best of a modern ' up-beat' town which is close to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and not far distant from the bays and beaches of the North coast. There is no shortage of excellent restaurants, cafe's, pubs and inns; you will be able to search out several museums where you can learn of the regions cultural heritage and modern shops provide for the most demanding shopper. A few miles further north will bring you to the beautiful Northumbrian countryside and the wild beauty of the lonely Cheviot Hills.

Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Gateshead

Baltic Centre	(1.1 miles, 1.8 km, direction N)	Pictures
Angel of the North	(1.2 miles, 2.0 km, direction SW)	Pictures
St Nicholas Cathedral	(1.5 miles, 2.3 km, direction N)	Pictures
The Castle	(2.0 miles, 3.2 km, direction N)	Pictures
Metroland, Gateshead	(3.2 miles, 5.1 km, direction W)	Pictures
Washington Old Hall	(4.6 miles, 7.4 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Beamish Open Air Museum	(5.1 miles, 8.1 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Washington Wetlands Centre	(5.7 miles, 9.1 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Gibside	(5.7 miles, 9.2 km, direction W)	Pictures
Hylton Castle	(6.8 miles, 10.9 km, direction E)	Pictures
Herrington Country Park	(6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Lumley Castle	(6.9 miles, 11.0 km, direction S)	Pictures
Waldrige Fell Country Park	(7.4 miles, 11.9 km, direction S)	Pictures
Arbeia Roman Fort	(7.6 miles, 12.2 km, direction NE)	Pictures
Tynemouth Lighthouse	(7.9 miles, 12.7 km, direction NE)	Pictures

All attractions in Gateshead
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Recommended towns near Gateshead

Newcastle upon Tyne, a Historic City in the county of Tyne & Wear (2.1 miles, 3.4 km, direction N)
This important City was known as Pons Aelii in Roman times; the Romans built the first bridge over the River Tyne, it was guarded...
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Washington, in the county of Tyne & Wear (4.9 miles, 7.9 km, direction SE)
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Jarrow, in the county of Tyne & Wear (5.1 miles, 8.1 km, direction NE)
This is the town that is famous for the 1930's "Hunger March" caused by the intense poverty that followed the closing of the Charles Palmer shipyard. The last of the surviving marchers, Cornelius Whalen died in 2003 at the age of 93.
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Beamish, in the county of County Durham (5.6 miles, 9.0 km, direction S)
Beamish is famous for its lovely open-air museum which so vividly brings to life how the folk of the region lived at the turn of the 20th century.
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Penshaw, in the county of Tyne & Wear (6.9 miles, 11.2 km, direction SE)
Penshaw lies in open countryside between the urban sprawl of Sunderland and Washington.
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Cullercoats, in the county of Tyne & Wear (8.5 miles, 13.6 km, direction NE)
Cullercoats has many pleasing aspects including a picturesque 19th century church in a commanding position close to the shoreline.
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Marsden Bay, in the county of Tyne & Wear (9.0 miles, 14.6 km, direction E)
Marsden Bay is a deeply curved bay of soft golden sands, it is surrounded almost entirely by crumbling limestone cliffs which provide a haven for colonies of sea-birds.
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Sunderland, in the county of Tyne & Wear (9.1 miles, 14.6 km, direction E)
Sunderland was granted a charter in 1145, the charter gave it market rights and thus the town grew slowly from humble beginnings.
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Seaton Sluice, in the county of Northumberland (10.5 miles, 16.9 km, direction NE)
For centuries salt had been panned in the region, at this time the village was known as Hartley Pans, but this appears to have changed following the building of a harbour with a sluice at the harbour mouth.
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Durham, in the county of County Durham (12.1 miles, 19.5 km, direction S)
Welcome to the City of Durham in the North East of England. Durham as a town reflects the long history of its magnificent castle...
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Blyth, in the county of Northumberland (12.8 miles, 20.6 km, direction N)
An attractive old place, with a long seafaring history, the port of Blyth is believed to date back to the 12th-century.
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Morpeth, in the county of Northumberland (15.5 miles, 25.0 km, direction N)
Hidden in the spacious Northumberland countryside where centuries ago the towns and villages of this vast region were the scene of border raids and skirmishes, lies the busy market town of Morpeth.
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Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, in the county of Northumberland (16.6 miles, 26.7 km, direction N)
The bay is a major attraction, often lively with fishing cobbles and pleasure craft, it is also a haven for sun-bathers.
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Bolam, in the county of Northumberland (16.6 miles, 26.7 km, direction NW)
This is an historic village, it took its name from a Baron de Bolam in the 13th century.
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Kelloe, in the county of County Durham (16.7 miles, 26.8 km, direction S)
Kelloe has pleasant riverside areas and is in close proximity to historic Hartlepool Quay and the seaside resort town of Peterlee on England's northern coast.
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Nearby travel help

Gateshead Stadium Station	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Felling Station	(1.0 miles, 1.7 km)
New Bridge Street	(1.8 miles, 2.9 km, direction N)
A1(M) Junction 65	(3.5 miles, 5.6 km, direction SE)
Newcastle International Airport	(7.0 miles, 11.2 km, direction NW)
Teesside International Airport	(31.2 miles, 50.2 km, direction S)
Gateshead to London	(245.7 miles, 395.3 km, direction S)

Hotels & Accommodation in Gateshead

Hotel Name	Approximate distance from Gateshead center
The Bewick Hotel	(0.3 miles, 0.5 km)
Swallow Newcastle Gateshead Hotel	(0.4 miles, 0.7 km)
Hilton Newcastle Gateshead	(1.2 miles, 1.9 km, direction N)
Baltic Quays Luxury Apartments	(1.2 miles, 2.0 km, direction N)
Surtees Hotel	(1.5 miles, 2.3 km, direction N)
The Bar Luxury Apartments	(1.5 miles, 2.4 km, direction NW)
Thistle Newcastle	(1.5 miles, 2.5 km, direction NW)
City Apartments Newcastle Quayside	(1.5 miles, 2.5 km, direction N)
Grey Street Hotel	(1.5 miles, 2.5 km, direction N)
Euro Hostel Newcastle Halls	(1.6 miles, 2.5 km, direction N)
All hotels in Gateshead