19 August (Thursday)
10: 07 - Depart Oxford
14:51 - Arrive Newcastle
15:00 - Visit Newcastle University and Northumbria University
16:30 - BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art (FREE)
18:30 - Dinner
19:35 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge (FREE)
20:00 - The Sage Gateshead (FREE?)
22:30 - Tyne Bridge (FREE?)
20 August (Friday) SUNDERLAND
08:00 - Go to Sunderland city centre by Metro
09:00 - Walk around Sunderland City
10:00 - Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (FREE)
11:30 - Mowbray Park (FREE?)
12:30 - Lunch
13:30 - Wear Bridge
14:30 - Visit Sunderland University (St Peter Campus)
15:00 - St Peters Church (FREE?)
16:00 - National Glass Centre (FREE)
18:30 - Seaburn and Roker Beach + Dinner (fish and chips)
19:30 - Sunderland Empire Theatre (depends whether can get free ticket)
21:30 - Back to Newcastle
22:00 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge (FREE)
???? - Tynemouth Museum (Very far)
21 August( Saturday) DURHAM
07:00 - Train NCL-DURHAM (£3.10)
07:30 - Durham Cathedral (FREE during service / £4)
09:00 - Walk around Durham City and riverbanks
10:00 - Durham Castle (Part of Durham University) (£3.50)
12:00 - Beamish Museum (£13) (Open Air Museum, depends on weather)
13:00 - Lunch
18:00 - The National Railway Museum at Shildon (depends on bus ticket)
19:00 - Dinner
20:30 - Back to Newcastle
21:30 - The Angel of the North (FREE) TRANSPORT
22 August (Sunday)
10:00 - Great North Museum (FREE)
12:30 - Lunch
13:00 - Discovery Museum (FREE)
16:18 - Depart Newcastle
20:40 - Arrive Oxford
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Situated on the north bank of the River Tyne, the city developed in the area that was the location of the Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, though it owes its name to the castle built in 1080, by Robert II, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. The city grew as an important centre for the wool trade and it later became a major coal mining area. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the shipyards lower down the river, was amongst the world's largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres. These industries have since experienced severe decline and closure, and the city today is largely a business and cultural centre, with a particular reputation for nightlife.
Like most cities, Newcastle has a diverse cross section, from areas of poverty to areas of affluence. Among its main icons are Newcastle Brown Ale, a leading brand of beer, Newcastle United F.C., a Premier League team, and the Tyne Bridge. It has hosted the world's most popular half marathon, the Great North Run, since it began in 1981.
The city is the twentieth most populous in England; the larger Tyneside conurbation, of which Newcastle forms part, is the sixth most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom. Newcastle is a member of the English Core Cities Group and with Gateshead the Eurocities network of European cities.The regional nickname for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie.
Newcastle University
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is a member of the Russell Group, a prestigious association of leading research-intensive UK universities. The University has one of the largest EU research portfolios in the UK. The post-nominal letters of graduates commonly have N'cle attached to indicate the institution.
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. It is a member of the University Alliance- which represents the majority voice in British Higher Education, educating 26% of all students. Northumbria attracts 35,000 students from 140 countries. In 2006 it was twelfth in a list of English Universities ranked by student number and a significant provider of graduates to the professions, business and industry in its region. In the Research Assessment Exercise the university delivered the most significant improvement in the North of England, with research in eleven of twelve areas submitted described as "world leading". It is led by Professor Andrew Wathey, who took up the role of Vice-Chancellor in September 2008, joining from Royal Holloway University of London, where he was Vice-Principal.
The Sunday Times ranked Northumbria 56th out of 86 British universities in the period 1998-2007 inclusive. Northumbria University is international in its operations and reach, with programmes delivered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London and worldwide. Northumbria University recruits in Asia, with numbers of students studying degrees at partner institutions in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Seoul and elsewhere.
In terms of student numbers Northumbria University is the 5th biggest in the UK and the largest in the North East. It also hosts a large number of taught postgraduate students. In 2007/8 Northumbria University was included in a list of the 10 biggest providers of taught Postgraduate degrees in the UK.
The University has an excellent record in high-performance and team sport, and is an active sponsor of professional teams in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Some of its most notable alumni are national and international champions.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (BALTIC) is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom. It presents a constantly changing programme of exhibitions and events, and is a world leader in the presentation, commissioning and communication of contemporary visual art.
The Baltic Flour Mill was built by the Rank Hovis company in 1950 and was extended in 1957 by the addition of an animal feed mill. The mill was closed in 1981.
Dominic Williams of Ellis Williams Architects won an architectural competition in the mid 1990s to convert the 1950s Baltic Flour Mill into a centre for art. After ten years in the planning and a capital investment of £50m, including £33.4m from the Arts Council Lottery Fund, BALTIC opened to the public at midnight on Saturday 13 July 2002. The inaugural exhibition, B.OPEN, featured work by Chris Burden, Carsten Holler, Julian Opie, Jaume Plensa and Jane & Louise Wilson and attracted over 35,000 visitors in the first week.
Gateshead Millennium Bridge
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford. The bridge is sometimes referred to as the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. In terms of height, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is slightly shorter than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city.
The Sage Gateshead
The Sage Gateshead is a centre for musical education, performance and conferences, located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the north-east of England. It opened in 2004.
The venue is part of the Gateshead Quays development, which also includes the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The Sage Gateshead contains three performance spaces; a 1,700-seater, a 400-seater and a smaller rehearsal and performance hall, the Northern Rock Foundation Hall. The rest of the building was designed around these three spaces to allow for maximum attention to detail in their acoustic properties. Structurally it is three separate buildings, insulated from each other to prevent noise and vibration travelling between them. The gaps between them may be seen as one walks around inside. A special 'spongy' concrete mix was used in the construction, with a higher-than-usual air capacity to improve the acoustic. These three buildings are enclosed (but not touched) by the now-famous glass and steel shell. Hall One was intended as an acoustically perfect space, modelled on the renowned Musikverein in Vienna. Its ceiling panels may be raised and lowered and curtains drawn across the ribbed wooden side walls, changing the sound profile of the room to suit any type of music. Hall Two is a smaller venue, possibly the world's only ten-sided performance space. The building's concourse was designed to be used for informal music-making. Below the concourse level is the Music Education Centre, where workshops, community music courses and day-to-day instrumental teaching takes place.
The building is open to the public throughout the day. Visitors can see rehearsals, soundchecks and workshops in progress. It has five bars, a brasserie, the "Sir Michael Straker Café", and "The Barbour Room" – a multi-purpose function room which holds around 200 people. There is also "ExploreMusic": a technologically well-equipped musical branch of Gateshead public library, stocking books, and current magazines covering all aspects of music, a CD library with listening posts, and computers with free internet access, subscriptions to music websites, and music software.
Sunderland
The City of Sunderland (pronounced /ˈsʌndɚlənd/) is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, but covers a far larger area which includes the town of Washington, and other smaller settlements.
The district was formed in 1974 as the Metropolitan Borough of Sunderland as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham. It was granted city status in 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II's accession. The city had a population of 280,807 at the time of the 2001 census, with the majority of the population (177,739) residing in Sunderland.
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in Sunderland, England. It is part of the Tyne and Wear Museums group, and is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It contains the only known British example of a gliding reptile, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding flight. The exhibit was discovered in Eppleton quarry.
It was established in 1846 in the Athenaeum Building in Fawcett Street, the first municipally funded museum in the country outside of London. In 1879 the Museum moved to a new larger building next to Mowbray Park including a library and winter garden based on the model of the Crystal Palace. President Ulysses Grant was in attendance at the laying of the foundation stone by Alderman Samuel Storey in 1877. The building was opened in 1879. The Winter Garden was damaged by a parachute mine in 1941 and was demolished with a 1960s extension taking its place, but in 2001 a lottery funded refurbishment of the Museum created a new Winter Garden extension and improved facilities. In 2003 the Museum was recognised as the most attended outside London. The Museum contains a large collection of the locally made Sunderland Lustreware pottery. Other highlights of the Museum are a stuffed Lion, the remains of a Walrus brought back from Siberia in the 1880s and the first Nissan car to be made in Sunderland. Also featured are the skeletal remains of a male human being.
The library was moved in 1995 to the new City Library and Arts Centre in Fawcett Street (occupying part of the former Binns Department Store). The move left more space for museum exhibits. The new City Library Arts Centre also houses the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, renowned as one of the leading forums for new artists in the North of England.
L.S. Lowry described his discovery of Sunderland in 1960, after which it became his second home: ‘One day I was travelling south from Tyneside and I realised this was what I had always been looking for.’ Sunderland Museum, with six works and 30 on long-term loan, have a collection surpassed only by Salford and Manchester.
Mowbray Park
Mowbray Park is a municipal park in the centre of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, located a few hundred yards from the busy throughfares of Holmeside and Fawcett Street and bordered by Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to the north, Burdon Road to the west, Toward Road to the east and Park Road to the south. The park was voted best in Britain in 2008.
Wearmouth Bridge
The Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea.
The current bridge is the third Wearmouth Bridge in its position. The first opened in 1796, and then was reconstructed in the 19th century.
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, North East England. The University has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries.
The University was named the 'Best English University for student experience' by the Times Higher Education Supplement in December 2005.
The University is also one of the 31 United Kingdom Universities providing the New Route PhD as an alternative to the traditional Ph.D., although Sunderland also provides the latter.
St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth
St Peter's Church is the parish church of Monkwearmouth in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of three churches that make up the Parish of Monkwearmouth; the others being All Saints Church and St Andrew's Church, Roker.
The first church on the site was built on instructions from Benedict Biscop in 674-75, of which only the west wall and porch survive. The tower was added before 1000 on top of the porch, and the rest of the church in the 14th century.
Along with the monastery in Jarrow, St Peter's is the United Kingdom's nomination for a World Heritage Site in 2010.
National Glass Centre
The National Glass Centre is located in Monkwearmouth, on the north banks of the River Wear, on the former site of J.L. Thompson and Sons shipyard. The centre is close to the site of St. Peter's Church, part of the original Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory built in 674. It was here that Benedict Biscop introduced glass making into Britain, by hiring French glaziers to make the windows for the priory. The glass-making industry exploded in the eighteenth century, driven by an abundance of cheap coal and high-quality imported sand. Sunderland glass became known throughout the country. In later years, the Pyrex brand of glassware was manufactured in Sunderland. In 2007, the last two remaining glass firms in Sunderland - Corning Glass Works and Arc International (who make Pyrex) - announced they would close.
Despite the decline in the industry, in 1998 the centre was opened for £17 million. It was funded by the Arts Council in conjunction with the University of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, European Regional Development Fund and Sunderland City Council. The centre, located alongside the university's St. Peter's campus, continued the regeneration of the banks of the Wear.
The National Glass Centre is constructed from glass and steel. It has a glass roof that people can walk around and look down into the centre below. There is a total of 3,250 square metres of glass on the roof, and it can hold 4,600 people on at any one time. Each glass panel on the roof is 6 cm thick.
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham — known as Durham Cathedral — in the city of Durham, England, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093. The cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green.
The present cathedral replaces the 10th century "White Church" built as part of a monastic foundation to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The treasures of Durham Cathedral include relics of St Cuthbert, the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede.
Durham Cathedral occupies a strategic position on a promontory high above the River Wear. From 1080 until the 19th century the bishopric enjoyed the powers of a Bishop Palatine, having military as well as religious leadership and power. Durham Castle was built as the residence for the Bishop of Durham. The seat of the Bishop of Durham is the fourth most significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and he stands at the right hand of the monarch at coronations. Signposts for the modern day County Durham are subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."
There are daily Church of England services at the Cathedral, with the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except Mondays and while the choir is in recess. The cathedral is a major tourist attraction within the region, the central tower of 217 feet (66 m) giving views of Durham and the surrounding area.
Durham Castle
Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been wholly occupied since 1840 by University College, Durham. It is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working castle and is home to over 100 students. The castle stands on top of a hill above the River Wear on Durham's peninsula, opposite Durham Cathedral (grid reference NZ274423).
he castle was originally built in the 11th century as a projection of the Norman king's power in the north of England, as the population of England in the north remained "wild and fickle" following the disruption of the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is an excellent example of the early motte and bailey castles favoured by the Normans. The holder of the office of the Bishop of Durham was appointed by the King to exercise royal authority on his behalf, the Castle was his seat.
It remained the Bishop's palace for the Bishops of Durham until the Bishops made Bishop Auckland their primary residence and the castle was converted into a college.
The castle has a large Great Hall, created by Bishop Antony Bek in the early 14th century. It was the largest Great Hall in Britain until Bishop Richard Foxe shortened it at the end of the 15th century. However, it is still 14 m high and over 30 m long.
Beamish Museum
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early 20th century.
Much of the restoration and interpretation is specific to 1913, together with portions of countryside under the influence of industrial revolution in 1825. On its 300-acre (120 hectare) estate it utilises a mixture of translocated, original and replica buildings; a huge collection of artifacts, working vehicles and equipment; as well as livestock and costumed interpreters.
The museum has received a number of prestigious awards since it opened its present site to visitors in 1972 and has been influential on other "living museums". It is a significant educational resource, and helps to preserve some traditional north-country and rare livestock breeds.
Beamish is the first English museum to be financed and administered by a consortium of County Councils (Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear) and it was the first regional open-air museum in England. The museum was first proposed in 1958 and the collections were established on the Beamish site in 1970 under director Frank Atkinson (b. 1924). Atkinson, realising that the region's traditional industries of coal-mining, shipbuilding, and iron and steel manufacture were disappearing along with the communities that served them, was anxious to preserve the customs, traditions and ways of speech of the region. He said, "It is essential that collecting be carried out quickly and on as big a scale as possible. It is now almost too late."
The Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, England.
As the name suggests, it is a steel sculpture of a graceful angel, standing 70ft (20m) tall, with wings measuring 90ft (54m) across. The wings themselves are not planar, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward, which Gormley has said aims to create "a sense of embrace". It stands on a hill, on the southern edge of Low Fell overlooking the A1 road and the A167 road into Tyneside and the East Coast Main Line rail route, and just south of the site of Team Colliery.
Souce: Wikipedia
10: 07 - Depart Oxford
14:51 - Arrive Newcastle
15:00 - Visit Newcastle University and Northumbria University
16:30 - BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art (FREE)
18:30 - Dinner
19:35 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge (FREE)
20:00 - The Sage Gateshead (FREE?)
22:30 - Tyne Bridge (FREE?)
20 August (Friday) SUNDERLAND
08:00 - Go to Sunderland city centre by Metro
09:00 - Walk around Sunderland City
10:00 - Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (FREE)
11:30 - Mowbray Park (FREE?)
12:30 - Lunch
13:30 - Wear Bridge
14:30 - Visit Sunderland University (St Peter Campus)
15:00 - St Peters Church (FREE?)
16:00 - National Glass Centre (FREE)
18:30 - Seaburn and Roker Beach + Dinner (fish and chips)
19:30 - Sunderland Empire Theatre (depends whether can get free ticket)
21:30 - Back to Newcastle
22:00 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge (FREE)
???? - Tynemouth Museum (Very far)
21 August( Saturday) DURHAM
07:00 - Train NCL-DURHAM (£3.10)
07:30 - Durham Cathedral (FREE during service / £4)
09:00 - Walk around Durham City and riverbanks
10:00 - Durham Castle (Part of Durham University) (£3.50)
12:00 - Beamish Museum (£13) (Open Air Museum, depends on weather)
13:00 - Lunch
18:00 - The National Railway Museum at Shildon (depends on bus ticket)
19:00 - Dinner
20:30 - Back to Newcastle
21:30 - The Angel of the North (FREE) TRANSPORT
22 August (Sunday)
10:00 - Great North Museum (FREE)
12:30 - Lunch
13:00 - Discovery Museum (FREE)
16:18 - Depart Newcastle
20:40 - Arrive Oxford
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Situated on the north bank of the River Tyne, the city developed in the area that was the location of the Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, though it owes its name to the castle built in 1080, by Robert II, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. The city grew as an important centre for the wool trade and it later became a major coal mining area. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the shipyards lower down the river, was amongst the world's largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres. These industries have since experienced severe decline and closure, and the city today is largely a business and cultural centre, with a particular reputation for nightlife.
Like most cities, Newcastle has a diverse cross section, from areas of poverty to areas of affluence. Among its main icons are Newcastle Brown Ale, a leading brand of beer, Newcastle United F.C., a Premier League team, and the Tyne Bridge. It has hosted the world's most popular half marathon, the Great North Run, since it began in 1981.
The city is the twentieth most populous in England; the larger Tyneside conurbation, of which Newcastle forms part, is the sixth most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom. Newcastle is a member of the English Core Cities Group and with Gateshead the Eurocities network of European cities.The regional nickname for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie.
Newcastle University
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is a member of the Russell Group, a prestigious association of leading research-intensive UK universities. The University has one of the largest EU research portfolios in the UK. The post-nominal letters of graduates commonly have N'cle attached to indicate the institution.
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. It is a member of the University Alliance- which represents the majority voice in British Higher Education, educating 26% of all students. Northumbria attracts 35,000 students from 140 countries. In 2006 it was twelfth in a list of English Universities ranked by student number and a significant provider of graduates to the professions, business and industry in its region. In the Research Assessment Exercise the university delivered the most significant improvement in the North of England, with research in eleven of twelve areas submitted described as "world leading". It is led by Professor Andrew Wathey, who took up the role of Vice-Chancellor in September 2008, joining from Royal Holloway University of London, where he was Vice-Principal.
The Sunday Times ranked Northumbria 56th out of 86 British universities in the period 1998-2007 inclusive. Northumbria University is international in its operations and reach, with programmes delivered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London and worldwide. Northumbria University recruits in Asia, with numbers of students studying degrees at partner institutions in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Seoul and elsewhere.
In terms of student numbers Northumbria University is the 5th biggest in the UK and the largest in the North East. It also hosts a large number of taught postgraduate students. In 2007/8 Northumbria University was included in a list of the 10 biggest providers of taught Postgraduate degrees in the UK.
The University has an excellent record in high-performance and team sport, and is an active sponsor of professional teams in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Some of its most notable alumni are national and international champions.
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (BALTIC) is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom. It presents a constantly changing programme of exhibitions and events, and is a world leader in the presentation, commissioning and communication of contemporary visual art.
The Baltic Flour Mill was built by the Rank Hovis company in 1950 and was extended in 1957 by the addition of an animal feed mill. The mill was closed in 1981.
Dominic Williams of Ellis Williams Architects won an architectural competition in the mid 1990s to convert the 1950s Baltic Flour Mill into a centre for art. After ten years in the planning and a capital investment of £50m, including £33.4m from the Arts Council Lottery Fund, BALTIC opened to the public at midnight on Saturday 13 July 2002. The inaugural exhibition, B.OPEN, featured work by Chris Burden, Carsten Holler, Julian Opie, Jaume Plensa and Jane & Louise Wilson and attracted over 35,000 visitors in the first week.
Gateshead Millennium Bridge
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford. The bridge is sometimes referred to as the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. In terms of height, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is slightly shorter than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city.
The Sage Gateshead
The Sage Gateshead is a centre for musical education, performance and conferences, located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the north-east of England. It opened in 2004.
The venue is part of the Gateshead Quays development, which also includes the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The Sage Gateshead contains three performance spaces; a 1,700-seater, a 400-seater and a smaller rehearsal and performance hall, the Northern Rock Foundation Hall. The rest of the building was designed around these three spaces to allow for maximum attention to detail in their acoustic properties. Structurally it is three separate buildings, insulated from each other to prevent noise and vibration travelling between them. The gaps between them may be seen as one walks around inside. A special 'spongy' concrete mix was used in the construction, with a higher-than-usual air capacity to improve the acoustic. These three buildings are enclosed (but not touched) by the now-famous glass and steel shell. Hall One was intended as an acoustically perfect space, modelled on the renowned Musikverein in Vienna. Its ceiling panels may be raised and lowered and curtains drawn across the ribbed wooden side walls, changing the sound profile of the room to suit any type of music. Hall Two is a smaller venue, possibly the world's only ten-sided performance space. The building's concourse was designed to be used for informal music-making. Below the concourse level is the Music Education Centre, where workshops, community music courses and day-to-day instrumental teaching takes place.
The building is open to the public throughout the day. Visitors can see rehearsals, soundchecks and workshops in progress. It has five bars, a brasserie, the "Sir Michael Straker Café", and "The Barbour Room" – a multi-purpose function room which holds around 200 people. There is also "ExploreMusic": a technologically well-equipped musical branch of Gateshead public library, stocking books, and current magazines covering all aspects of music, a CD library with listening posts, and computers with free internet access, subscriptions to music websites, and music software.
Sunderland
The City of Sunderland (pronounced /ˈsʌndɚlənd/) is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, but covers a far larger area which includes the town of Washington, and other smaller settlements.
The district was formed in 1974 as the Metropolitan Borough of Sunderland as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham. It was granted city status in 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II's accession. The city had a population of 280,807 at the time of the 2001 census, with the majority of the population (177,739) residing in Sunderland.
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in Sunderland, England. It is part of the Tyne and Wear Museums group, and is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It contains the only known British example of a gliding reptile, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding flight. The exhibit was discovered in Eppleton quarry.
It was established in 1846 in the Athenaeum Building in Fawcett Street, the first municipally funded museum in the country outside of London. In 1879 the Museum moved to a new larger building next to Mowbray Park including a library and winter garden based on the model of the Crystal Palace. President Ulysses Grant was in attendance at the laying of the foundation stone by Alderman Samuel Storey in 1877. The building was opened in 1879. The Winter Garden was damaged by a parachute mine in 1941 and was demolished with a 1960s extension taking its place, but in 2001 a lottery funded refurbishment of the Museum created a new Winter Garden extension and improved facilities. In 2003 the Museum was recognised as the most attended outside London. The Museum contains a large collection of the locally made Sunderland Lustreware pottery. Other highlights of the Museum are a stuffed Lion, the remains of a Walrus brought back from Siberia in the 1880s and the first Nissan car to be made in Sunderland. Also featured are the skeletal remains of a male human being.
The library was moved in 1995 to the new City Library and Arts Centre in Fawcett Street (occupying part of the former Binns Department Store). The move left more space for museum exhibits. The new City Library Arts Centre also houses the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, renowned as one of the leading forums for new artists in the North of England.
L.S. Lowry described his discovery of Sunderland in 1960, after which it became his second home: ‘One day I was travelling south from Tyneside and I realised this was what I had always been looking for.’ Sunderland Museum, with six works and 30 on long-term loan, have a collection surpassed only by Salford and Manchester.
Mowbray Park
Mowbray Park is a municipal park in the centre of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, located a few hundred yards from the busy throughfares of Holmeside and Fawcett Street and bordered by Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to the north, Burdon Road to the west, Toward Road to the east and Park Road to the south. The park was voted best in Britain in 2008.
Wearmouth Bridge
The Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea.
The current bridge is the third Wearmouth Bridge in its position. The first opened in 1796, and then was reconstructed in the 19th century.
University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, North East England. The University has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries.
The University was named the 'Best English University for student experience' by the Times Higher Education Supplement in December 2005.
The University is also one of the 31 United Kingdom Universities providing the New Route PhD as an alternative to the traditional Ph.D., although Sunderland also provides the latter.
St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth
St Peter's Church is the parish church of Monkwearmouth in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of three churches that make up the Parish of Monkwearmouth; the others being All Saints Church and St Andrew's Church, Roker.
The first church on the site was built on instructions from Benedict Biscop in 674-75, of which only the west wall and porch survive. The tower was added before 1000 on top of the porch, and the rest of the church in the 14th century.
Along with the monastery in Jarrow, St Peter's is the United Kingdom's nomination for a World Heritage Site in 2010.
National Glass Centre
The National Glass Centre is located in Monkwearmouth, on the north banks of the River Wear, on the former site of J.L. Thompson and Sons shipyard. The centre is close to the site of St. Peter's Church, part of the original Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory built in 674. It was here that Benedict Biscop introduced glass making into Britain, by hiring French glaziers to make the windows for the priory. The glass-making industry exploded in the eighteenth century, driven by an abundance of cheap coal and high-quality imported sand. Sunderland glass became known throughout the country. In later years, the Pyrex brand of glassware was manufactured in Sunderland. In 2007, the last two remaining glass firms in Sunderland - Corning Glass Works and Arc International (who make Pyrex) - announced they would close.
Despite the decline in the industry, in 1998 the centre was opened for £17 million. It was funded by the Arts Council in conjunction with the University of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, European Regional Development Fund and Sunderland City Council. The centre, located alongside the university's St. Peter's campus, continued the regeneration of the banks of the Wear.
The National Glass Centre is constructed from glass and steel. It has a glass roof that people can walk around and look down into the centre below. There is a total of 3,250 square metres of glass on the roof, and it can hold 4,600 people on at any one time. Each glass panel on the roof is 6 cm thick.
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham — known as Durham Cathedral — in the city of Durham, England, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093. The cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green.
The present cathedral replaces the 10th century "White Church" built as part of a monastic foundation to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The treasures of Durham Cathedral include relics of St Cuthbert, the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede.
Durham Cathedral occupies a strategic position on a promontory high above the River Wear. From 1080 until the 19th century the bishopric enjoyed the powers of a Bishop Palatine, having military as well as religious leadership and power. Durham Castle was built as the residence for the Bishop of Durham. The seat of the Bishop of Durham is the fourth most significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and he stands at the right hand of the monarch at coronations. Signposts for the modern day County Durham are subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."
There are daily Church of England services at the Cathedral, with the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except Mondays and while the choir is in recess. The cathedral is a major tourist attraction within the region, the central tower of 217 feet (66 m) giving views of Durham and the surrounding area.
Durham Castle
Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been wholly occupied since 1840 by University College, Durham. It is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working castle and is home to over 100 students. The castle stands on top of a hill above the River Wear on Durham's peninsula, opposite Durham Cathedral (grid reference NZ274423).
he castle was originally built in the 11th century as a projection of the Norman king's power in the north of England, as the population of England in the north remained "wild and fickle" following the disruption of the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is an excellent example of the early motte and bailey castles favoured by the Normans. The holder of the office of the Bishop of Durham was appointed by the King to exercise royal authority on his behalf, the Castle was his seat.
It remained the Bishop's palace for the Bishops of Durham until the Bishops made Bishop Auckland their primary residence and the castle was converted into a college.
The castle has a large Great Hall, created by Bishop Antony Bek in the early 14th century. It was the largest Great Hall in Britain until Bishop Richard Foxe shortened it at the end of the 15th century. However, it is still 14 m high and over 30 m long.
Beamish Museum
Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early 20th century.
Much of the restoration and interpretation is specific to 1913, together with portions of countryside under the influence of industrial revolution in 1825. On its 300-acre (120 hectare) estate it utilises a mixture of translocated, original and replica buildings; a huge collection of artifacts, working vehicles and equipment; as well as livestock and costumed interpreters.
The museum has received a number of prestigious awards since it opened its present site to visitors in 1972 and has been influential on other "living museums". It is a significant educational resource, and helps to preserve some traditional north-country and rare livestock breeds.
Beamish is the first English museum to be financed and administered by a consortium of County Councils (Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear) and it was the first regional open-air museum in England. The museum was first proposed in 1958 and the collections were established on the Beamish site in 1970 under director Frank Atkinson (b. 1924). Atkinson, realising that the region's traditional industries of coal-mining, shipbuilding, and iron and steel manufacture were disappearing along with the communities that served them, was anxious to preserve the customs, traditions and ways of speech of the region. He said, "It is essential that collecting be carried out quickly and on as big a scale as possible. It is now almost too late."
The Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, England.
As the name suggests, it is a steel sculpture of a graceful angel, standing 70ft (20m) tall, with wings measuring 90ft (54m) across. The wings themselves are not planar, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward, which Gormley has said aims to create "a sense of embrace". It stands on a hill, on the southern edge of Low Fell overlooking the A1 road and the A167 road into Tyneside and the East Coast Main Line rail route, and just south of the site of Team Colliery.
Souce: Wikipedia
