Newcastle as it was

In contrast to the success of the eighteen and nineteenth centuries, Newcastle and the rest of Tyne and Wear saw a steady decline in heavy industry in the interwar period of the early twentieth century and unemployment grew steadily following the economic depression of the 1930s. The last remaining colliery in Newcastle closed in 1956 and the lack of investment and competitive Eastern European and South East Asian markets had a similar impact on the region’s ailing shipyards between 1970-1990.