Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county and one of the smallest in England. Newcastle is a city situated on the north bank of the river Tyne. It is renowned for its Georgian architecture. Grange market is a listed covered market opened in 1835. Its original use was as a meat and vegetable market and there are still some butchers\' stalls here today. Newcastle is home to the smallest Marks and Spencers. The river Tyne is spanned by 6 bridges which gives the most famous view of the city. The Gateshead Millennium bridge is the first to be built across the Tyne for over 100 years.
Gateshead lies opposite Newcastle on the south bank of the Tyne. The Angel of the North is a contempory steel sculpture of an angel, standing 20 metres high. It stands of a hill on the edge of Low Fell, a suburb of Gateshead.
Whitley Bay is on the north sea coast and has fine stretches of golden sands. St.Mary\'s Island is made up of sandstone. The main feature is St.Mary\'s lighthouse, built in 1898. The lighthouse continued to be in use until 1984, and today it is open to visitors.
Tynemouth is an historic borough. The castle is on a rocky headland overlooking the pier. The moated castle towers, gatehouse and keep are combined with ruins of a Benedictine priory where early kings of Northumbria were buried.
South Shields is a coastal town. It is the oldest and largest town in South Tyneside and also one of the most popular seaside resorts. The Souter lighthouse and the Leas cliff tops are owned by the National Trust.
Jarrow is a town located on the Tyne. Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding and the starting point of the Jarrow March in 1936. the marchers travelled from Jarrow to the palace of Westminster to protest against unemployment and the extreme poverty suffered in the north east.
Read more about Tyne & Wear