Newcastle’s prosperity was built on shipping, particularly the coal trade, and riverside industries. The Quayside was the commercial heart of the town for many centuries.

 

The town walls were completed in the mid-14th century as protection during border wars with Scotland. Originally, Newcastle was built on a series of hills separated by steep deans. From the late-18th century, the deans started to be filled in. At the same time, parts of the walls were knocked down as the town expanded.

 

In the 1830s, Newcastle gained a fine new centre when the grand stone buildings of Grey Street and Grainger Street were built. The High Level Bridge and the railway helped bring a new burst of industrialisation and growth to the town from the mid-19th century. Newcastle finally became a city in 1882, when the medieval Church of St Nicholas was made a cathedral.

 

In the 20th century, buildings such as the Tyne Bridge and the Civic Centre created new landmarks. Today, the Quayside has overcome decline and is again a lively centre of Newcastle life.