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The Borough of Gateshead has a rich and varied heritage.
The town can trace its origins back to Roman times; Roman coins were discovered in Church Street in 1790 and recent archaeological excavations in the Bottle Bank area have revealed evidence of a Roman road and buildings.
The area around the present Swing Bridge was a logical crossing point of the Tyne gorge and it is believed that the bridge stands on the site of the first bridge built by the Romans - the Pons Aelius. During construction of the Swing Bridge in 1875 an altar dedicated to Neptune was dredged from the river.
Gateshead great fire - Illustrated London News, 14th October 1854
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Introduction to Gateshead History - Medieval Gateshead was confined to the land east and west of the bridge crossing and extending south along Bottle Bank and there are surviving fragments visible today. Two of Gateshead’s oldest buildings are to be found in this area.
The Great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead was a tragic and spectacular series of events starting on Friday 6 October 1854, in which a substantial amount of property in the two North East of England towns was destroyed in a series of fires and an explosion which killed 53 and injured hundreds.
Origins of Street and Place names in Gateshead
History of Gateshead Bridges
19th Century Gateshead
18th Century History of Gateshead
The population of Gateshead more than doubled during the hundred years between 1576-1676, however, there was a severe set-back during the 1640s caused by the Civil War
To illustrate life in the Fourteenth Century in Gateshead, here are a number of official records which are still in existence.
Gateshead was the head of the Celtic trackway, a natural route amid dense forests inhabited by the Brigante tribes who fought against the inroads of Emperor Hadrian. Beacon Lough, between Wrekenton and Windy Nook, was a Celtic signaling station for milit ary purposes
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