Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Newcastle-upon-Tyne is an administrative district in its own right these days, but judging on its position north of the Tyne I'm guessing that it was originally part of Northumberland. Geordies - the natives of Newcastle - may object, but I simply can't go on adding to the list of counties every time the government invents a new one!

In this film I skip quickly through the centuries from the city's foundation as Pons Aelius at one end of Hadrian's Wall, to its latest and quirkiest bridge, the Blinking Eye. Along the way we take in the chap who invented the electric light bulb - it wasn't Thomas Edison - the Norman castle split in two by a railway line, the very spot where Wesley preached, now Newcastle's beach, and the very window from which Bessy eloped.

Newcastle is well worth a visit, not just for the things featured in this film but it has museums, art galleries, parts of its mediaeval walls, a bustling shopping district, a flourishing night life, and a peaceful, refreshing cathedral. It also makes an excellent centre from which to explore the surrounding countryside.