| River Tyne | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | South Tyne |
| • location | Alston Moor,Cumbria,England |
| 2nd source | North Tyne |
| • location | Deadwater Fell,Kielder,Northumberland,England |
| Mouth | Tynemouth |
• location | Tynemouth,North Tyneside,England |
• coordinates | 55°0′37″N1°25′8″W / 55.01028°N 1.41889°W /55.01028; -1.41889 |
| Length | 118 km (73 miles)[1] |
| Basin size | 2,933 km2 (1,132 square miles)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bywell[2] |
| • average | 44.6 m3/s (1,580 cu ft/s)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | River Derwent |
TheRiver Tyne/ˈtaɪn/ ⓘ is ariver inNorth East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is 73 miles (118 km).[1] It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge atWarden nearHexham inNorthumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.
TheTyne Rivers Trust measure the whole Tynecatchment as 2,936 km2 (1,134 square miles), containing 4,399 km (2,733 miles) of waterways.[3]
The Ordnance Survey records 'the source of theNorth Tyne river' at grid reference NY 605974[4] at Deadwater, a few tens of metres short of the Scottish border. It flows southeast through the village ofKielder before entering firstBakethin Reservoir and thenKielder Water, both set withinKielder Forest. It then passes by the village ofBellingham before theRiver Rede enters as a left-bank tributary atRedesmouth. It passesHadrian's Wall nearChollerford before joining the South Tyne near Warden to the northwest of Hexham.
TheSouth Tyne rises at Tyne Head onAlston Moor,Cumbria close to the sources of theTees and theWear. Initially it flows north through theNorth PenninesArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), enters Northumberland downstream of Alston and turns to the east as it approaches the town ofHaltwhistle. Paralleling Hadrian's Wall which lies to the north, the river continues pastRedburn andHaydon Bridge to join the North Tyne at Warden. This low level east-west corridor through the Pennines is referred to as the Tyne Gap.[5]
From theconfluence of the North and South Tyne at Warden, the river flows east through Northumberland by Hexham,Corbridge andPrudhoe and enters the county ofTyne and Wear to the east ofWylam. The river subsequently forms the boundary betweenNewcastle upon Tyne on the north bank and theBorough of Gateshead on the south bank for 13 miles (21 km), in the course of which it flows under ten bridges. To the east of Gateshead and Newcastle, the Tyne dividesHebburn andJarrow on the south bank fromWalker andWallsend on the north bank. TheTyne Tunnel runs under the river to link Jarrow and Wallsend. Finally the river flows betweenSouth Shields andTynemouth into theNorth Sea.[2]
Thomas John Taylor (1810–1861)[6] theorised that the main course of the river anciently flowed through what is nowTeam Valley, its outlet into the tidal river being by a waterfall at Bill Point (in the area ofBill Quay).[7] His theory was not far from the truth, as there is evidence that prior to thelast ice age, the River Wear once followed the current route of the lowerRiver Team and merged with the Tyne atDunston. Ice diverted the course of the Wear to its current location, flowing east the course of the Tyne) and joining the North Sea atSunderland.[8]
The River Tyne is estimated to be around 30 million years old.[9]
The conservation of the Tyne has been handled by various bodies over the past 500 years. Conservation bodies have included:Newcastle Trinity House,[10] and the Tyne Improvement Commission.[10] The Tyne Improvement Commission conservation lasted from 1850 until 1968.[10] The 1850–1950 era was the worst period for pollution of the river.[10] The Tyne Improvement Commission laid the foundations for what has become the modern day Port of Tyne.[11] Under the management of the Tyne Improvement Commissioners, over a period of the first 70 years the Tyne was deepened from 1.83 to 9.14 m (6 feet 0 inches to 30 feet 0 inches) and had 150 million tonnes dredged from it.[11] Inside these 70 years, the two Tyne piers were built;[11] Northumbrian, Tyne and Albert Docks were built,[11] as well as the staithes at Whitehill and Dunston.[11] This infrastructure enabled millions of tonnes of cargo to be handled by the Port by 1910.[11] The tidal river has been managed by thePort of Tyne Authority since 1968.[10][11]
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 improvehabitat, promote better understanding of the Tyne catchment area and build the reputation of the Tyne catchment as a place of environmental excellence.[12]
With its proximity to surroundingcoalfields, the Tyne was a major route for the export ofcoal from the 13th century until the decline of the coal mining industry inNorth East England in the second half of the 20th century. The largest coalstaithes (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.[13] 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 ofshipbuilding, and there are still shipyards in South Shields and Hebburn to the south of the river. To support the shipbuilding andexport industries of Tyneside, the lower reaches of the river were extensively remodelled during the second half of the 19th century, with islands (includingKings Meadow, the largest) removed and meanders in the river straightened.
Nothing definite is known of the origin of the designationTyne, nor is the river known by that name until the Saxon period: Tynemouth is recorded in Anglo-Saxon asTinanmuðe (probablydative case). TheVedra on theRoman map of Britain may be the Tyne, or may be the River Wear. Ptolemy'sTína could be a "misplaced reference" to either this river or theTyne in East Lothian.[14] There is a theory that*tīn was a word that meant "river" in the localCeltic language or in a language spoken in England before theCelts came: compareTardebigge.
A supposedpre-Celtic root*tei, meaning 'to melt, to flow' has also been proposed as an etymological explanation of the Tyne and similarly named rivers,[15] as has aBrittonic derivative ofIndo-European*teihx, meaning 'to be dirty' (Welshtail, 'manure').[15]
LJ Ross'thrillerSeven Bridges from theDCI Ryan series evolves around the Tyne bridges.[16]
The river is represented, and personified, in a sculpture unveiled in 1968 as part of the newCivic Centre (seat ofNewcastle City Council). Sculpted byDavid Wynne, the massive bronze figureRiver God Tyne incorporates flowing water into its design.[17]
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,[18] 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.
For three days, from 18 to 20 July 2008, a temporary bamboo artwork was installed over the Tyne close to theGateshead Millennium Bridge. TheBambuco Bridge was created as part of that year's 'SummerTyne' festival.
The Tyne Rivers Trust is an independent charity established to assist in management and improvement of the environment in the Tyne Catchment. The Trust aims to achieve this through Actions to: Improve Habitat; Get Better Information and Promote Better Understanding; Grow the Reputation of the Tyne Catchment and the Tyne Rivers Trust nationally and internationally
"The staithes is a lot more than just a lump of wood in the Tyne, it is a magnificent structure and very important to the area's industrial heritage.
Ten cubes inspired by the textures, changing colours, movement and journey of the salmon will migrate along the River Tyne, following the amazing journey of the salmon.
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