The River Tyne is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in
North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is .
[ It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at ]Warden Rock
Warden Rock () is a rock lying 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) northwest of Guardian Rock on the north side of Bigourdan Fjord in Graham Land. Mapped by Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) from surveys and air photos, 1946–57, and so ...
near Hexham in Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.
The Tyne Rivers Trust
Tyne Rivers Trust is the charity which acts as the guardian of the River Tyne in northeast England. It works with people and communities to protect and enhance the River Tyne and its tributaries, so they are healthy, biodiverse, and an asset for p ...
measure the whole Tyne catchment
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
as , containing of waterways.
Course
North Tyne
The North Tyne rises on the Scottish border, north of Kielder Water. It flows through Kielder Forest
Kielder Forest is a large forestry plantation in Northumberland, England, surrounding Kielder village and the Kielder Water reservoir. It is the largest man-made woodland in England with three-quarters of its covered by forest. The majority o ...
, and in and out of the border. It then passes through the village of Bellingham before reaching Hexham.
South Tyne
The South Tyne rises on Alston Moor
Alston Moor, formerly known as Alston with Garrigill, is a civil parish and electoral ward in Cumbria, England, based around the small town of Alston. It is set in the moorlands of the North Pennines, mostly at an altitude of over 1000 feet. T ...
, Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...
and flows through the towns of Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, east of Brampton. It had a population of 3,811 at the 2011 Census.
Stone-built houses are a feature of Haltwhistle. It is one of two settlements in Great Britain which c ...
and Haydon Bridge
Haydon Bridge is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of about 2000, the civil parish Haydon being measured at 2,184 in the Census 2011. Its most distinctive features are the two bridges crossing the River South Tyne: the pic ...
, in a valley often called the Tyne Gap. Hadrian's Wall lies to the north of the Tyne Gap. Coincidentally, the source of the South Tyne is very close to those of the Tees and the Wear
Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology.
Wear in ...
. The South Tyne Valley falls within the North Pennines
The North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north–south through northern England. It lies between Carlisle to the west and Darlington to the east. It is bounded to the north by the Tyne Valley and ...
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...
(AONB) – the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
.
Tyne
From the confluence of the North and South Tyne at Warden Rock just to the north west of Hexham, the river enters the county of Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newc ...
between Clara Vale (in the Borough of Gateshead on the south bank) and Tyne Riverside Country Park (in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
on the north bank) and continues to divide Newcastle and Gateshead for , in the course of which it flows under ten bridges. To the east of Gateshead and Newcastle, the Tyne divides Hebburn
Hebburn is a town in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It governed under the borough of South Tyneside; formerly governed under the county of Durham until 1974 with its own urban district from 1894 until 1974. It is on the sout ...
and Jarrow on the south bank from Walker
Walker or The Walker may refer to:
People
* Walker (given name)
*Walker (surname)
* Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
Places
In the United States
*Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County
*Walker, Mono County, California ...
and Wallsend
Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne.
History Roman Wallsend
In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...
on the north bank. The Tyne Tunnel
The Tyne Tunnel is the name given to two 2-lane vehicular toll tunnels under the River Tyne in North East England. Originally opened in 1967 and expanded in 2011, the tunnels connect the town of Jarrow on the south bank of the river with North S ...
runs under the river to link Jarrow and Wallsend. Finally the river flows between South Shields and Tynemouth into the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
.
Geography
Thomas John Taylor (1810–1861) theorised that the main course of the river anciently flowed through what is now Team Valley
Team Valley is a trading estate located in Gateshead. It is home to the Retail World retail park, with many large, international companies are based in the area's trading estate. In 2017, there were approximately 700 companies on the estate, emp ...
, its outlet into the tidal river being by a waterfall at Bill Point (in the area of Bill Quay). His theory was not far from the truth, as there is evidence that prior to the last ice age, the River Wear once followed the current route of the lower River Team
The River Team is a tributary of the River Tyne in Gateshead, England.
Etymology
The name ''Team'' may have a Brittonic origin. The name may be from the Brittonic root ''tā-'', with a sense of "melting, thawing, dissolving", plus a nasal root ...
and merged with the Tyne at Dunston. Ice diverted the course of the Wear to its current location, flowing east the course of the Tyne) and joining the North Sea at Sunderland.
The River Tyne is estimated to be around 30 million years old.
Conservation history
The conservation of the Tyne has been handled by various bodies over the past 500 years. Conservation bodies have included: Newcastle Trinity House,[ and the Tyne Improvement Commission.][ The Tyne Improvement Commission conservation lasted from 1850 until 1968.][ The 1850–1950 era was the worst period for pollution of the river.][ The Tyne Improvement Commission laid the foundations for what has become the modern day Port of Tyne.][ Under the management of the Tyne Improvement Commissioners, over a period of the first 70 years the Tyne was deepened from and had 150 million tonnes dredged from it.][ Inside these 70 years, the two Tyne piers were built;][ Northumbrian, Tyne and Albert Docks were built,][ as well as the staithes at Whitehill and Dunston.][ This infrastructure enabled millions of tonnes of cargo to be handled by the Port by 1910.]
The tidal river has been managed by the Port of Tyne Authority since 1968.[
]
Port of Tyne
With its proximity to surrounding coalfields
A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological. A coalfield often groups the seams of ...
, the Tyne was a major route for the export of coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
from the 13th century until the decline of the coal mining industry in North East England in the second half of the 20th century. The largest coal staithes (a structure for loading coal onto ships) were located at Dunston in Gateshead, Hebburn and Tyne Dock, South Shields. The wooden staithes at Dunston, built in 1890, have been preserved, although they were partially destroyed by fire in 2006 and then a further fire in May 2020 means that the Staithes is becoming more vulnerable to vandalism and would need extensive financing to preserve it and make it secure. In 2016, Tyne Dock, South Shields was still involved with coal, importing 2 million tonnes of shipments a year. The lower reaches of the Tyne were, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the world's most important centres of shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...
, and there are still shipyards in South Shields and Hebburn to the south of the river. To support the shipbuilding and export
An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...
industries of Tyneside, the lower reaches of the river were extensively remodelled during the second half of the 19th century, with islands (including Kings Meadow, the largest) removed and meanders in the river straightened.
Name and etymology
Nothing definite is known of the origin of the designation ''Tyne'', nor is the river known by that name until the Saxon period: Tynemouth is recorded in Anglo-Saxon as (probably dative case
In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...
). The ''Vedra'' on the Roman map of Britain may be the Tyne, or may be the River Wear. Ptolemy's ''Tína'' could be a "misplaced reference" to either this river or the Tyne in East Lothian. There is a theory that was a word that meant "river" in the local Celtic language
The Celtic languages (usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...
or in a language spoken in England before the Celts came: compare Tardebigge
Tardebigge () is a village in Worcestershire, England.
The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 30 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the county of Worces ...
.
A supposed pre-Celtic
The pre-Celtic period in the prehistory of Central Europe and Western Europe occurred before the expansion of the Celts or their culture in Iron Age Europe and Anatolia (9th to 6th centuries BC), but after the emergence of the Proto-Celtic lang ...
root ''*tei'', meaning 'to melt, to flow' has also been proposed as an etymological explanation of the Tyne and similarly named rivers, as has a Brittonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
derivative of Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
''*teihx'', meaning 'to be dirty' ( Welsh ''tail'', 'manure').
River crossings
River Tyne
River North Tyne
River South Tyne
Artworks and sculpture
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
The river is represented, and personified, in a sculpture unveiled in 1968 as part of the new Civic Centre
A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...
(seat of Newcastle City Council
Newcastle City Council is the local government authority for the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. The council consists of 78 councillors, three for each of the 26 wards in the city. It is currently controlled by the Labou ...
). Sculpted by David Wynne, the massive bronze figure incorporates flowing water into its design.
Salmon Trail
The Environment Agency is currently working with architects and cultural consultancy xsite, in collaboration with Commissions North, to create a travelling sculpture trail along the River Tyne.
The Tyne Salmon Trail will serve as a celebration of the river, its heritage and its increasingly diverse ecosystem. Historically a major symbol in the regional identity of the North East of England, the river plays host to a plethora of different species, the number of which is growing year on year in line with the rivers improving health.
The trail looks to capture the imagination of residents and tourists visiting the area – providing them with the ultimate 'fact finding' design experience, which celebrates the salmon's migratory journey in the Northeast of England.
FINS, REFLECTION and JOURNEY were the first three cubes to be launched in December 2007 from a family of ten. Each cube is inspired by the textures, changing colours, movement and journey of the salmon. With each offering a 'modern day keepsake' to take away, in the form of a designed Bluetooth message.
The other cubes will be moving along the River Tyne over one year visiting different locations from Kielder to the Mouth of the Tyne in the summer 2008 before starting their long journey back to their birthplace.
Conversation Piece
Bamboo Bridge
For three days, from 18 to 20 July 2008, a temporary bamboo artwork was installed over the Tyne close to the Gateshead Millennium Bridge
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead arts quarter on the south bank and Newcastle upon Tyne's Quayside area on the north bank. It was the first tilting bridge ever ...
. The Bambuco Bridge was created as part of that year's 'SummerTyne' festival.
Conservation
The River Tyne has a charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing its waters and surrounding areas. The Tyne Rivers Trust, established in 2004, is a community-based organisation that works to improve habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
, promote better understanding of the Tyne catchment area and build the reputation of the Tyne catchment as a place of environmental excellence.
See also
* Association of Rivers Trusts
*Port of Tyne
The Port of Tyne comprises the commercial docks on and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear in the northeast of England.
History
There has been a port on the Tyne at least since the Romans used their settlement of Arbeia to supply the gar ...
, the commercial docks in and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England
*Rivers of the United Kingdom
For details of rivers of the United Kingdom, see
* List of rivers of England
* List of rivers of Scotland
* List of rivers of Wales
* Northern Ireland: see List of rivers of Ireland and Rivers of Ireland
* Longest rivers of the United Kingdom
Ov ...
*Tyne-class lifeboat
The Tyne-class lifeboat was a class of lifeboat that served as a part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution fleet until 2019. They were named after the River Tyne in North East England.
They were designed to be launched from slipways or ...
s have been operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution since 1982
*Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island
Tyne Valley is a rural municipality in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is located in Prince County. Incorporated in 1966, the community is located in the township of Lot 13 at the intersection of Routes 12 and 167.
History
In 1765, the Ty ...
*''Tyne'', the name of one of the sea areas of the British Shipping Forecast
The Shipping Forecast is a BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. ...
.
*Tuxedo Princess
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...
, moored floating nightclub (1983-2007)
References
Sources
*Leona J. Skelton. ''Tyne after Tyne: An Environmental History of a River's Battle for Protection, 1529–2015.'' Winwick White Horse Press, 2017. .
External links
Bridges On The Tyne
Online Charts of The Tyne, to Newcastle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyne, River
Rivers of Cumbria
Rivers of Northumberland
Rivers of Tyne and Wear
Geography of Newcastle upon Tyne