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Newcastle Leasing

Did You Know?

Now a UNESCO world heritage site, the remains of the wall built in AD 122 by the Romans can be seen all around Newcastle. Though mostly underground, fragments of the wall can be spotted in the most unlikely of places. Look out for fragments of the wall on shopping streets and even in housing estates.

When Scottish Jacobites marched across the North of England during the rebellion, Newcastle shut its gates to the rebels. It is supposed that their support for King George II earned the townsfolk the name ‘Geordies’. Another theory is that it came from George Stephenson of Newcastle, inventor of the miner’s lamp.

Newcastle Central Station was inaugurated by Queen Victoria on August 29th, 1850. Before then, railway passengers all over the world had to weather the storm while they awaited the arrival of their train. The day was declared a public holiday in Newcastle and has been ever since.

Ever heard of a lighthouse in the middle of a busy city before? We sure have! Since its construction in 1448, a fire would be lit inside the lantern tower of the cathedral. This was one of the main navigation aids for ships for hundreds of years!

High Level Bridge is the oldest of the ten existing bridges crossing the Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead. Opened in 1849, it was designed to create a continuous line from London to Edinburgh. It was restored in 2008 so no need to worry if you happen across the bridge by train someday!

We bet you couldn’t have guessed that one! Gladstone Adams was the official photographer of Newcastle United Football Club. He drove to London in 1908 to photograph the FA cup final. On his drive back to Newcastle in the snow, he had to stop several times to clear his windscreen. It was then that he came up with the idea of the windscreen wiper! Though he filed for a patent for his version of the windscreen wiper, it was never manufactured. American inventor Mary Anderson beat him to the punch, inventing the wiper we use today. 

We’re sure you’ll agree if you’ve had the pleasure of speaking to a Newcastle local, they have the most pleasant demeanor. Sitel surveyed over 2,000 people in the UK and found the Geordie accent to be considered the friendliest in the UK.

Newcastle has seven bridges crossing the river in the space of half a mile. Tyne Bridge is said to have inspired Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia; High Level Bridge was the first in the world to combine road and rail; Swing Bride pioneered the use of hydroelectric power; and the Millennium Bridge was the world’s first bridge to pivot sideways in order to allow boats through.

The 1977 hit movie Saturday Night Fever is tenuously based on the Newcastle music and drinking scene of the 1960s. Nik Cohn, who penned the article from which the film was born, spent his formative years soaking up the city's sometimes seedy social scene. He once said: "It was Newcastle that taught me to embrace the dark.".

Newcastle is believed to have hosted Britain's first ever beauty pageant in 1905. It was held on December 23 at the Olympia Theatre on Northumberland Road. Top prize for the lucky young lady in question was a gold bangle and bracelet.