NZ2664 : Ouseburn Farm and Byker Bridge
taken 15 years ago, near to Byker, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England



The design by Newton Architects of Ryton achieved: RICS Sustainability Award in 2006; Runner up: Construction Excellence Award 2006; Commendation: Hadrian Awards 2007
Link

Around 1870 this was a multi-industrial site, including a flax mill and white lead works. For 26 years, until 2002, it operated as Byker City Farm, providing local children with the opportunity to see animals. The farm was demolished in 2002 in order to clean up contaminated land. It reopened, as Ouseburn Farm, in 2007. Animals kept include sheep, chickens, pigs, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
Link


The area beside the Ouse Burn north of its junction with the River Tyne was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in Newcastle and was once home to many thriving (and very dirty) heavy crafts and industries. It fell into disuse and dereliction by the mid-twentieth century. The incarnation of the Valley in 1996 as a cultural regeneration hotspot was initiated by the Ouseburn Trust, in partnership with the local authority. The Trust remains a landlord and developer in the Ouseburn, and seeks to involve people in the heritage and regeneration of the area through its programme of free walks, talks and volunteering activities.
The river was previously tidal from roughly below Byker Bridge, revealing dark mud at low tide. The Ouseburn tidal barrage at the river mouth, which was completed in 2009, now retains high water in the Ouseburn at low tide, with the objective of providing a pleasanter environment alongside its banks at low tide, thus promoting development.
Tyne and Wear HER(11417): Ouseburn, Lower Ouseburn Valley Conservation Area Link
Wikipedia: Link
Ouseburn Trust: Link
Ouseburn Walk: Link
National Trail Lower Ouseburn Walk: Link
Old Ouseburn pubs Link
Ouseburn's Industrial Past Link