Tyneside: A History of Newcastle and Gateshead from Earliest Times

by Alistair Moffat, George Rosie

Tyneside bursts with pride—not a swaggering conceit but the most obvious, warm, and pungent sense of civic pride in Britain. Tynesiders know who they are and everybody else does too. And yet there exists no comprehensive history of the place. Not since the middle of the 19th century has there been a detailed treatment of the remarkable story of how Tyneside was made and how it came to look, sound and behave the way it does. That glittering tale is recounted here, from the retreat of the icefields 10,000 years ago, through the coming of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the glories of Northumbria, the stunning achievement of Bede of Jarrow, the building of the New Castle in 1080 and the dangerous beginnings of the coal trade to the dizzying growth of the Industrial Revolution, the trials of the football team and its heroes, and the renewals of the 21st century. All this and a welter of supporting detail, color, anecdote, tradition, and good, solid, scholarly popular history can be found in this substantial history of Tyneside, Gateshead, and the River Towns. This is the intriguing tale of a unique, magical, and dynamic place, and the remarkable people who made it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Alistair Moffat is an award winning writer, historian and former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television.

Moffat was educated at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 1972 with a degree in Medieval History. He is the founder of the Borders Book Festival and Co-Chairman of The Great Tapestry of Scotland.

Reviews

[Rob Addams]

Really interesting book. I live in northumberland but regularly visit Newcastle and I was given this book as a present. I've read it cover to cover, and found it very insightful.

[Keith]

The trouble with trying to cover such a large sweep of history is that you can't give as much detail as you might like. A good starting point.