Gallery: seeing Newcastle in black and white
‘Cause that was when coal was king
The river was a living thing
And I was just a boy
But it was mine
The coaly Tyne
Jimmy Nail, Big River
When I first started visiting in the early 1980s Newcastle upon Tyne did seem like a city in black and white. Once a great industrial hub it had been hard hit by the closure of the shipyards and coal mines of the region. Its once grand buildings were blackened by soot and its eponymous river was polluted and neglected.
But that was forty years ago. Today the phrase ‘black and white’ remains synonymous with the city, as these are the colours of the football team’s strip! But that apart, the city has totally reinvented itself since the days of my first visits and today has plenty of colour.
However for this week’s Monochrome Madness I want to share some edits of favourite photos taken around the city, starting with the River Tyne and its bridges. I’ve posted plenty of photos of these previously, but always I think in colour.
Bridges over the Tyne
Tyne bridges from the Quayside
Silhouetted pedestrians on the High Level Bridge
Detail of the Tyne Bridge in silhouette
Tyne Bridge reflection
The road level of the High Level Bridge (trains run on the upper level)
River God sculpture and the Millennium Bridge
Siren, companion piece to River God
Statue of William L Blenkinsop Coulson, a Victorian benefactor
Statue of Cardinal Basil Hume, a native of Newcastle
Grey’s Monument, built in 1838 to commemorate the passing of Prime Minister Earl Grey’s Great Reform Bill of 1832
The former Black Friars Monastery, now a (very good) restaurant
Old buildings in Ouseburn, a tributary of the Tyne just downstream from the city centre
Street lamp on Stowell Street, the heart of the city’s small Chinatown
Detail of the former Sun Insurance Buildings
The old weigh house in the Grainger Market, still providing a popular service for locals
In a Quayside coffee shop
I visit Newcastle regularly; these photos were originally taken between 2012 and 2023 and all edited with Silver Efex Pro in 2023
42 Comments
jamiechancetravels
Love these! I definitely need to capture newcastle in black and white now!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, so glad to have inspired you!
jamiechancetravels
I’ve done something similar with my Monochrome Cities collection but only have Manchester, London & Melbourne so far!
wetanddustyroads
I really like the photos of the bridges over the Tyne and the monastery photo is also beautiful (I like the texture that the big tree in front of the building gives to the photo – if one can make a statement like this 😉).
Sarah Wilkie
Of course you can make a statement like that and I see exactly what you mean 😀 I love that old tree!
equinoxio21
Nice. Thank you. There seemed to be some interesting street art in Ouseborne… Did you get that?
Sarah Wilkie
There is indeed. It wouldn’t have worked well for this B&W gallery but I included some in an earlier post about that part of the city: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/following-the-river-tyne-to-ouseburn/
equinoxio21
B&W and street art seldom combine. Hopping right there.
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Your creativity knows no bounds, Sarah. I always look forward to seeing your posts, and this black and white gallery does not disappoint. Fabulous!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Kellye 😊 I must have hundreds of photos of Newcastle taken over many years, so I had plenty to select from for this post!
grandmisadventures
I love that at first glance, all the bridges just look like one incredibly detailed bridge but then you start to notice how many bridges are actually in that one shot. The black and white really makes it not only an interesting picture but also a visual mind mind game 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, I can see that if you don’t know the city, in black and white the bridges tend to merge together. In colour they are more distinct. Also some of these shots were taken with a bit of zoom which foreshortens the distance between them – although they are pretty close!
ThingsHelenLoves
Fabulous shots. Particularly like the old buildings in Ouseburn. Spent an afternoon exploring the area last time I was home and was pleasantly surprised at how the place has developed.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Helen – Ouseburn has really developed in recent years and there’s lots going on around there, although the pubs still retain their traditional character, thankfully 🙂
Brad M
I forwarded this to my wife’s relatives that grew up in Newcastle. They confirmed the world was B&W when they lived there in the 1930’s and 40’s, and were happy to see not much has changed. 😉
Sarah Wilkie
You’ll have to share some of my colour posts from the city so that they can see that in fact lots has changed!
Brad M
They just sent a color version of your B&W arched bridge to show colour has finally arrived in the UK.
Sarah Wilkie
See https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/newcastle-a-city-and-its-river/ for more!
Anne Sandler
Great in Black and White!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
The bridges look particularly splendid in black and white.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Anabel, I reckon structures often look their best in monochrome 🙂
Marie
Great collection – as Maggie says, coloured isn’t missed at all.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Marie, glad you think so 😀
Heyjude
Another wonderful gallery Sarah. I love all the details you captured and the photos are so sharp. I’ve only ever visited Newcastle once about 40 years ago and don’t think I took a single photo!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jude. To be honest I’m not sure I’d have taken many photos 40 years ago, but today it’s a really photo-worthy city 🙂
margaret21
A friend and great photographer who does great b/w photos is taking me on a photography expedition to Newcastle next week so your photos give me a good starting point!
Sarah Wilkie
Ooh, I’m going to be interested to see the outputs from that expedition!
margaret21
Well, let’s see. Andy’s a great teacher, so I’ll try to be a good student.
Yvonne Dumsday
Having grown up in a small Yorkshire town where the golden colour of the Yorkshire stone – used in houses, factories, mills and field walls – was blackened with the soot from the chimneys of the tall mill chimneys, the coal fires in the houses and the steam-driven trains that ran through the valley, I remember returning home from a few years travelling abroad, back in the 1960s on a grey November day with the feeling that the sun was shining, as the whole town centre had been sand-blasted and the original stone colour was uncovered. Your photographs – stunning as they were – reminded me of those original days and the industrial heritage from where I came. I prefer my life in full colour (and preferably with sunshine) I think.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, that’s exactly my experience of Newcastle 🙂 I attended an interview at the poly there back in the mid 70s but never went (I got a university place). When I next visited with Chris at the end of that decade a few buildings had already been sandblasted and some were in the process of being done. Today the stone here is lovely and part of the city’s beauty as you know. But while I enjoy seeing it like that, from a photographic aesthetic point of view I like the atmosphere created by B&W for some shots – which isn’t to say I’d ever want to live in a monochrome world!!
TheRamblingWombat
Excellent. I think black and white photography/ photos is greatly underrated. I find they, generally and well selected, exude much more atmosphere, as yours do here, than the same photos in colour.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Albert 😊 I feel both B&W and colour have their place, depending on subject matter and the impressions you want to create with your image.
thehungrytravellers.blog
I think you’ve just designed the best Newcastle calendar ever!
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, thanks Phil 😆 – but I’ll need to weed, there are more than 12 shots here!
Anonymous
Nice B&Ws. My wife has relatives from Newcastle, back when it may have all been black and white.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – my husband is from the city
Sue
A great portrait of the city in monochrome
Sarah Wilkie
Thank so much Sue 😀
Sue
We’ll, you are most welcome!
Monkey's Tale
A great collection pictures. They look like they all should be in black and white, I didn’t notice the lack of colour at all. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie, glad you felt the B&W worked so well 😀