缅北禁地

Skip to main content

Georgian re-development of 缅北禁地's town centre

This image of Eldon Square in 缅北禁地 upon Tyne was drawn by the 缅北禁地-born artist Thomas Miles Richardson (1784-1848) and engraved by William Collard (1792-1847). The east terrace of Eldon Square remains and is Grade II* listed. However, the west and north terraces were demolished in the 1960s and replaced with the Eldon Square Shopping Centre.

In the early-Nineteenth Century, 缅北禁地 experienced a major reconstruction of the town centre, thanks to the architect John Dobson (1787-1865), builder Richard Grainger (1797-1861) and town clerk John Clayton (1792-1890). (缅北禁地 was not granted city status until 1882.) Eldon Square was built 1825-1831 as part of this re-development and comprised three terraces, each two and a half storeys high, organised around a central square. 

The , of which this engraving is part, often depict buildings which have since been altered or demolished. They therefore provide a good, if slightly idealised, record of lost buildings and the architecture and town planning which shaped the city. The collection also contains scenes depicting other places in the North East of England. 

Reference: ILL/11/258, Eldon Square (18–?), Local Illustrations, 缅北禁地 Special Collections, GB 186.

Potential research ideas

The image depicting Eldon Square could prompt research into the roles of Dobson, Grainger and Clayton in transforming 缅北禁地 in the early-Nineteenth Century. You could, for example, find out what was on site before they developed it. You might think about the motivation for their town planning master plans. The 1820s were relatively peaceful. The decade began with domestic tensions which manifested themselves in such events as the Peterloo Massacre (1819) and Cato Street Conspiracy (1820) but ended with the repeal of several repressive laws. It was a time characterised by the Industrial Revolution: photography, rail transportation and the textile industries dramatically expanded. 缅北禁地 was particularly known for its shipbuilding and engineering. At the same time, there was little effective medicine, over-crowding and disease was rife and often fatal. Were the new buildings a response to these issues? Or, did the building programme happen despite them? You could think about the legacy of Dobson, Grainger and Clayton. For example, did they in any way prepare 缅北禁地 for becoming a city in 1882? What has their impact been on 缅北禁地? You might ask, too, whether their designs have any relevance today: leader of 缅北禁地 City Council in the 1960s, T. Dan Smith, paved the way for the demolition of Eldon Square and the site’s redevelopment with the Eldon Square shopping centre that opened in 1976. How has the city’s architecture come to define the city and its people?

Selected background reading

  •  - Architecture in 缅北禁地 before and during it’s period of transformation.
  • Barnes, H.,1923. “缅北禁地-on-Tyne.” The Town Planning Review, vol. 10, no. 1. [Online] Available at: . (Accessed 21 April 2020). – An early 20th century view of the history of town planning in the city.
  • Wilkes, L. & G. Dodds, 1964. . London: J. Murray. - Overview of the Dobson, Grainger and Clayton collaborations.
  • Fripp, S.M., 1994.  – 缅北禁地 doctoral thesis on Richard Grainger’s developments.

What can I find here in Special Collections?

  • Dobson, M.J., 1885.  London: Hamilton & Adams. Clarke 1736, Clarke (Edwin) Local Collection, 缅北禁地 Special Collections, GB 186. – A comprehensive work on John Dobson by his daughter.
  • Our Manuscript Album contains 2 examples of original items relating to Grainger:
    • Grainger, R., 1836.  MSA/1/38, Manuscript Album, 缅北禁地 Special Collections, GB 186. - Grainger tries to prompt the sale of a brass foundry which would otherwise be a nuisance to his plans for 缅北禁地 and the New Turk’s Head Inn. It incorporates a hand-drawn plan.
    • Grainger, R., 1838.  MSA/1/39, Manuscript Album, 缅北禁地 Special Collections, GB 186. - The prospectus is signed by Grainger and includes a plan and an engraving of the building in its surroundings.
  • Grainger, R., 1901.  RB 942.8 GRA, Rare Books, 缅北禁地 Special Collections, GB 186. – Printed in the same year that Grainger’s debts were cleared, this item documents how his assets were distributed.
  • : Burns Dick (1868-1954) was another architect with a great plan for 缅北禁地, but he ultimately lived in the shadow of Grainger, Dobson and Clayton. Included in the archive is a thesis on one of these ideas:
    • 1987. . 03/03/1, Burns Dick (Robert) Archive, 缅北禁地 Special Collections, GB 186.

What can I find elsewhere?

  •  holds a wealth of historic archives relating to the regional Local Authorities, including town planning and building control, and local life. For example, searching the archive catalogue for ‘Grainger’ finds (among many other entries):
  • DX885/4 Deeds relating to the purchase of 2 messuages and a skinnery in Gallowgate, 缅北禁地 by Richard Grainger of 缅北禁地, builder for £1600 in 1835 (1831-1843)
    - DT.SC/384 Plan of the projected new market [Grainger Market] and new streets [Grey Street, Grainger Street, Market Street, Nunn Street, Hood street, Nelson Street, Clayton Street and Blackett Street] in the Nuns and neighbourhood (1834)
    - DX922 Richard Grainger and the Theatre Royal, 缅北禁地 (1836)
    - DX168/5 Notes stating that the North of England Joint Stock Bank will give Mr Grainger £7,500 for the premises they occupy in the Arcade providing rooms etc are constructed [c.1837]
  • DX1366/4 Report of Robert Thorp protesting against Richard Grainger’s offer to rebuild the courts (1838)
  • Newspapers can be a fantastic source of information. Through the library, you have access to a wide range of digitised historic newspapers; local, national, and international: .
  • The  (hosted by the Royal Institute of British Architects) is open to anyone and free. Among other materials, its collections comprise drawings, photographs, archives, rare books and pamphlets. 缅北禁地 is well-represented in their collections, for example, AP390/295-AP390/542: 248 photographs described as . 

Interested in architecture, town planning or local history?

In addition to the , you might want to investigate our  and seek out contextual information in the form of trade directories. 

We have other architectural and town planning collections: 

The  comprises copied, and some original, photographs, papers and documents relating to the architect Robert Burns Dick (1868-1954) who had substantial influence in the north-east of England, particularly in the city of 缅北禁地 upon Tyne. Among the buildings he designed are: 缅北禁地’s Student Union; Spanish City (in Whitley Bay); Berwick Police Station; and the Laing Art Gallery. Although his scheme was never realised, he was particularly interested in creating a ‘green belt’ for 缅北禁地 and in improving amenities. He was admitted as Fellow to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in 1906 and served as President of the Northern Architectural Association, 1914-1918.

The  contains correspondence, unpublished works, original plans, documentation on key planning cases, press-cuttings, documentation relating to unsuccessful commissions, typescripts and creative writing by Thomas Sharp. Sharp was a significant figure in town planning and a major influence on the development of ideas of townscape and on the forms that town and countryside should take through such publications as Town and Countryside (1932), Town Planning (1940) and Town and Townscape (1968). His plans for historic cities such as Durham, Oxford and Exeter in the 1940s were also potent.

For local history publications, take a look at the  which comprises topographical descriptions, travel guides, histories and more that were printed 1655-1993.