Portal:North East England
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North-east England is a region in the United Kingdom, comprising Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, the Tees Valley and a small part of North Yorkshire.
The principal city of the region is Newcastle Upon Tyne; the region's other cities are Sunderland and Durham, and Middlesbrough is another large town. Conversely, Northumberland (to the north of all these cities) is England's most sparsely-populated county; it contains the highest point in the North East, The Cheviot, at 815m.
The region has a rich natural heritage, and includes the Northumberland National Park. The North East has several different accents (the Northern English dialect). A referendum, held on 4 November 2004, rejected the establishment of an elected regional assembly for the region.
Hadrian's Wall was a stone and turf fortification across the width of Great Britain, built by the Roman Empire. It was built to prevent military raids from the north by the tribes of what is now Scotland, to improve economic stability and provide peaceful conditions in the Roman province of Britannia to the south, to physically mark the frontier of the Empire, and to separate the unruly Selgovae tribe in the north from the Brigantes in the south, and discourage them from uniting.
A significant portion of the wall still exists, particularly the mid-section, and for much of its length the wall can be followed on foot. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. English Heritage, a government organization in charge of managing the historic environment of England, describes it as "the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain".
The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge links Middlesbrough to Port Clarence, crossing the River Tees. It is a transporter bridge, with a travelling 'car', suspended from the bridge, which can carries 200 people or 9 cars across the river in 90 seconds.
850 feet (260m) long and 225 feet (69m) high at the tallest point, it is the largest working bridge of its kind in the world. The distance between the two towers is 580 feet (177m). In December 1993, the bridge was awarded the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' highest honour, The Heritage Plaque, for engineering excellence.
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was an English mechanical engineer who designed the famous and historically important steam locomotive named Rocket and is known as the "Father of Railways".
Stephenson designed his first locomotive in 1814, a travelling engine designed for hauling coal on a coal site. Named Blücher, it could haul 30 tons of coal, and was the first successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive: its traction depended only on the contact between its flanged wheels and the rail. Over the next five years, he built 16 more engines. Stephenson was hired to build an 8-mile (13-km) railway from Hetton colliery to Sunderland in 1820. The finished result was the first railway to use no animal power at all.
In 1821, the project to build the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) began. Work began in 1822, and in September 1825 Stephenson completed the first locomotive for the new railway: originally named Active, it was soon renamed Locomotion. Driven by Stephenson, Locomotion hauled an 80-ton load of coal and flour nine miles (15 km) in two hours, reaching a speed of 24 miles per hour (39 km/h) on one stretch. The first purpose-built passenger car, dubbed Experiment, was attached, and carried dignitaries on the opening journey. It was the first time passenger traffic had been run on a steam locomotive railway.
His ingenuity also found other outlets. In 1815, he developed a miners' safety lamp, known as the Geordie lamp to distinguish it from the Davy lamp invented by Humphry Davy at much the same time.
Did you know
Newcastle's Mosley Street was the first in Britain to be lit by electricity.
The cult gangster movie Get Carter, starring Michale Caine, was filmed on Tyneside and features Gateshead's famous multi-storey car park.
Every packet of Nestle Rolos is made in the North East.
A total of seven bridges link Newcastle Quayside and Gateshead Quays: Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Tyne Bridge, Swing Bridge, High Level Bridge, Redheugh Bridge, Queen Elizabeth and the King Edward bridge.
Earl Grey tea originated from Ringtons in Newcastle.
The first flavoured potato crisps (vinegar flavour)were reputedly invented by John William Hoggett of Gateshead.
The design of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is so energy efficient that it uses just £3.60 of electricity each time it opens.
"She loves you" was composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in The Imperial Hotel in Jesmond, Newcastle.
Tyneside playwright Lee Hall first performed the hugely successful Billy Elliot as a reading at Newcastle's Live Theatre.
Tynesider Charles Parsons developed the steam turbine in 1884 which revolutionised the generation of electricity.
Newcastle Breweries, famous for its 'Broon' Ale, began in 1890. Around 600 bottles of Newcastle Brown thunder through the brewery's bottling hall every minute.
More about the North East of England - [1]
Portal:North East England/Quotes
This website carries news and features for and about the North East of England. It has three channels:
For BusinessProperty news, money and funding updates, plus e-commerce and IT help, and events.
For YouHealth news, restaurant and club reviews, and jobs.
For visitors Regional attractions and beauty spots, shopping guides and ex-pat updates.
News is updated daily and free weekly online newsletter is also available.
The N E Life Portal is owned by Regional Development Agency One NorthEast and is a not-for-profit business.
- Bands and musicians from North East England
- Places of interest in Northumberland
- Places in Tyne and Wear
- Tyne and Wear Metro stations
Newcastle upon Tyne:
Sunderland:
- Northern English (N.B. This category covers all of northern England, so includes dialects spoken outside the north-east region)
Accents/dialect in and around:
- Berwick-upon-Tweed ("Tweedside")
- Middlesbrough ("Tees speak")
- Newcastle (Geordie)
- Northumberland and Durham (Pitmatic)
- Sunderland
Grammar:
Famous works in north-east dialects:
- The Blaydon Races
- Larn Yersel' Geordie
- Viz (comic)
- Geordie Song Book
The North East has something for everyone looking for fun.
Northumberland has a host of historical market towns – Berwick, Alnwick and Morpeth to name a few, each with a selection of traditional pubs, trendy bars and clubs. Castles, stately homes, rolling landscapes and unspoilt coastlines are also part of the Northumberland attraction.
Tyne and Wear is home to cosmopolitan cities Newcastle Gateshead and Sunderland.
Newcastle Gateshead is well known for its nightlife, and boasts restaurants, bars, clubs, (there’s even one on a boat) theatres and live music in abundance.
Whether you’re seeking a full-on party atmosphere or a more chilled out experience, there’ll be something to suit.
Recent developments include the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, which lights up the quayside area a treat, the BALTIC The Centre for Contemporary Art, which boasts two restaurants and a café bar, and the Sage Music Centre.
The City of Sunderland has been treated to a £200 million re-development, which included the creation of the widely acclaimed Winter Gardens, the restoration of Mowbray Park to its former glory.
Sunderland boasts a lively nightlife with top-notch restaurants, nightclubs, bars and pubs, as well as the first-rate Empire Theatre.
Durham is internationally renowned for its historic town centre that is dominated by the cathedral, which is one the UK’s favourite buildings.
The city is peppered with pubs, bars and restaurants, which sit comfortably on the cobbled streets of the city, and alongside the banks of the River Wear.
In addition, the Gala boasts a cinema, theatre, and bar and promises a great night out.
Teesside’s main towns, Middlesborough and Stockton, have scores of restaurants, pubs and clubs where party animals can wine, dine and dance the night away in a range of venues.
For loads more about the North East of England see - [2] For things to do see - [3]
Portal:North East England/Strategy for Success
| Districts of North East England |  |
| Alnwick - Berwick-upon-Tweed - Blyth Valley - Castle Morpeth - Chester-le-Street - Darlington - Derwentside - Durham - Easington - Gateshead - Hartlepool - Middlesbrough - Newcastle upon Tyne - North Tyneside - Redcar and Cleveland - Sedgefield - South Tyneside - Stockton-on-Tees - Sunderland - Teesdale - Tynedale - Wansbeck - Wear Valley | |
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Counties with multiple districts: County Durham - Northumberland - Tyne and Wear |
