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.