New Castle

Some of the modern streets are spacious and handsome. Rich ard Grainger (1798-1861), a wealthy local architect, devoted himself to beautifying his city. The guildhall was re-erected in 1658.

Among educational establishments are the College of medicine and the Armstrong University college, both constituent colleges of the University of Durham. The royal free grammar school, founded in 1525, occupies modern buildings in Jesmond. There are also Allan's endowed schools, founded in '705; Rutherford col lege and the Commercial institute ; and the Laing Art Gallery, opened in 1904. The benevolent institutions include the dispensary (1777), fever house (1803), Royal Victoria Infirmary (1906), Princess Mary Maternity hospital (1923), eye infirmary (1822), children's hospital, Trinity almshouses (1492), hospital of the Holy Jesus (1682), hospital (170i) for keelmen, i.e., coal bargemen.

Newcastle is well supplied with public parks and recreation grounds. Jesmond is the chief residential suburb.

Both the Northumberland and Durham banks of the river are lined with manufacturing towns or suburbs. Of these the most important is Gateshead (q.v.) immediately opposite Newcastle; while those adjacent to Newcastle are Benwell, Fenham and Walker. Newcastle is connected with Gateshead by five bridges: (I) the Old High Level bridge (1849), a toll bridge, carries L.N.E. railway with a road and footway beneath it; (2) the King Edward High Level bridge (1906), carries the L.N.E. railway only; (3) the New High Level bridge (1928), takes traffic and trams to the Great North road; (4) the Hydraulic Swing bridge (1876), the lowest bridge, takes foot and vehicular traffic; (5) the Redheugh bridge (1871), a toll bridge, takes foot and general traffic. The Scotwood Suspension bridge crosses the river outside the Gates head boundary. The Roman bridge, the Pons Aelii, is said to have spanned the river where the hydraulic swing bridge now is. The suburban line to Jesmond, Gosforth and Benton was the first standard line to carry passengers by electric traction (1904).

Industries.—Newcastle owed its prosperity to its situation on a tidal river, and to its immense stores of coal, which, besides being exported, stimulated many industries. The quay in front of the town forms a thoroughfare about a mile long, and by dredging a depth of water has been obtained permitting vessels of large tonnage to approach, although the berths of the ocean steamers are farther down the river. There is a large grain ware house at the east end of the quay. There was severe depression in the Newcastle area in 1928.

Exports include coal, chemicals, pig-iron, steel, iron bars, plates and castings, machinery, fire-clay goods and copper.

The chief imports are fruits, wheat, maize, oats, barley, iron and steel, petroleum, sulphur ore, timber and wood hoops, iron ore and potatoes. Passenger steamers serve the principal English ports; also Baltic ports and New York ; while Newcastle is one of the chief ports for the Norwegian tourist traffic.

To the industries indicated by the exports may be added gh:ss, lead and shot, brick and tile, earthenware, tool, rope and ships' fitting manufactures, and most important of all, shipbuilding. The Elswick works, founded by Messrs. Armstrong in 1847, and amal gamated with those of Mitchell and Co., are among the most important in the world. The construction of ships of all sorts is carried on.

History.

Newcastle owes its origin to its position on the great Roman wall and on the estuary of the Tyne. The most im portant Roman remains are the foundations of a bridge, attributed to the emperor Hadrian. Before the Conquest it was called Monkchester, and was destroyed (9th century) by the Danes. It was again destroyed by William the Conqueror, but Robert of Normandy raised a castle there in 108o, and from that time the town was called Newcastle. Shortly afterwards it was forti fied by Robert de Mowbray, but it was taken by William Rufus in 1095. In the reign of Stephen it was seized by David, king of Scotland, and after its restoration in 1157 Henry II. rebuilt the castle and established a mint. The walls of the town are attributed to Edward I. During the 14th century Newcastle was three times defended successfully against the Scots, but it 1640 it was occu pied for a year by the Scottish Covenanters under Leslie. It was then garrisoned by royalists, but again surrendered to the Scots in 1644 and Charles I. was taken there in 1646 when he had yielded himself to the Scottish army. Charters were granted by William Rufus, Henry III., Henry IV. (1400), Mary (1556), Elizabeth (1589) and James I. (1604).

The coal trade began in the 13th century, but, partly owing to the act of parliament passed in the reign of Edward I. forbidding the use of coal in London, did not become important until the 17th century. Glassmaking was a considerable trade in the 17th century, and in 1823 George Stephenson established iron works at Newcastle, where the first engines used on the Stockton and Dar lington, and Manchester and Liverpool lines were made. New castle was represented in parliament by two members from 1295 to 1918, and since then it has had four members.