Local History Videos

Old Images of Newcastle upon Tyne

by

Debbie Death
in
Grey Street Newcastle upon Tyne 1911

Enjoy a glimpse of history through old images of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Old photo postcard of Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England
Old photo postcard of Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England. Image: Mark Crombie/Flikr

Newcastle upon Tyne has many distinct communities, each well documented through photos and film. Therefore, this page focuses on Newcastle City Centre. However, you may wish to look at particular areas of the city on other pages:

Old Aerial photo of Newcastle upon Tyne c1929
Aerial photo of Newcastle upon Tyne c.1929

Electric Trams 1923

This silent newsreel, recorded in 1923, marks the year the horse drawn public transport service ceased business. Passengers could now travel on the new electric tram system across the High Level Bridge, which remained a toll bridge until 1937.

Then we see a view across the rooftops to the Tyne, where a steam train puffs along the upper deck of the High Level bridge.

Newcastle And Gateshead Linked (1923) – British Pathé on YouTube

War Memorial 1923

In 1923, the War Memorial was unveiled by Edward, the Prince of Wales.

Unveiling Newcastle’s War Memorial (1923) – British Pathé on YouTube

Empire Day 1925

This is Barrass Bridge. The mayor and dignitaries are standing at the base of the South African War Memorial.

Empire Day Celebrations In Newcastle (1925) – British Pathé on YouTube

Armistice Day 1927

It was snowing in Newcastle on Armistice Day in 1927, but many people still turned out to remember the fallen at the War Memorial nine years after the end of the Great War.

Impressive Scenes In Newcastle (1927) – British Pathé on YouTube

Tyne Bridge Opens 1928

King George V, grandfather of the future Queen Elizabeth II, opened the Tyne Bridge in 1928.

This footage records the demolition site, the bridge construction – including men just wandering about on the top of the arches with no safety equipment whatsoever – and the crowds who turned out for the official opening. There’s also a lovely pan round the buildings either side of the bridge on the Newcastle side, and then a view of the roadside buildings on the Gateshead side.

New Tyne Bridge (1928)- British Pathé on YouTube

Newcastle in 1931

Although the sound is a bit quiet, this footage of the city in 1931 includes Barrass Bridge, Grainger Street, the Monument and Theatre Royal, and Grey Street, all caked in soot. On the roads are trams, old cars, and even a horse and cart.

Then we see the four bridges, as there were then, with the air murky around them. On the Tyne Bridge are several predestrians, passed by a van, horse and cart, old cars and a tram, while a man riding a horse goes in the opposite direction.

The swing bridge opens, but you can barely see it through the smog.

Lots of trams pass Central Station, while the Flying Scotsman passes through the country’s largest railway junction.

There are some great shipping sights down the Tyne, stopping at the Tynemouth lighthouse.

Cities Of Great Britain – Newcastle No. 1 (1931) – British Pathé on YouTube

FA Cup Winners 1932

Tyneside was in the grip of economic hardship during the early 1930s, but people turned out in huge numbers to welcome the Newcastle United FA Cup winners home in 1932.

FOOTBALL: 1932 FA Cup: Newcastle United victory parade (1932) – British Pathé on YouTube

Queen’s Visit 1948

Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth II, visited Newcastle and Gateshead in 1948. So there are views of Central Station, Barrass Bridge, and the Tyne Bridge.

The Queen visits Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead (1948) – British Pathé on YouTube

FA Cup Winners 1952

In 1952, Newcastle United returned home with the FA Cup for the second year running. This newsreel records the enormous crowds who turned out to Central Station. Note the people standing on the ledge in Grey Street at 0:24!

Back With The Cup Aka Newcastle United (1952) – British Pathé on YouTube

Newcastle in 1974

In 1974, a Spanish tourist filmed some of the buildings close to Central Station. Westgate House has scaffolding to one side, but it was completed two years before this, so were repairs underway? It was demolished in 2006-07.

Newcastle upon Tyne 1974 archive footage – Footageforpro.com on YouTube

Newcastle in the 1980s

There’s a wide range if city centre locations, people, buildings, businesses and activities to see in these home videos made in the 1980s.

Cars and vans could still drive down Northumberland Street! And there was a British Airways shop opposite the Monument, along with street artists, and the Odeon round the corner.

1985:

Newcastle UponTyne 1985 – Newcastle Upon Tyne & UK – Video from the past on YouTube

1987:

Newcastle Upon Tyne 1987 – Newcastle Upon Tyne & UK – Video from the past on YouTube

Newcastle Buses in the 1990s

These trailers for transport DVDs shows buses, pedestrians, cyclists, cars and lorries, and many nearby buildings and long-gone businesses. The clothes, styles of car, road systems and even the names of the bus companies were different.

NEWCASTLE BUSES 1990 – DaveSpencer32 on YouTube

NEWCASTLE BUSES 1993 – DaveSpencer32 on YouTube

NEWCASTLE BUSES NOV 1996 – DaveSpencer32 on YouTube

NEWCASTLE BUSES APRIL 1997 – DaveSpencer32 on YouTube

NEWCASTLE BUSES FEB 1998 – DaveSpencer32 on YouTube

The Post Office Directory of Durham and Northumberland

by Kelly and Company

Published in 1879

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