City on the Tyne

Main image: The Tyne Bridge. Top right: Mo Mowlam and Alan Shearer. Bottom right: The Theatre Royal.

In the latest in our series on cities where we have an office, we visit the city of Newcastle

Once a powerhouse of the industrial revolution, Newcastle continues to have a profound impact on the world. It is a modern city combining a spirit of innovation with a vibrant popular culture.

The ancient city grew from Pons Aelius, the original Roman fort in the area and later took the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror’s eldest son. During the 19th century its prosperity relied on shipbuilding and heavy engineering. The River Tyne became one of the world’s largest shipbuilding and repair centres – RMS Carpathia, the ship which rescued the Titanic’s survivors, was built there.

But as the world has changed the city has adapted. A former coal mine was redeveloped and became the home of Newcastle Brown Ale. The site has just been redeveloped again to create the Helix, a new 24-acre technology and science quarter. And the Giants on the Quayside will soon be a new destination for leisure, sport, food and drink, built around a giant observation wheel dubbed the Whey Aye, which will stand five metres taller than the London Eye.

Newcastle has seven bridges crossing the Tyne in the space of half a mile but it is the iconic Tyne Bridge, linking Newcastle and Gateshead, that is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Other landmarks include the medieval castle, Grey’s Monument, a monument to the 2nd Earl Grey built in 1838, and the Grade 1 listed Theatre Royal.

Home to the stars

Newcastle has been called home by many of the best-known personalities in the UK, from pioneering railway engineer George Stephenson to TV presenters Ant and Dec. Stephenson is known as the ‘Father of Railways’ and his Locomotion No 1 was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, in 1825. Singers Sting and Cheryl also hail from the city, as does comedian Rowan Atkinson.

Former MP Mo Mowlam worked as a politics lecturer at the University of Newcastle before becoming Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and leading the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement and an end to the decades-old Troubles in the province. Rock legend Jimi Hendrix was discovered by Geordie producer Chas Chandler and is said to have busked in Chillingham Road. And civil rights activist Martin Luther King visited the city in 1967 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the university.

Football crazy

Newcastle is particularly proud of its football club, which attracts fanatical support. Newcastle United became a member of the Football League in 1886 and has won four top division titles, beginning in 1905, and six FA Cups. It broke the world transfer record in 1996 when it paid £15 million for striker Alan Shearer.

There are few people who haven’t felt the influence of Newcastle in their daily lives. Whether you commute to work on a train, have travelled by car in the rain (a Newcastle United fan invented the windscreen wiper after getting caught in a downpour on his way home from a cup final in 1908) or eaten a Greggs sandwich (the baker is based in the city), Newcastle is woven into the fabric of our lives, even if we live many miles from the banks of the River Tyne.

Sanlam’s office in the city can be found at Gosforth Business Park in Park Road. n

Photos: Alamy

Has happiness changed forever?

The Future of Happiness Complimentary virtual event Tuesday 6 July, 11am – 12pm

Over the past year, many of us have re-evaluated our lives and asked the fundamental question – what does it really mean to be happy? In the last of our Invested in the Future virtual event series, join leading positive psychologist, Miriam Aktar, as she explores the secrets of feeling good, living well and flourishing.

To register, visit sanlamfutureseries.co.uk and choose Happiness. Our Invested in the Future series looks at the issues that will shape the post-pandemic world. To catch up on the series, visit Sanlam UK on Spotify.

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