The North East of England has been famed for change and innovation since the dawn of history. After the Romans abandoned their great Hadrianic frontier across the North East, the region became the cradle of Christianity in Britain; a thousand years later it fuelled the Industrial Revolution and then was the epicentre of what became the Railway Mania. Now, the North East's former shipyards are at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution, while Newcastle's Centre For Life employs over 600 people of 35 nationalities at the cutting edge of medical and genetic research.

One of the greatest symbols of North East innovation is Robert Stephenson’s double-decked High Level Bridge. Its opening in 1849 connected London to Edinburgh by rail. (Colin Alexander, Great Innovators of North East England, Amberley Publishing)

The term 'innovator' is usually associated with inventions, but some innovations are less tangible. Some of our innovators are controversial, some are obscure, while some have achieved legendary status. The latter includes father and son George and Robert Stephenson, omitted from this volume on the grounds that their story has been told so many times.

This book will demonstrate that the Stephensons were far from being the only railway pioneers of the region. The influence of some of our innovators is purely regional, some found fame further afield, and some are known globally. The ordinary folk of the North East are fiercely proud of Bede, the Stephensons, Swan, Parsons, and Armstrong and what they achieved. Hopefully this book will give them even more reasons for local pride. Although only one historical female innovator is included here, I would like to think that the region's future innovators represent a more equal gender balance.

The Wouldhave Memorial on Ocean Road, South Shields incorporates Britain’s second-oldest preserved lifeboat, the Tyne of 1833, saviour of more than 1,000 people. (Colin Alexander, Great Innovators of North East England, Amberley Publishing)

A Tyneside institution beloved of many of our heroes is the Literary and Philosophical Society, built on the course of Hadrian's Wall. It was founded in 1793 and was instrumental in defining Newcastle's place in the world of science and engineering. It is the UK's largest independent library outside London and is open to the public. Its galleries and lecture rooms have, over the years, echoed to the voices of the Stephensons and Swan, and Armstrong was its president for forty years.

A short walk from there past the Central Station brings the visitor to Newcastle's fantastic Discovery Museum, which also houses Tyne & Wear's extensive archive. Housed in the Gothic splendour of the former Cooperative Society's Blandford House of 1899, its centrepiece is Parsons' revolutionary steam turbine yacht "Turbinia", and its floors are packed with reminders of the region's innovative traditions.

North East
The elegant Royal Arcade was sadly a commercial failure and was a 1960s casualty of T. Dan Smith’s vision of the future. (Newcastle Libraries, Creative Commons, Great Innovators of North East England, Amberley Publishing)

Anyone with an interest in North East innovators could do worse than visiting these two institutions to discover more about the region and its long, proud tradition of being unafraid to do something new.

Co-authoring this book with my godfather, Bob Kelley, who was best man and best friend to my late father, was an experience I cherished. Bob is just as passionately proud about his Tyneside roots as I am, and having worked at Parsons he lends authenticity to the book.

Colin Alexander and Bob Kelley's book Great Innovators of North East England is available for purchase now.