50 Gems of Tyne and Wear. The very idea made people raise their eyebrows when I mentioned it. I even met a photographer who commented ‘Good luck with that’. This type of reaction amused me, as before Tyne and Wear was created the area covered by the county was split between County Durham and Northumberland. No-one seems to have a problem with either of those counties. While working on the book I even met residents of Tyne and Wear who claim today that their village or home is still really part of Northumberland, they cannot accept that they have actually been in Tyne and Wear since 1974. Finding 50 Gems in Tyne and Wear was going to be a challenge then, or was it?

Reflection of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Sage Gateshead. (Author's Collection, 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear, Amberley Publishing)

Not at all. The county is made up of 5 boroughs: Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland, so I set off, camera and drone at the ready to explore. While there are many more than 50 gems in the county, I did have to limit myself to 50 so some didn’t make the cut. 

On the off chance that no other 50 Gems series author has already done so, I have decided to lay claim to the title of Amberley’s first in-house Gemologist (certificate awaited…). It has a certain ring to it, I think.

Gateshead has long been looked down on when compared to its northern neighbour, Newcastle upon Tyne. Samuel Johnson once described Gateshead as “a dirty lane leading to Newcastle”, while J.B. Priestley considered the town to have been planned by an enemy of the human race. Admittedly, today, Gateshead’s town centre road system has been rearranged by somewhat over-enthusiastic councillors, resulting in complaints and traffic chaos. The Tyne bridge is finally undergoing a 2-year refurbishment resulting in the number of lanes across the Tyne being reduced, the Gateshead Flyover has just been closed for fear of it collapsing, and the metro service from Newcastle has been suspended as a result, making commuting more difficult. A modern-day Priestley might therefore be forgiven for restating his opinion. But that would overlook many of the real gems that Gateshead has to offer, including Sage Gateshead (Gem 21) which, as publication of 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear approached, changed its name to the Glasshouse International Centre for Music. Why couldn’t they have waited a bit longer?

The Shields Ferry on the Tyne. (Author's Collection, 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear, Amberley Publishing)

Providing a convenient connection between North and South Tyneside is the Shields Ferry (Gem 36), one of my favourite ways to cross the Tyne. If having Sage Gateshead change its name was inconvenient, imagine how relieved I was to learn, a month after publication of 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear, that funding had finally been allocated for a new landing facility on the north of the river. Losing this gem would have been embarrassing to say the least.

While much of the Tyneside heavy engineering has long gone, the Royal Quays Art Walk in North Tyneside (Gem 28) is an outstanding example of how an area can be successfully regenerated. For visitors who still associate the area with the shipbuilding, engineering, and coal industries, Chirton Dene and Royal Quays will be a revelation, and it’s free to visit and explore, making it an ideal family location.

Chirton Dene and Royal Quays Marina. (Author's Collection, 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear, Amberley Publishing)

While the county’s heavy industry has largely disappeared, some traces do still remain, such as Dunston Staiths (Gem 15) and Washington’s F Pit Museum (Gem 49).

The museum is well worth visiting, and it’s free to enter. It’s hard to imagine that most of the land that surrounds the museum was once the actual colliery.

Newcastle is rightly famous for both its architecture and its nightlife. Architectural photography is one of my main photography themes but street photographer I am not, so I had to take a leap into the unknown in my quest to convey the atmosphere of the local nightlife. If you ever find yourself at Newcastle’s Bigg Market at party time, which I have come to realise is most nights, with a couple of thousand pounds worth of camera gear in your hands, and many well-lubricated revellers milling around on the street, just take a deep breath and start clicking away. Geordies live up to their reputation as fun lovers. Many revellers, male and female, just wanted their photos taken but, perhaps fortunately, I couldn’t include them in the book. Everyone should experience Geordie nightlife.

Washington F-Pit Museum, Winding gear. (Author's Collection, 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear, Amberley Publishing)

One of the most satisfying outcomes of writing 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear has been the reaction of readers who have lived in Tyne and Wear since before the county was created. Some had previously worked in Sunderland and walked the riverside sculpture trail (Gem 48) daily without realising what was around them and, quite literally, beneath their feet. Another had no idea that there was a significant Roman fort site in South Shields (Gem 32).

Writing 50 Gems of Tyne and Wear was great fun. I found that many of the people who keep the county’s many gems going are volunteers, toiling away silently so that the rest of us can enjoy what the county has to offer. My thanks go to all of them, there would be a serious gem shortage without these unsung heroes of the north, and I would be struggling to justify my new Gemologist credential (certificate awaited…).

50 Gems of Tyne and Wear by Alan Millin is available for purchase now.