AIA UK 2019 CITY EXCURSION / Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Fiona Mckay
Image: Brianne Hamilton AIA, 1st Place in the Excursion Photo Competition – The Millennium Bridge at dusk.
Somewhere just outside of London, there is a cluster of motorway signs offering three bold exit options – the ←West, the North↑ and the East→. How often does one see these signs - perhaps reflect momentarily on which directions lead to wicked witches - then continue round the orbital to a safe, homey destination? Living in the southeast of the UK, it is easy to be London centric. So easy that one is hardly aware of any negative bias, despite its existence since the Romans built Hadrian’s Wall from Newcastle two millennia ago.
The AIA UK Chapter – with at most 5% of its membership outside the capital - has made some attempts to balance its approach, even officially changing its name from AIA London/UK Chapter to AIA UK back in 2007. But it is difficult to deny that the Chapter’s Event Calendar heavily favours London, leaving only the City Excursions (and an occasional Super Saturday) to buck the trend.
Since the 2008 Manchester Conference, AIA UK has organised City Excursions to Scotland (2010), Oxford (2011), Cambridge (2012), Bath (2013), Lille (2016), Liverpool (2017) and Dublin (2018). Planning for the Cork excursion next year has already started.
This year it was back to the North↑, or – as one of the city guides politely, but firmly admonished - the NorthEAST↗. The distinction matters; the North is not one characterless region.
Newcastle - the most populous city in the Northeast and the eighth most populous urban area in the United Kingdom - is a city replete with character, often described as a ‘city of surprises’. For the AIA City Excursion, Newcastle - along with its sister city, Gateshead - exhibited surprising visual perspectives, surprising legacies, surprising intensities all contained in two days within an enjoyably compact urban domain.
Please click on the linkages for the full Excursion brochure and other handouts:
● At the Literary & Philosophical Society – Against a background of intellectual and entrepreneurial spirit epitomised by the Lit & Phil Society (founded in the 18th century), the Excursion started with an introductory lecture by architecture historian, Rutter Carroll, on Newcastle’s rich legacy of styles – Roman and Norman remains, Georgian enclaves, Victorian railways, several modern gems – then a tour of the Society’s 19th century premises.
Images: Left to right: Robert Rhodes AIA; Nick Kehagias AIA –The Lit & Phil society attracted the intellectuals and inventors of the time.
● Down to the Quayside – Getting to the Quayside took the group through what was once the centre of Newcastle’s economic strength. Rescued only a decade or so ago from the blight of industrial decline and a polluted river, the Quayside is now a valued destination in its own right. At the Quayside, the city’s architectural heritage is assembled in a multi-layered array of building types and styles.
Images: Left to right: Alex Miller AIA; Lorraine King AIA; Brianne Hamilton AIA – The city’s steep riverside adds drama to the architecture.
● Alongside the Bridges – Newcastle’s seven amazing bridges represent impressive engineering innovations starting in the 1840s – a double deck crossing, a swing bridge, soaring arches, a tilting walkway… It is hard to avoid the visual impact they have on the city; harder yet to catch a view of them that has not been caught a thousand times before.
Image: Alex Miller AIA – An abstract view of the Millennium Bridge arch, capturing one of its fleeting colour changes.
● Across the Tyne to Gateshead Gems – Stepping into the modern era, the Excursion focused on two contemporary architectural gems: The Sage, including three state-of- the-art concert halls under a floating, undulating, in-your-face-modern roof (Foster & Partners), and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, inserted into a revitalised grain silo (Ellis Williams), with commentary on the design by partner-in-charge, Dominic Williams.
Images: Chris Musangi AIA – Colour and sound at the Sage…
Image: Keith Millay AIA – From the Baltic, the full panorama of the Tyne unfolds.
● Through Newcastle City Centre & the University – A three part walking tour started with Grainger Town – an impressive (and unexpected) enclave of Georgian architecture still serving the modern city – wandered through Newcastle University and ended at Exhibition Park – an Art Deco extravaganza now almost entirely lost except in pictures.
Image: Lorraine King AIA – A Georgian crescent in active use…
● Inside the Civic Centre – The Civic Centre is another unexpected gem, a listed building from the 1960s abounding in symbolic references to Tyneside’s maritime heritage, and currently subjected to a controversial renovation. City guide, Tony Flynn, one time head of Newcastle City Council, was able to give added insight into the history and role of the Council (records start from 1230), the building’s inception and its on-going use.
Images: Left to right: Chris Musangi AIA; Robert Rhodes AIA; Alex Miller AIA – The 1960s Civic Centre delights to this day with its symbolism and quality design.
● Around the Byker Estate – Conceived in the 1960s and built in the 70s, Ralph Erskine’s housing estate - Grade 2 listed and on UNESCO’s list of outstanding 20th century buildings – represents a humanistic break from the prevailing brutalist high-rise estates of the time. The appreciation of its amazing variety of shapes and colours was enhanced by commentary from Dr James Longhurst – a former resident – on the social factors influencing the design.
Images: Left to right: Lester Korsilius FAIA x 2; Katharine Storr AIA – The Byker Estate’s variety of forms and colours belies its social housing status.
Newcastle’s intensity is exhibited in the exuberance of its nightlife; it’s a party city extraordinaire. Around the castle, down the Georgian streets, under the soaring arches of the Tyne Bridge and along the Quayside, the city teems with bars, restaurants and music venues that undoubtedly keep an old city alive and current.
The AIA’s gala dinner looked down on the Millennium bridge – an infinity symbol when the bridge is opened – from the 6th floor of the Baltic. It could hardly be bettered as an iconic venue.
The AIA UK 2018 City Excursion was expertly organised by Maria Loring, AIA, and earned the attendees 12 Continuing Education Units. The Excursion also dispelled any latent prejudice against the North or – for that matter – the NorthEAST. As goodbyes were said to the medieval ‘new castle’ and the city bridges through the Victorian train station arches, it was clear the city would remain in the collective consciousness of all participants.
Image: Brianne Hamilton AIA, 2nd Place in the Excursion Photo Competition – Goodbye Newcastle…
NOTES ON EXCURSION PHOTO COMPETION – All the images of Newcastle in this article are taken from entries into the ‘unofficial, but real’ Excursion Photo Competition. The AIA UK Chapter participants were challenged to ‘concentrate not on the immediately obvious, but on the most interesting, unusual, exotic pictures possible’. That brief proved harder than expected to fulfil given that newcomers to Newcastle are initially overwhelmed – perhaps gobsmacked is the right word - by the obvious visual attractions.
The winner of both 1st and 2nd places was Brianne Hamilton AIA, who not only managed to catch the Millennium Bridge in a dramatic pose (it’s that spot of red…), but also to find a unique view of the city through the arches of the Victorian train station (it’s that hint of melancholy…). Her prize is a copy of city guide Rutter Carroll’s book on local Newcastle architects ‘Ryder and Yates’.
The winner of 3rd place was Katharine Storr AIA for her group image, showing in vivid colour clear evidence of a learning experience - it almost looks ‘staged’.
Image: Katharine Store AIA, 3rd Place in the Excursion Photo Competition – The sage experience…
Written by: Lorraine King AIA
