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Timelines
- Newcastle upon Tyne Timeline
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Timelines
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Simon Cotterill
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Project Team
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About Co-Curate
Newcastle upon Tyne Timeline
A work in progress!
2nd Century
- 122 AD; the Romans build Pons Aelius, a bridge and fort, which would later become Newcastle.
11th Century
- 1080: castle built by the Robert Curthos, eldest son of William the Conqueror, from which the town got its name: 'New Castle'.
13th Century
- 1216: King John made Newcastle upon Tyne a borough.
16th Century
- 4th January 1505: founding of Newcatle-upon-Tyne Trinity House
17th Century
- 3rd February 1644: start of the Siege of Newcastle, during the Civil War.
- 19th October 1644: the Siege of Newcastle ended with the Scottish Covenanters army taking the city.
- 1682: Construction of the Holy Jesus Hospital in Newcastle
18th Century
- 27th June 1726: establishment of the Grand Allies, a cartel of coal trading familes in the North East.
- 1st January 1729: birth of John Erasmus Blackett, four times Mayor of Newcastle.
- 1735: composer Charles Avison began a series of groundbreaking subscription concerts in Newcastle.
- 26th June 1740: riots at the Guildhall of Newcastle over the high price of grain.
- 1748; building of Wylam Wagonway to transport coal from Wylam Colliery to Lemington.
- 26th September 1748; Admiral Lord Collingwood was born in the Side, Newcastle.
- 23rd May 1751; opening of the first Infirmay in a house in Gallowgate, Newcastle.
- 4th June 1751; John Scott, Lord Chancellor and 1st Lord Eldon, born in Newcastle.
- 1752: Newcastle composer Charles Avison's influential book An Essay on Musical Expression published.
- 8th October 1753; opening of the Infirmary on Forth Banks, Newcastle.
- 8th April 1766: Sinking of Charlotte Pit in Benwell.
- 1768: the Church of St Ann built in Byker (now a Grade 1 Listed building)
- 17th of November 1771; the old Tyne Bridge damaged by floods.
- 18th November 1772: Bessie Surtees eloped with John Scott, who later became Lord Chancellor
- 1778: Elswick Lead Works established on Skinnerburn Road, Elswick.
- 13th July 1779; William Hedley, pioneering engineer, born in Newburn.
- 1st May 1781: Opening of the fist public baths at Newcastle; where Bath Lane gets its name.
- 1784: Lort Burn, a stream running through the centre of Newcastle, fully culverted and covered.
- 1787; Lemington Glass Works established - with 4 glasshouses erected by the Tyne at Lemington
- 1788; opening of the original Theatre Royal, on Drury Lane off Mosley Street
- 1796: opening of the new All Saints Church on Pilgrim Street, Newcastle (now Grade I Listed)
19th Century
- 16th October 1803; birth of Robert Stephenson, one of the greatest engineer of the 19th century.
- 1812: completion of the new Moot Hall law courts on Castle Garth, Newcastle.
- 1813; founding of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
- 1822: John Clayton became Town Clerk of Newcastle; inflential in developing the city centre.
- 1826: building of the Lying-in-Hospital for poor pregnant women, designed by John Donson.
- 1829; George Stephenson's Rocket built iby Robert Stephenson Co, Forth Street Works, Newcastle.
- 19th August 1829: Natural History Society of Northumbria established
- 8th March 1850; Sir George Renwick, politician and shipping magnate, born in Newcastle.
- 27th July 1830; establishment of the Cattle Market at Newcastle.
- 22nd November 1830; Charles, 2nd Earl Grey becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain.
- 1830: completion of St Thomas The Martyr's Church in Newcastle by John Dobson.
- 16th April 1831; opening of the Scotswood Bridge (Chain Bridge) between Newcastle and Blaydon (replaced 1967)
- December 1831; the Great Cholera Epidemic of 1831-2 reaches Newcastle.
- 1832: completion on the Royal Arcade on Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, by John Dobson.
- 24th October 1835; the Grainger Market in Newcastle was opened to the public for the first time.
- 20th February 1837; Opening of the Theatre Royal in Newcastle.
- 18th June 1838: official opening of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway.
- 8th January 1842; completion of Victoria Tunnel to carry coal from Spital Tongues Colliery to the river Tyne.
- 21st August 1844: opening of St Mary's Cathedral, Newcastle
- 31st July 1845; Act of Parliament for the Newcastle & Berwick Railway; Robert Stephenson appointed as chief engineer.
- 29th August 1848; Opening of the High Level Bridge across the Tyne.
- 29th August 1850; opening of Newcastle Central Station by Queen Victoria.
- 27th August 1852; Charles Dickens performs at the Assembly Rooms in Newcastle.
- 6th October 1854; Great Fire of Gateshead and Newcastle
- 1858: Northern Architectural Association founded; members included John Dobson.
- 13th August 1867: the Central Exchange on Grey Street, Newcastle, badly damaged by fire.
- 29th June 1870: Bath Lane School in Newcastle founded by Dr John Hunter Rutherford.
- 23rd December 1873; Leazes Park in Newcastle opened by Sir Charles Hamond.
- 15th June 1876; the Swing Bridge over the River Tyne opened for road traffic.
- 30th April 1878; opening of the Armstrong Bridge which spans Jesmond Dene.
- 20th October 1880: the Lit & Phil society’s lecture theatre was the 1st public room to be lit by electric light, during a lecture by Sir Joseph Swan.
- 1881; building of the Free Library (aka Central Library) on New Bridge Street, Newcastle.
- 1882; the Hoppings Fun Fair on Newcastle Town Moor established.
- 1882; Fenwick department stores founded by John James Fenwick in Newcastle.
- 1882: St Nicholas' Church, Newcastle given cathedral status.
- 20th August 1884; official opening of Armstrong Park and Jesmond Dene by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
- 16th October 1888: consecration of the new St Georges Church, Jesmond, Newcastle
- 9th December 1892; Newcastle East End became known as Newcastle United FC.
- 2nd August 1894: Launch of the Turbinia, the world's first steam turbine-powered steamship.
- 12th September 1894: the Rutherford Memorial Fountain unveiled by Joseph Cowen in Newcastle.
- 24th of November 1899; a fire destroyed the interior of the Theatre Royal in Newcastle.
20th Century
- 1st Dcember 1900: opening of the railway station in West Jesmond (now a Metro station).
- 13th August 1901: opening of the 2nd Redheugh Bridge spanning the Tyne.
- 31st May 1902; end of the Second Boer War commemorated by the memorial at the Haymarket, Newcastle.
- 13th October 1904: The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle first opened to the public.
- 1906: Central Arcade built, designed by Oswald and Son, of Newcastle.
- 1906: Handyside Arcade on Percy Street built by by George Handyside.
- 10th July 1906: King Edward VII railway bridge over the Tyne was opened by King Edward VII.
- 11th July 1906: King Edward VII opens the new Royal Victoria Infirmary
- 28th April 1910: Newcastle United beat Barnsley F.C. 2-0 to win the FA Cup.
- 24th July 1911: planes land at Gosforth Park in the Round Britain Air Race of 1911.
- 16th September 1913: Floods in Newcastle.
- 5th July 1923: "The Response" war memorial in Newcastle unveiled by the Prince of Wales.
- 26th April 1924: Newcastle United beat Aston Villa 2-0 to win the FA Cup.
- 30th March 1925; disaster at Montagu Main Colliery, Scotswood, when 38 men and boys were killed by an inrush of water.
- 1925: founding of the Hatton Gallery at Newcastle University.
- 1927; opening of City Hall in Newcastle.
- 31st October 1927; opening of the 1870 seater New Westgate Cinema, Newcastle (now O2 Academy).
- 10th October 1928; official opening of the Tyne Bridge by King George V and Queen Mary.
- 14th May 1929: the North East Coast Exhibition opened by the Prince of Wales.
- 23rd April 1932: Newcastle United beat Arsenal 2-1 to win the FA Cup.
- 21st December 1933: opening of Haymarket Cinema in Newcastle.
- 6th January 1936; opening of the Lyric Cinema, Heaton (now People's Theatre).
- 20 February 1945; Benwell; birth of Allan Hull; songwriter and founder of folk-rock band Lindisfarne.
- 28th April 1951; Newcastle United beat Blackpool 2-0 to win the FA Cup.
- 3rd May 1952: Newcastle United beat Arsenal 1-0 to win the FA Cup.
- 7th May 1955; Newcastle United won the FA Cup, beating Macherster City 3-1
- 26th February 1959; opening of the Majestic Ballroom, at the former New Westgate Cinema, Newcastle.
- 20th June 1959; Lyric Cinema, Heaton, closed as a cinema following launch of Tyne Tees television.
- 1963: Demolition of the Royal Arcade to make way for the Central Motorway and Swan House.
- 6th June 1964: the first Morden Tower poetry reading.
- 20th March 1967; opening of the current Scotswood Bridge, which connects Newcastle and Blaydon.
- 13th November 1967; Martin Luther King awarded an honorary degree at Newcastle University.
- 4th October 1968: Led Zeppelin's first UK gig - held at The Mayfair in Newcastle.
- 14th November 1968: official opening of Newcastle Civic Centre by HM King Olav V of Norway.
- 1969: Opening of Swan House (now 55 Degrees North), Pilgrim Street.
- 6th May 1970; John Dobson Street opened in Newcastle.
- December 1971: The first Chrstmas Window display at Fenwick department store in Newcastle.
- 1976: opening of the Eldon Square Shopping Centre in Newcastle.
- 1976: opening of the indoor Green Market on Clayton Street, linked to Eldon Square.
- 11th August 1980; the first section of the Tyne and Wear Metro opens for public service.
- 9th June 1981; the first annual Blaydon Race run from Collingwood Street in Newcastle to Blaydon.
- 28th June 1981; the first Great North Run with 12000 runners.
- 6th November 1981; official opening of the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Tyne, by the Queen.
- 1981; completion of Regent Centre in Gosforth.
- 1982: completion of the Redevelopment of the Byker Wall and Estate.
- 18th May 1983; the third and current Redheugh Bridge, over the Tyne, opened by Princess Diana.
- 17th November 1989: Eldon Gardon Shopping Centre opened by Princess Margaret
- 9th September 1991; Meadow Well Riots in Newcastle.
- 17th November 1991; opening of the Tyne and Wear Metro extension to Newcastle Airport.
- 17th July 1993; the first leg of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships race started from Newcastle.
- 1st April 1997; start of the Grainger Town Project, a major enhancement of Newcastle city centre.
- 10th March 1999: opening of the Union Rooms on Westgate Road, following a major restoration of the 1877 building.
- 19th September 1999; Bobby Robson's 1st match as manager of Newcastle United; 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
21st Century
- 27th May 2000; International Centre for Life, Newcastle, officially opened by the Queen.
- 7th May 2002; The Queen officially opened the Gateshead Millennium Bridge
- 2004: a refurbished Swan House, Pilgrim Street, relaunched as 55 Degrees North
- 25th July 2005; the Tall Ships race came to Newcastle - Gateshead
- 19th August 2005; opening of Seven Stories; the National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle.
- 14th October 2005; first gig at the Newcastle Academy, Westgate Road, Newcastle.
- 31st October 2005; National Dance Agency for the North East of England Dance City opened.
- 22nd February 2006: Newcastle United awarded the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
- 27th August 2006: opening of Northern Stage (formerly Newcastle Playhouse) after a £9.5 million refurbishment.
- 1st September 2006: Central Library closed for demolition and later replaced by Newcastle City Library.
- 2006-7: demolition of the deeply unpopular Westgate House in Newcastle.
- 26th January 2007; the Green Market closed to make way for new developments in Eldon Square in Newcastle.
- 22nd May 2008: reopening of the Tyneside Cinema, following a major restoration.
- 7th June 2009; opening of the new City Library building, Newcastle
- 25th February 2011; opening of the second Tyne Tunnel
- 28th June 2012: heavy rainfall caused floods over Tyneside, Northumberland and County Durham.
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