Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne. A city and river port in Northumberland, and the administrative and commercial centre of north-east England. Its urban history starts abruptly with a ‘New Castle’ begun by Robert, the Conqueror's son, in 1080, and a borough planted at its gate. Newcastle, like most of Northumberland, was held by the Scots in Stephen's reign, but retaken by Henry II. It was one of the most successful Norman ‘new towns’, rising to become the eleventh largest English town by 1377 and one of the top half-dozen in Tudor and Stuart times. Its growing importance was based on coal exports, controlled by the wealthy and powerful Company of Hostmen. The town was captured by the Scots in 1644, and Charles I was held there in 1646–7. Coal-exporting rose further in the 18th cent., followed by shipbuilding and engineering in the 19th; in the 20th it became part of a huge conurbation straddling the river Tyne. The medieval centre, though it retains much of its walls, was largely replaced between 1825 and 1840 by the architect John Dobson and the visionary speculator Richard Grainger, making Newcastle ‘the only major city in England with a planned commercial centre of that date’ (Pevsner).
David M. Palliser
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne City and major port on the River Tyne, ne England; administrative centre of Tyne and Wear. The site of a fort in Roman times, Newcastle acquired a Norman castle in the 11th century. It was a major wool-exporting port in the 13th century, and later became a coal-shipping centre. Its shipbuilding industry is in decline, but heavy engineering is still important. Industries: pharmaceuticals, engineering, aircraft. Pop. (1994 est.) 283,556.
More From encyclopedia.com
Worcester (England) , Worcester. Cathedral city on the river Severn, and county town of Worcestershire. A modest Roman town, it was reoccupied by a cathedral (680) and lat… Reading (England) , Reading. County town of Berkshire, situated where the river Kennet joins the Thames. A small borough by 1086, it grew partly thanks to Henry I's foun… NORWICH , NORWICH
NORWICH , county town of Norfolk, E. England. The medieval Jewish community is first mentioned in 1144, when the discovery of the body of a b… Beverley , Beverley •biyearly, really, yearly •Beardsley • lawyerly • immediately •hourly • cowardly • surely • marbly •pebbly •neighbourly (US neighborly) •dri… Ipswich , IPSWICH
Ipswich lies at the tidal reach of the Orwell estuary, in southeastern Suffolk, on the shortest crossing of the North Sea to the mouth of the… Cities And Towns , Towns
Towns have usually accommodated great social diversity, making them places of magnificent human achievements as well as sometimes-violent strug…
About this article
Newcastle upon Tyne
All Sources -
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
Newcastle upon Tyne