The Heugh Gun Battery was built on the Headland in 1860 to protect the fast growing port of Hartlepool. 

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The Zetland Hotel in Middlesbrough was built in c.1860, located on Zetland Road, close to Middlesbrough Railway Station. It was designed by J.M. Bottomley, and the 2nd and 3rd floors by W. Duncan in 1898.

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The lime kilns at Castle Point on Lindisfarne were built in 1860 by William Nicholl. Limestone was quarried from the north of the island and brought to the kilns via a railway, some remains of which cans still be seen. The kilns on Lindisfarne are amongst the largest and best preserved lime kilns in Northumberland. They have a complex layout compared to many other lime kilns.

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Lady Waterford Hall in Ford, Northumberland, was commissioned in 1860 by Louisa Anne, the Marchioness of Waterford, and owner of Ford Estate. It was built as the village school. Lady Waterford was an artist, associated with John Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelite movement. She spent 21 years decorating the interior of the Hall with Biblical scenes, as a teaching aid for pupils.

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On the 2nd March 1860, an explosion at Burradon Colliery killed 76 men and boys. The disaster took on national significance at a time when mining safety was poor and the families of disaster victims had to rely on charity.

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"Universal sorrow and regret were experienced in Newcastle this afternoon on the announcement, which passed irom mouth to mouth, that Mr. Richard Grainger was dead. The event seemed scarcely to be real, so suddenly had it occurred ; but the solemn tone of St. Nicholas' bell too truly confirmed the intelligence....In speaking of Mr. Grainger as a public benefactor to Newcastle, it is difficult to state precisely the value of his services. It may be said of him, " If you seek his monument look around." Like the great majority of eminent men, Mr. Grainger rose from the ranks ; and with the Stowells, Eldons, Huttons, Stephensons, and many other superior geniuses of whose fame Newcastle has reason to be proud, his name will live among posterity as an example of what integrity, perseverance, and energy can accomplish...." Read the full article.

From: T Fordyce, J. Sykes. Local records; or, Historical register of remarkable events which have occurred in Northumberland and Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Berwick-upon-Tweed..., published 1867

Charles Dickens performed at the Assembly Rooms in Berwick upn Tweed on the 25th of November 1861. He stayed at the Kings Arms hotel, adjacent to the Assembly Rooms.

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Kielder Viaduct was completed in 1862 and was designed by John Furness Tone, with Peter Nicholson devising the method for shaping the stone for the skew arch, with William Hutchison as the contractor. Kielder Viaduct spans the River North Tyne and carried the Border Counties Railway. 

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Saltwell Towers was built in 1862 by William Wailes a renowned stained glass manufacturer. The Victorian mansion was built in a Gothic Revivalist style.

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On the 16th January, 1862, 204 men and boys were killed in a mining accident at Hester Pit of Hartley Colliery. The massive beam of the pit's pumping engine broke and half of it, weighing 20 tons, fell down the shaft, trapping the men below, with no other exit. With the pump out of action, the mine began filling up with water and gases. National newspapers reported each day on the miners trapped below ground, and for a few days there were hopes of a rescue. Sadly, by the time the miners were reached, they were dead. The tragedy prompted a new law, requiring all collieries to have at least 2 means of escape.

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Geordie Ridley gave the first performance of his song "The Blaydon Races" on the 5th of June 1862. This was in the music room of the Wheatsheaf pub in the Cloth Market - at that time one of the most popular music hall venues in Newcastle. Later it became known as Balmbra's, who was the pub's owner, after it was mentioned in the song. 

Source: J. Bath, 2013

A monument to the eminent engineer George Stephenson, located on the junction of Westgate Road and Neville Street in Newcastle, was unveiled in a ceremony on the 2nd of October 1862. The monument was designed by John Graham Lough. Below the main bronze statue of George Stephenson on the corners of the sandstone plinth are 4 further statues of Stephenson, representing the areas of his achievements: as a miner, a locomotive engineer, a blacksmith and bridge builder. The decision to build the monument in Newcastle was made 10 years after Stephenson's death, at a meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in August 1858, presided over by his son, Robert Stephenson and William Armstrong.

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Rushpool Hall, near Saltburn-by-the-Sea, was built from 1862 to 1863, for ironmaster John Bell. The High Victorian Gothic style mansion was built with rockfaced Cleveland ironstone with sandstone ashlar dressings. Now a hotel.

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In 1863, not having taken a holiday for years, industrialist William Armstrong visited Rothbury. Having happy childhood memories of the area, he decided to build a country home and purchased lands in the area. Cragside was initially built in 1863 as a two-storey country lodge on a rocky hillside, about a mile north-east of Rothbury (later extended into the lavish mansion we see today).

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Much of Wooler was devastated by a fire in February c.1863, after which much of the town was rebuilt. The fire is thought to have started at the Three Half Moons pub.

Lands Viaduct over the River Gaunless, built for the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, was opened on the 1st of August 1863. It was designed by Thomas Bouch to carry the railway between Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle over the River Gaunless at Lands in County Durham. The viaduct was built at a cost of £15,422 and was 49 m high with a total span of 200 m. Now only the pillars and abutments remain.

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The Duchess Bridge over the River Aln at Alnmouth was built in 1864. The bridge is Grade II listed. A cast-iron plate on the south parapet has the words: 'TO ELEANOR / DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND / THE PUBLIC ARE CHIEFLY INDEBTED / FOR THIS STONE BRIDGE / AND FOOTPATH TO THE STATION / A.D. MDCCLXIV'. On north side a similar plate states 'THE DUCHESS' BRIDGE 1864'

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The Customs House in Mill Dam, South Shields, was built from 1863 to 1864, by T.H. Clemence, architect and borough engineer. The Customs House was built just before South Shields was declared a independent customs port in 1865.

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St Paul's Parish Church in Whitley Bay was built in 1864 by Salvin, and paid for by the Duke of Northumberland. The church's boundary wall incorporated a drinking fountain, also dated 1864.

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Three days of heavy storms, starting on the 24th November 1864, saw 5 ships wrecked on the Black Middens Rocks near Tynemouth. Thirty four lives were lost within close sight of the shore. The tragedy led to the forming of the first Volunteer Life Brigade later that year.

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Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) was founded on the 5th December 1864 and was the first such organisation in the world. It was founded in response to the tragedy of five ships being wrecked on Black Middens rocks during 3 days of storms in November 1864, adding to the many lives lost over the years because of the treacherous rocks. The TVLV Watch House was built in 1887.

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Camerons Brewery Ltd was founded in 1865 by John William Cameron in Hartlepool. 

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Hartlepool Borough Hall was built on Middlegate in 1865, by C.J. Adams. The municipal buildings included a market hall.

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The Church of St John the Evangelist is located by the junction of Marton Road and North Ormesby Road in Middlesbrough. The church was built 1863 - 1865, by John Norton.

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Millom & Askam Iron Company opened Millom Ironworks in 1866. The opening of the ironworks lead to the rapid growth of Millom.

Christ Church, on Carlisle Street in Felling, was built in 1866 by Austin and Johnson. It is the Anglican parish church of Felling.

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St Mary's, the Anglican Parish Church of Ulveston, was rebuilt from 1864-1866 by architect E. G. Paley, incorporating it's existing  mid-16th century church tower and reusing a 12th century doorway. The rebuilt church retained numerous memorials, some of which date from the 16th and 17th century.

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The Tyne Bridge built in 1781 proved to be a major barrier to ships sailing upstream. With rapid industrialisation along the Tyne this increasingly became a problem. The entrepreneur William Armstrong, who needed ships to access his Elswick Works, devised plans for a swing bridge, which would allow ships past. In 1866 the River Tyne Commissioners, the Corporation of Newcastle, and the Lords of the Admiralty gave their consent to demolish the old Tyne Bridge and replace it with Armstrong's swing bridge.

Exact date unkown.

"An alarming fire broke out in the Close, Newcastle, this morning resulting in the destruction of a large flour mill and grain warehouses, and part of the High Level Bridge. The fire was the most destructive that had occurred in this district since the Gateshead explosion. The damage was estimated at £30,000, and this was considered a low estimate. The flour mill and warehouses were the property of Mr. Robert Brown." 24th June 24 1866.

From: T Fordyce, J. Sykes. Local records; or, Historical register of remarkable events which have occurred in Northumberland and Durham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Berwick-upon-Tweed..., published 1867

A temporary, but substantial, wooden bridge over the Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead was opened on the 17th of September 1866. Demolition of the Georgian Tyne Bridge began at the same time. The temporary wooden bridge was built to allow crossing of the Tyne whilst the new Swing Bridge was being constructed.

Grey Towers, a large country house, was built 1865-1867 for William Hopkins, ironmaster and Mayor of Middlesbrough. It is faced with whinstone, which is unusual compared to the traditional sandstone of the local area.

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Tyneside oarsman, James Renforth, beat Henry Kelly of Putney to become World Sculling Champion in 1868.

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