The Quayside in Newcastle in 1895 by George Grimshaw

The painting in the header above (and below in the article) is by Arthur Edmund Grimshaw, depicting The Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne, as painted by Grimshaw in 1895.

Public domain photograph, via Wikimedia Commons.

Note: The official title of the painting is The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Despite the large-looking image of The Quayside that you can see here, this oil-on-canvas painting is actually very small. The Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums (TWAM) website informs us that the painting measures 28.6 cm in height and 46.1 cm in width.

The painting hangs at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Source: TWAM website

The Quayside in Newcastle by George Edward Grimshaw. — The Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne by Arthur Edmund Grimshaw

Why I have chosen to write about The Quayside in Newcastle by Arthur Edmund Grimshaw

Quite simply because I find this painting beautiful in its colours and details. It evocatively depicts a time and place in the history of Newcastle upon Tyne. It also features railway tracks from a bygone era, indicating the presence of commercial activity, as evidenced by the ship moored at the quayside.

Regular visitors to this website are familiar with my interest in tramways and railways.

About the official description of the painting

Interestingly, the description provided by the TWAM website indicates that a tram is depicted in the painting. I am not an expert in the history of Newcastle upon Tyne, but the shape of the wagon in the middle ground of the painting does not resemble the silhouette of a tram*. It suggests more the shape of a train wagon or break van, which is more likely, given the industrial heritage of The Quayside. Moreover, if the painting did indeed show a tram, I would expect to see evidence of tramway infrastructure, which appears to be completely absent from the scene.

*Source: TWAM website

Newcastle Libraries Flickr site

Newcastle Libraries have their own Flickr site with Creative Commons images, and this is a treasure trove of historical information about Newcastle upon Tyne’s industrial heritage.

In the following section, you can view a selection of The Quayside in Newcastle images that I have chosen from the Newcastle Libraries Flickr gallery.

The Quayside in Newcastle – Photographs

The photographs below, spanning the years 1880 to 1900, depict a viewpoint similar to the one Grimshaw used for his 1895 quayside painting.

If you are viewing on a mobile phone, you will see a larger photo if you hold your phone horizontally.

Bridges on The Quayside. — Bridges on The Quayside

The Devonia on the Quayside. — Bridges on The Quayside

View of the quayside bridges in Newcastle upon Tyne. Circa 1947

The Tyne Bridge opened in 1928

Fast forward to the 21st century for a contemporary view of the quayside

A contemporary view of The Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne

Attribution: (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Paul Alex Reed on Flickr. The photograph on this website is not a derivative work. However, the website module used for this image has cropped it.