Newcastle's Lost Character (Ian Nairn)

Become a patron to support the channel and gain access to exclusive videos idea polls and support the creation of topics:
/ jordanreeve
T-Shirts and Website:
www.jordanreeve.co.uk
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Ian Nairn
01:47 The City and Its Layers
03:59 The City and Its Quayside
07:42 The City and Its Architecture
This video covers Ian Nairn's visit to Newcastle in the 1970s, this then interprets this documentary and provides a modern context on how the city has changed in the last 50 years. Covering the changes to the architecture, newcastle quayside, the chares and cooperage.
Follow Jordan Reeve
📷 Instagram: jordanconno...
Twitter: / jordancreeve
Music: Epidemic Sound
Would you like to advertise with us, direct business inquiries to: [e-mail]
ABOUT JORDAN REEVE
A full-time planner, Jordan Reeve specialises in creating videos about the built environment to tell its stories. The topics cover the historical development of cities alongside psychogeography-style walks, which aims to uncover the urban environment as well as pose questions about the space and place in which we live, work, and play. He lives in Newcastle Upon Tyne and attempts to showcase the modern face of a former industrial city, which is still finding its way in regeneration.
#IanNairn #NewcastleHistory #architecture

[@ontheslide2339]

heartbreaking what corruption and greed did to the city... has happened almost everywhere under the guise of 'progress'...

[@hugodrax71]

I used to live in this great city (back in '94) so I found this very interesting. I've always seen Get Carter as a farewell to the old Newcastle. What happened in Newcastle has occurred in many UK cities, especially during the 60s and early 70s. I live in Cardiff and most of the old Tiger Bay was demolished. If it existed today and was sympathetically restored, I'm certain it would be a Unesco world heritage site.

[@paulnolan1352]

Great video. I lived and worked around Newcastle for a few years and for the size of the place it was great for getting around but what really stood out for me was it’s strong sense of identity, this is in its buildings, structures and history. The people complimented all this. I never had that feeling anywhere else.

[@boota1979]

@paulnolan1352 Well thank you kind sir!!! From a Geordie born and bred.

[@paulnolan1352]

@@boota1979 your welcome.

[@boota1979]

@@paulnolan1352 👍

[@davidb6635]

I found this really interesting. Ian Nairn has a great use of language.

[@chondrompala6533]

That was really good, thanks for producing it. I was born in the heart of the area you (and Nairn) cover in this video and from 1963 to 1974 the mostly derelict warehouses, churches etc were my playground. It's only looking back that I recognize how remarkable it was to be an urban "explorer", of such buildings, at such an age. I left Newcastle totally 20 years ago and haven't been back. I've probably got only a few years left, and videos like yours are encouraging me to return whilst I can to see what's changed and what remains the same. One odd thing I have in my memories is that everything from the late 60s and early 70s only manifests to me in black and white, but of course it must have been in colour. I'm looking forward to watching your Newcastle Malls vid next - the Handyside arcade was something special to me in the late 70s early 80s.

[@JohninRosc]

Fabulous video Jordan. Having lived in your wonderful city for six years in the 1980's I can put my hand on my heart and say it's my favourite city in the whole world for a whole variety of reasons. I read Stuart McConie's book about the Jarrow march about seven or eight years ago where he arrived in Newcastle to recreate the march to celebrate it's 80th anniversary. He wrote the following words and I transcribe them here as they resonate so well with me (and I'm sure with most Geordies). I concur with every word and sentiment. "There are some cities one never enters without a gladdening of the heart and a quickening of the pulse. Newcastle ranks high among them possessing that dazzling alchemy of fine buildings and big open water that always works a certain magic trick. …..it’s always a palpable thrill to cross the Tyne by the high line over the King Edward VII bridge and see the best looking city in England today spread alluringly below me. The train is indubitably the best way to arrive. All the “Toon’s” most thrilling features crowd and elbow each other sideways to get into shot like those daft excitable kids you see behind sports reporters on TV."

[@markgilmore2017]

Wonderful job Jordan. It's so good to see the city and it's physical history treated with such respect, not a hint of playing for clicks.

[@blacktapes3475]

The replica Royal Arcade is by far one of the most surreal things from my youth; I used to walk through it often on the way to Manors and after I left Newcastle in '97 I often wondered if it was a dream. I heard it's inside a restaurant now, I will have to go just to check it out!

[@Vince_uk]

What a wonderful video Jordan and a great old footage find. For me, Newcastle is constantly changing some good, some not so good. The destruction of Old Eldon Square I consider was an act of pure vandalism. The Loss of the Royal Arcade was also not well thought out. The Quayside Stairs have been hidden although still there and have a wonderful history for example Dog Leap Stairs. I took my car in for a service in Dunston a couple of weeks ago and decided to walk into Newcastle along the river side through Gateshead Riverside Park, which is an absolute disgrace, neglected and its artwork well hidden. The riverside is pleasant and the views down the river impressive but devoid of any character. What has happened to Gateshead Trinity Square is a travesty. Yes, Gateshead is better without the concrete carpark which was an eyesore and other buildings of similar ilk but what has replaced it is unpleasantness and bland, I feel anyway.

[@RWBlakeArt]

This video had me captivated...the mixture of old footage and ideas on what was happening to Newcastle back in the day to modern videos, pictures and ideas...Great work 👏

[@YourBeingParanoid]

You should have been how busy the Quayside was on a Sunday morning - thousands of people doing all their shopping from hundreds of stalls due to Sunday trading laws meaning come around 1pm, you couldn't buy anything outside of an off licence until Monday morning. So many memories lost to time

[@boota1979]

@YourBeingParanoid As a kid I used to go to the quay every Sunday rain or shine, I just loved it. We spent our childhood playing in Heaton park and wandering right through to Paddy Freemans and coming home when we were hungry!!! Oh! how I miss those wonderful safe carefree times.

[@YourBeingParanoid]

@@boota1979 i totally agree with you about everything apart from one thing - I'd change the word safe to ignorant of danger. A quick national statistics search for child accident, victim of crime and mortality rates shows that we may have thought we were safe but that's only in an information black hole. I know my own childhood was certainly not safe and I often came to harm. Mainly to the disinterest of the adults around. Things I never had medical treatment for include the lost of huge amounts of blood after severing and artery on my scalp, thanks to a toy being thrown at it (a house brick), 3 accidental (let's wait and see) poisoning with chemicals, drunk (blindly) aged 6, 2 lots of alcoholic poisoning (11 & 15), falling off the cliffs at Marsden and being hit by a car doing 40mph aged 7 on my lunch break and getting wrong and just sent back to school for inconviencing the driver. 4 of my childhood friends didn't get to 16 years old. I got to play with explosives, I smoked, drank (and anything else), was often the target of sexual predators - especially at the quay side and when that didn't harm you, our institutions like the BBC and police force were doing it too. I get nostalgia, but I'm glad my kids didn't have the same parents as my generation. Boomers just had too much self focus to notice us, suited me as I had a box of matches to play with and could stay out past 11pm aged 5. They still thought it was the 1940s and still hadn't figured out why they had kids - apart from having something to blame for being born. Forgot to say - of course I was raised Catholic, even though nobody in my family went to church. And yes, that definitely went well for me 😂

[@MrBanzoid]

I had many a pint in the Haymarket on Percy Street. Great beer and the best juke box in the city.

[@05gt99]

Jordan , fascinating video, thanks for that. I stayed in Newcastle from 1990 to 1996 and loved it.

[@marcel499]

This is wonderful work Jordan. I am a local (Gosforth). The editing and music is amazing.

[@johnlladron735]

Excellent video, really informative and well-presented. Thank you.

[@1258-Eckhart]

I appreciate the before and after format - so good to see the change of years.

[@OriginalPeterPan]

Local here: The city centre has changed completely over the last 15 years. Student accommodation has taken over the area within the Centre. Virtually every other building within the boundary seems to be student accommodation now. It was shambolic that Chapmans Furniture store closed along with other stores that have been here for decades to make way for students. The buildings which are erected now are not easy on the eye or very pleasing to the landscape. The new area being built for HMRC will again completely change the feel of the city. The old Newcastle is hanging on by a thread. I believe the road system layout will eventually feel like a huge roundabout around the centre of Newcastle and any entry within the centre must be by bicycle or walking. Newcastle Council seem to be wanting less traffic within the centre.

[@dominiclloyd6651]

I lived there in the late eighties, and it was a place with real heart, but the contrast between the period of Tynside classical architecture and much of what followed was pretty grim.

[@flowname]

I've just stumbled on your channel randomly. Been trying to dig content on urban development of UK towns and cities, presented by their residents, and with all recommendation algorithms of youtube the task still is way more challenging than I expected. Anyways, I can learn about Newcastle now, thanks!

[@JordanReeve]

I’ve been trying to find similar content from other cities. but struggle to come across any. my only recommendation is Aideneyewitness for Manchester /Salford content.

[@flowname]

@@JordanReeve Thanks for the lead! I only watch John Rogers for London, and Wandering Turnip for England in general, but that latter chap has more specific content with a focus on certain unpleasant sides of things.

[@philrichardson9521]

Fabulous video, great to see the old clips of Nairn. Great editing for the Meades clip too. Thank you Jordan, great stuff

[@Steve-jl8pq]

Great video very interesting love looking and photographing Newcastle

[@rgllkendall]

This is fascinating, thank you.

[@neilboulton9813]

A really interesting video Jordan. I had no idea a replica of the Swan Arcade had been built after th e original destruction although it sounds as if it remains divorced from the city centre and only accessible for the price of a meal. Eldon Square was a true traversty. To not even have maintained the look by at least retaining the three facades, as has been done in far lesser places, is a disgrace. It could all be recreated but I suppose there is not the will by the council or a commercial impetus.

[@visuals0und]

This is brilliant Jordan - more please!

[@BABYCHAOS26]

Fantastic job, really look forward to your content, it’s top notch.

[@JordanReeve]

Thanks

[@renny656]

What a great video. So insight and interesting. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@MBrady1970]

I never understood the replica of the Royal arcade, could you even go in it? The original which Nairn was sitting beside in this video, was taken down block by block and numbered and was probably meant to be rebuilt somewhere, but that never happened... I heard the numbering system washed off in the rain and all the stones were lost. Awesome video Jordan.

[@scottandrewbrass1931]

You could go through the replica of the Royal Arcade. I used to pass through it a couple of times a week in the early - mid 90's to get to the Barley Mow but it was fairly decrepid by that point.

[@rain_down_]

Very interesting content. The more we can learn from the mistakes of the past, the better. The Tesco etc development in Gateshead is shocking though - a huge missed opportunity.

[@jonathanpayne1174]

Excellent work Jordan. As a frequent visitor to your city, I always take more enjoyment knowing more about its history thanks to you.

[@garbeal2397]

You make some great videos jordan you deserve alot more subscribers

[@progress2success402]

Nicely done mate ❤

[@gradyfinley6808]

Excellent video Jordan

[@Geordie_Peter]

An excellent thought provoking video Jordan.

[@aliceshelleyforbes7104]

I always love seeing these videos they are very informative and presented very well; thank you jordan :)

[@AlexJ.Goldsmith]

Love your vlogs, man.

[@MattRochelle]

Great work, enjoyed that.

[@melonycrumpet]

Love this. The footage and narration is excellent 👍

[@JimmyTheGiant]

Brilliant vid

[@withnail70]

Good video. Objective, while appreciative. 👍

[@itslife5140]

So interesting, thank you 🖤🩶

[@Occident.]

1960s architecture wrecked my town of Gateshead. It also spoiled Newcastle. At least some have been demolished. We need to get rid of the monstrosity in the middle of the roundabout.

[@ravensthorne4631]

I studied and lived in Newcastle from 89 to 95. I remember the skywalks well, crossing to the Warner Cinema at Manors.

[@insertyourquarters]

I have never been to Newcastle, hoping to next year. Thank you for the detailed overview.

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

I enjoyed that and thought you did a good job presenting it.

[@DRoberts-we2vg]

Glad to see a young person so passionate about history & their city. History is interwoven in the bricks & mortar of its buildings. Destroy buildings & history is lost

[@trevorashworth7307]

Thanks Jordan.

[@Northanhymbre]

Great video, great city.

[@JohnnyZenith]

I would like to see you cover other cities of the UK. I would probably weep.

[@johnyoung8017]

As per previous comments I agree truly excellent content.

[@stokes8762]

Post war buildings always look hideous with their concrete constructions, glass facades and contrived modernist designs. Even modest brick pre war buildings have a beautiful proportion and character. The stone pre war buildings are masterpieces. The most horrendous aspect for me though is city centre buildings being defiled with lurid gaudy shop signs. This is true of any UK city though.

[@Toodyslexicforyou]

Don’t forgot the majority of prewar buildings looked like shit since the dawn of time we’ve built for profit so ofc most buildings look like pure piss. You’re only seeing the really expensive builds that have lasted time and actual interest.

[@stokes8762]

@@Toodyslexicforyou No, even an ordinary Victorian picture of terrace streets taken in the early 1900's looks way better than the higgledy-piggledy Lego hellscapes being thrown up on every bit of spare land these days. Even slums looked better than the orange-brick modern built garbage boxes. Not saying they were better to actually live in, different story but aesthetically no contest.

[@Toodyslexicforyou]

@@stokes8762 really so a shit filled alley way with soot everywhere is better than a glass skyscraper okie go live in Gaza then

[@stokes8762]

@@Toodyslexicforyou You compared two ludicrous extremes then jumped to the middle east lol. chill tf out .

[@Toodyslexicforyou]

@@stokes8762 bro you literally done this yourself 🤣🤣 you believe that all Victorian and Edwardian city centres is what all buildings used to look like bruh mf ofc a bank gonna look snazzy they literally print money. Also that extreme wasn’t extreme it what we call a deregulated market.

[@alyssiadal7357]

Great vid! Just found your channel today and I’m in love! Would love to see you do a video on Sheffield in the future :-)

[@JordanReeve]

I did one on park hill a while back. Hoping to do more in the future

[@Saucy_Beans]

more good content Jordan. cheers

[@neojng]

i lived in newcastle for a couple of years back in the early 10's. I still think its a beautiful city but you can see where things have been ruined, I cant belive how the big market used to look, such a shame.

[@eily_b]

Amazing video. I notice that the air pollution in the 70s must have been alarming. Nearly every video I watch from the 70s from any location looks like that. Barely any to none view over the cities. Glad that changed. I was in London in 1983 or so and it was the darkest and dirtiest city I have seen so far. Every building was covered in soot, they were black, the air was horrible, everything was full of cars... I was glad when we got back to our seaside resort.

[@commorevpenguin9602]

Could you do an update with all the developments going on in Newcastle?

[@matthewbeumer3168]

Newcastle a great wonderful city!

[@stuartkelly3106]

All new building structures seem temporary and disposable.

[@MarkSlavin]

Be good to see that old documentary put through some processing to remove the VCR timers, a little light restoration.

[@YourBeingParanoid]

@04:18 He's basically standing in what was the largest gay cruising area in the region until around 2010 - from, there, all along the old gardens (as they were known) right along to where the Arena currently is today. The same could also be said of the new gardens along the Gateshead side until the new bus route to the Metrocentre was built. There's quite a well known documentary about it here on KZbin Then often a multifaceted hidden history that the architecture doesn't remember but the people still do (for now)

[@TeamCGS2005]

Wow, fascinating. I'd never heard of him before. I'd heard and read the works of Nikolaus Pevsner before but not of Mr Nairn. Thanks for this video.

[@JordanReeve]

Nairn helped write one of the Pevsner guides but thought that type of work wasn’t for himself.

[@TeamCGS2005]

It was actually because of Pevsner's overview of Durham and Durham Cathedral that I now live in the northeast of England. Jordan I think you should get paid by someone to do more of these types of videos as it's fascinating stuff! If you could cover Durham then that would be lovely. I discover new little hidden gems in Durham all the time. For instance I only discovered a few months ago that from the medieval Framwellgate Bridge there's a hidden path called Moatside Lane that goes straight up to Saddler Street. For years I'd just followed Silver Street round the loop, but my goodness was that a delight to discover @@JordanReeve

[@magalhaeshelder]

One might think what an economic vibrant city when you see all of those tall buildings in Newcastle but then you realise that all of them are "students" residentials, I dare to say that without the universities, without the thousands of students, mainly from overseas, Newcastle would be depressing... even though I Love this city, moved from London area almost 5 years ago and won't regret it... I'm Portuguese and Newcastle is my home!

[@YourBeingParanoid]

What do you think of the new and old blend from Citygate down through China Town to High Friers?

[@sirsamfay99]

I left Ashington in 1985. I went back a few years ago and was shocked to see the decline not just there with the closure of the pit and Alcan but the change everywhere else including Newcastle. The worst crime is pedestrianisation. Bland uninteresting shops most of them closed. Very depressing.

[@LollipopLozzy454545]

I think that could be attributed to the fall of the high street, the cost of living crisis, and 12 years+ of austerity measures that have left people with no money to shop with, not pedestrianisation.

[@sirsamfay99]

I don't agree. How many millions does it cost to pave over a road to include lighting ,gardens and street furniture which instead should be used to reduce shop rates to encourage business in the high street.@@LollipopLozzy454545

[@ShadowCastPro]

What is happening to the replica arcades? Seems strange that they aren't open to the public

[@JordanReeve]

You can see it inside the purple peacock restaurant

[@jimsimpson1006]

"You could have put Nairn in front of a breeze block wall and still have got good telly". 😂

[@glennwilson19]

Gateshead always had the vision Newcastle lacked. You can’t honestly think otherwise while panning across the Baltic sage millennium bridge…

[@user-mx1eu5vg3o]

The city is just a pale shadow of what it used to be. The high streets in the east and west ends also testify to this.

[@dancetweety10]

I would have like to have known how he would thought about all the windturbins they are building everywhere.

[@jimdee9801]

Modern architects aka from 20th c were and continue to be charlatans. So much for being the mother of art. One thing I agree with King Charlie he was right about modern "architecture"

[@POLITICAL-BIAS.]

Thanks for the upload.

[@MeiinUK]

It's really strange how much of an actual brutalist way... across the Scotland is like that... I recently went to Glasgow and is quite surprised.... Really surprised. But these old buildings are so beautiful, to be honest.... And I don't get why the different style and different ways...... just overlaps one another, which kind of destroys the history. Even the preservation should exist.. and that, people should indeed work around the buildings than not really. And the elevation might seems to be an issue, which is something that the architects should indeed focus on when doing new designs.... A nicely designed city keeps itself busy over time.... I have seen a lot of issues in Europe as well. They have this oddity of "new town" versus "old town", but that is also could be related to its actual political structures and fights too. So many modern buildings and old buildings could indeed inter-twine with itself. Technology and building construction simulation now exists, so the way to image a building can indeed be done these days.... This is another one of those issue that people aren't literally focusing on any more either. It also needs continous promotion of events etc... To let people know that you're still there !!! Especially for small businesses etc.

[@mahfoozmiah2008]

Sky walk would be nice if it was like the tube stops in London: glass

[@paulwild3676]

It is a beautiful city. More a regional capital.

[@redcalx9568]

morning

[@midlandgeordie]

It’s now a far nicer than the vast majority of British cities!!😢

[@scotthofsass]

He is spot on when it comes to huddersfield I moved here 20 year ago and said exactly the same things. Other than around the train station. The place is a complete disaster. Not one good bit of architecture has been built in the last 2 centuries, whilst planners hsve neglected any good parts.

[@mahfoozmiah2008]

Hi

[@ZeldaFitz]

Think of a problem and then think of the part that car played in its development and you will see that in almost every way we could lead better lives without them.

[@sammcivor1885]

I honestly dont mind most of Newcastle's architecture, it blends in quite nicely, giving a modern freshening up. However, 55 Degrees North might just be one of the biggest abominations of brutalist architecture. Its an eyesore on what should otherwise be a nice area

[@joewilson3575]

It's always interesting how people talk about modern architecture mixing with old. In my opinion they don't mix and the old stuff is so much more beautiful and impressive, I hate the new blocks so much they make my blood boil. They look like nothing and have no art or talent in their design. Even the most basic old terrace street in newcastle has features which are interesting, cills lintels little corbels but now I can't imagine that ever hapening. I'm not even saying skyscrapers are bad, you see some beautiful ones from around the start of the twentieth century but it just seems to me like new ones are built as high as possible for as cheap as legally possible. It was interesting seeing what was said about the stuff in the sixties though. I like the bold in your face approach and I do think the aspect of the sky city is cool, but they're all ugly and I think even with the concept it would have been possible to make it look nice and be interesting. Unsurprisingly I hate the sage and trinity square too, all that money could have been spent fixing regular gateshead, investing in people and communities because gateshead town center is a total dive. When the stack got closed down recently I thought it was a good opportunity for something nice and inkeeping with the rest of the city center to be built, I'm still hopeful but can't see it doing anything except making me completely appopleptic. Born in the wrong century I guess, I really wish I'd seen grainger town when it was first built. Overall I love the city, just think it's gone down a dark path.

[@DaveATKIN]

Very few cities have a good city atmosphere any more. Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow maybe but London is a dead tourist zone for those who don't mind paying through the nose for accommodation and entertainment. My city York has gone much the same way, though we have good numbers of owner-operated shops the centre has too many cafes, bars and expensive boutique hotels but precious little to appeal to locals - no arts centre (incredible eh?), only one decent music venue, a poorly-run Theatre Royal, Royal Opera House endlessly rotating populist pap, crap tourist venues etc etc

[@brettharter143]

Its a shame they keep putting those ugly student blocks up

[@smkh2890]

A year or so ago I lived in Washington, nearby, and often went in to Newcastle for shopping or a drink. As a Southerner I never felt Newcastle was at all provincial, but a really interesting city with its own character and history.

[@jacobstorey4318]

Can't begin to explain how much I loathe the Sage

[@rocknrollzebra]

It's nice inside, but then I suppose so are most (all?) concert halls. I agree the exterior is pretty awful.

[@torymeckley4002]

'promosm' 🌹

[@gusgone4527]

Newcastle upon Tyne is the holy city of the North of England. I'm not talking regions here just simple geography. Travel any further north and run the traveller runs the risk of crossing the border into Jock-land. Where men wear skirts and they hunted the haggis to extinction.

[@ImaSMACKHEAD982]

Im surprised you cant see any pop up mosques mosques

[@Marksinclair.]

Very good indeed.