Photographs Of Newcastle: Walker Riverside

Walker Riverside Park was created in the 1980s mostly on land reclaimed from The St Anthony's Tar Works and St Anthony's Lead Works.

The popular park features grassland, woodland, wildflower meadows and a network of tarmac footpaths one of which, the riverside promenade, allows great views along the Tyne.

Hadrian's Wall Path and Sustrans Route 72 cycleway both pass through the park making it a busy place in good weather.

The stretch of Route 72 cycleway that runs through the park follows part of the course of the old Riverside Branch railway line which opened in 1879 and ran from Heaton to Willington Quay. The branch line left the East Coast Main Line at Riverside Junction in Heaton, curving sharply to the right towards the station at Byker which is now Morrison's car park and then through a tunnel under Shields Road and then along the Tyne to Willington Quay. The line closed to passengers in stages between April 1954 and July 1973, with freight services continuing in to the late 1980s.

Two of the stations, St. Peters and St Anthony's, and nearby areas feature on this page although very little remains of the stations other than a few walls.

Mouseover the photos on this page for more information where possible.

Text courtesy of Urban Green Newcastle and Wikipedia.

27th February 2021

Seats in Walker Riverside Park.

Walker Riverside Park.

Hadrians Wall Path.

Crows Cracking Open Mussels.

Scavenging at low tide the Crows find something, maybe Mussels, and then fly upwards and drop it from a great height to break it open and then swoop back down to the rocks to collect the goodies. At least that's the theory anyway because they tried many times to break open the catch and then if they could, often they couldn't find it or another crow ate it. This is my best guess as to what is going on as it's behaviour I hadn't seen before.

26th February 2021

Walker Riverside Park.

11th February 2021

Walker Riverside Park.

Hadrians Wall Path in Walker Riverside Park.

Hadrians Wall Path

Rotting remains of a boat on the shoreline at Hadrians Wall Path.

Humber Guardian, coastal survey vessel.

The Tyne at Walker Riverside Park.

St Anthony's Tar Works Sign on Hadrians Wall Path.

Riverside Branch Line.

Just a few walls remain of St. Anthony's Station on the Riverside Branch Line.

Path down to the Riverside Branch Line from The Oval.

Tyres on the shoreline.

Low tide reveals hundreds of tyres in rows on the shoreline. All I can think is that they are part of the reclamation of the land from the tar works but I've no idea really and I would love to know.