2010

NZ2463 : Remains of Newcastle Town Wall, off Orchard Street

taken 17 years ago, near to Gateshead, England

Remains of Newcastle Town Wall, off Orchard Street
Remains of Newcastle Town Wall, off Orchard Street
The wall was approximately 3km (2 miles) long, at least 2m (6.5 ft) thick and up to 7.6m (25 ft) high. It was constructed during the C13th and C14th to repel Scottish invaders. Much of it was demolished as an aid to redevelopment in the C18th and C19th.
The side of the wall facing here was the outside, the medieval town lying to the east. The section of wall to the north was demolished to make way for the railway. This well preserved section survived between C19th factories in an industrial area including the Hanover Square Brewery, a vinegar manufacturing works and machine shops. To the south, the wall continued to White Friar Tower, located just north of Hanover Street, and then steeply down the slope to Close Gate and the riverside at the current location of the Copthorne Hotel.
Newcastle Town Wall :: NZ2563

Built in the C13th century to protect the expanding town from Scottish raiders, Newcastle’s Town Wall was an impressive structure. It was approximately 3km / 2 miles long, up to 2m / 7ft thick and approximately 7.6m / 25ft high. It enclosed the Castle and its Black Gate as well as the main medieval commercial district along the quayside and all the ground northwards to St. Andrews Church. The wall had seven main gateways, 17 towers and 30 turrets. A section of the Wall was extended along the quayside to protect the properties of wealthy merchants from water-borne attack.

Only short sections of the curtain wall now survive as much was demolished in the C19th to aid redevelopment and access. Only five of the original towers have survived.

Wikipedia has a full description and a map LinkExternal link
Historical Account by Eneas Mackenzie (1827) LinkExternal link

More images on Geograph can be found with this search Link

National Trails walk around the town walls LinkExternal link

Tyne and Wear HER(1507): Newcastle town wall LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Andrew Curtis and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Category: Town walls
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Newcastle [730] · Street [397] · Buildings of Grainger Town [150] · High Level Bridge [63] ·
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NZ2463, 1709 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Andrew Curtis   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 7 January, 2010   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 21 November, 2010
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NZ 2483 6374 [10m precision]
WGS84: 54:58.0602N 1:36.8217W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NZ 2482 6375
View Direction
SOUTH (about 180 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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