Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Royal Crescent, Bath, England

This evening, I am focusing on one of the important examples of Georgian (18th century) architecture to be found in the British Isles, namely the Royal Crescent in Bath, England.

This stunning work was built during the period 1767-1774 under the direction of John Wood the Younger and is a manifestion of the style, scope and grandeur of the 18th century moneyed classes, a time which could be called the ‘Jane Austen era’.

The development was unusual by modern standards in that Wood built the facade and then sold off sections to purchasers who each employed their own architects. There were originally thirty houses but over time some have been merged into a hotel and others into offices. No 1 was taken back to its original interior in the late 1960s and is now a museum.

Another consideration of the Crescent  is its high elevation and views over the Victoria Park immediately in front.

A ‘must’ for visitors interested in architecture and/or 18th century living and usually included in a tour of Bath.

Birdlife, Solway Firth, England

This evening, I am focusing on the Solway Firth which is an estuary and wetland area forming the boundary between England and Scotland on the west side of the island. This is a great spot for bird watchers, nature lovers and photographers. Some key points concerning the area:

• An estuary or bay where the rivers Eden and Esk flow into the sea.
• The salt-marshes host a number of RSPB (bird protection) reserves plus various SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).
• Contains rich farming and grazing lands.
• At the western end of Hadrian’s Wall. Carlisle and its castle are nearby. Also, Burgh-by-Sands

 A fascinating spot for hikers, birdwatchers and others interest in the outdoors and landscapes.

Scenic View, Solway Firth, England

Traffic Hazard, Solway Firth, England

Evening Waterscape, Solway Firth, England

Salt Marshes, Solway Firth, England

Millennium Bridge, Newcastle, England

This evening, I am focusing on a what I find to be a stunning piece of post-industrial city architecture as manifested in the waterfront at Newcastle on Tyne and Gateshead in North East England. To an extent this is similar to developments at my home base of Glasgow, a city which shares a similar ,traditional heavy engineering and shipbuilding heritage dating back to the Industrial Revolution.

The waterfront at Newcastle/Gateshead has been transformed into a dynamic, visitor friendly environment helped by some very innovative architecture and design illustrations of which are provided above and below.

Above is the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, designed for pedestrians and cyclists by architects, Wilkinson Eyre and engineers, Gifford.

Below is the The Sage, Gateshead. This is a centre for musical education, performances and conferences. Made from curved glass and stainless steel. Designed by structural engineers,Foster & Partners, Buro Happold with Mott MacDonald (building services) and Arup (acoustics).

The Sage, Gateshead, England

This is the famous Angel of the North. Although some distance from the waterfront I am including in this post because of the importance of this popular piece of public art in context of the regeneration and reinvention of the North East. The  steel structure is the work of Antony Gormley, dates from 1998, is 20m high and weighs 200 tonnes. Also a visitor attraction.

Angel of the North, Gateshead, England

Here is the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts which started life as a flour mill in 1950 and was subsequently converted to an arts centre in 2002. Architect responsible for the conversion was Dominic Williams of Ellis Williams Architects.

Baltic Flour Mills, Gateshead, England

Here is an image of the seven bridges over the River Tyne at the Newcastle waterfront.

Bridges over River Tyne at Newcastle

Here is an interesting but, apparently, anonymous, building at the waterfront, I have been unable to find its name or function.

Waterfront Architecture, Newcastle on Tyne, England

This swing bridge dates from 1876 and represents the latest in a succession of bridges at this crossing dating back some 800 years, and possibly back to Roman times. It operates using electrically driven hydraulic pumps. Built to accommodate shipping traffic associated with Newcastle’s shipbuilding industry.

Tyne Swing Bridge, Newcastle, England

Finally, here is an image of what appears to be a forest of bridges, taken from the Gateshead side of the river.

Bridges over River Tyne, Newcastle

The civic authorities in the locality have done an excellent job in building on the long industrial history and heritage of the region to produce an impressive and diverse waterfront fit for the 21st century.

Refer also this blog post for more information on Tyneside.