Newcastle – Jane Sketching

Train journey to Newcastle

Before the journey, I printed patterns on the pages. Many of these drawings are done on the train.

I did drawings in a “T raveler’s Company” spiral bound notebook.

Newcastle and the snow

From the window of the B&B we saw the snow storm come from the East.

I drew a picture from indoors on the 5th floor of the Baltic Art building.

On the horizon is Bewick Court, 21 storeys, 133 flats, 1969-71, renovated 2002, managed by “Places for People”.

The building with the clock tower is Keelmans Hospital 1701-4. It was paid for by levying a penny a tide on the keelsmen who carried goods between large ships and the shore – in boats called keels. This information from the Pevsner guide to Newcastle and Gateshead.

On the right the building has “Co-operative Society” written on it in huge confident letters. It is now a Malmaison Hotel. Next to that, the building with the curved roof is “Sandgate House 102 Quayside”, offices of “ward hadaway law firm”.

The 4 turrets, towards the left, are Walknoll Tower, a 1716 Town Hall and gate tower.

Right in the middle of all this is a burnt-out house, with dilapidated outbuildings. We walked past it on the way to the Baltic from Manors Metro station. Newcastle is a town of mixtures and many mysteries.

Here is a very modern-looking mug, that was made two and a half thousand years ago. It was in the Hancock Museum, now called the Great North Museum:Hancock.

Here are some sketches from the train journey back through snow.

Newcastle Sketchbook

View looking North from Long Sands beach.

The Coastguard Station was completed in 1980 and closed in 2002. It is in the same enclosure as the very ancient Priory, which is managed by English Heritage. I asked in the English Heritage office about the Coastguard Station. She asked what did I want to know. “Who designed it, for example,” I said. She didn’t know.
“I’ve never been asked that question before,” she said.

The Coastguard station on the land of Tynemouth Priory.

We went across the Tyne on a ferry, I tried to do a few quick sketches on the move. 1st October 2017

We stayed at “Tynemouth 61”. Here is the view from the Dickens Room.

In the Laing Gallery I drew some measuring vessels. Quart, pint, half-pint. The pots are painted with dark green and brown paint, very highly glazed. A black line and blue stripe at the top.