Bewick Street is a short street running from Neville Street to Clayton Street West. It is named after the naturalist and wood engraver, Thomas Bewick (1753-1828), whose workshop was situated near St Nicholas church.
The one-time tree-lined Forth Lane was once the route from Newcastle into the rustic Forth area which was a popular recreational area from medieval times. In 1842 workmen pulled down the last tree and it signalled the obliteration of the last trace of Newcastle’s first public park. Newcastle Central Station, Neville Street and the railway were built on what had been a pleasant, open green area studded with trees and public benches
17th July 2023
Forth House.
Former townhouse and then restaurant. c. 1750, altered early C19, 1869 and C20. Red brick, now rendered and painted, with ashlar dressings and C20 concrete tile roofs. Various brick chimney stacks. L-plan. 3 storey with basement.
Main Bewick Street front has 7 windows and first floor band. Altered ground floor has round headed central doorway with C20 double doors and fanflight. Either side are 4 round headed C20 windows in ashlar surrounds. Above 7 plain sash windows with above again 7 smaller plain sashes.
Forth Lane front has 5 windows. Ground floor has single storey addition of 1869 with a central round headed doorway with double doors and overlight. Either side 2 round headed C20 windows in ashlar surrounds. This addition is topped with a balustraded parapet. First floor has 5 plain sash windows, with 5 smaller sashes above again, the windows left of centre are blocked on both floors.
Interior retains original plan form though some walls have been partially removed. Simple two flight early-C19 timber staircase has 2 turned balusters per tread with prominent turned newel post topped with ball finial, and moulded handrail. Similar though plainer back staircase has boxed-in balusters.
Four main rooms on first floor retain original mid-C18 features including panel doors and moulded surrounds, each room retains its original plain plaster ceilings and moulded plaster coving. Two rooms have egg & dart moulding and dentilated moulding combined in the coving, one room has egg & dart moulded coving and another has moulded coving.
This is a rare example of a large and important mid-C18 townhouse which retains some of it plan-form and a number of its most important rooms on the first floor. This house was known in the C18 as Waldie's House. It was owned by George Waldie, a Quaker banker, though the house was probably built for the Thomas Doubleday who paid Land Tax on the property in 1770.
Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines
8th August 2022
Forth House.
1st August 2022
Bewick House.
Offices. 1884; by Austin and Johnson, for Tyne Improvement Commission; 1911 3 floors added by W.H. Wood. Now Port of Tyne Authority offices. Sandstone ashlar on pink granite plinth; roof of plain tiles.4-storey centre, 5-storey wings, and attics; 2:3:2 bays.
Double door, under pulvinated frieze and fanlight with ornamental iron grille, in hollow-chamfered reveal. Rusticated ground floor. Bracketed sills and keyed voussoirs to ground floor windows under Greek-key band; projecting wings have first floor windows in pedimented Gibbs surrounds; arcaded central bays have balcony, and panelled soffits, to round-headed windows; first floor dentilled cornice.
Ionic colonnade and balustrade to central third floor windows, flanked by windows in lugged architraves. All sashes except for arcaded leaded lights. Cartouches with arms of constituent authorities under deep, bracketed top cornice. 3 central dormers have lugged architraves and pediments. Wings have similar windows on fourth floor under dentilled cornices and high hipped roofs, each with a dormer in Ionic surround. High, corniced ashlar chimneys.
Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines
Forth House.
Thomas Bewick Square.
Forth Lane.
Forth Lane Boundary Stone.
Town boundary stone in rear wall of No. 65 Westgate Road Boundary stone. c18. Sandstone ashlar. Tooled ashlar lintel, resited above passage arch. Central carved shield has arms of town of Newcastle, 3 castles. Historical note: the rear of the Westgate Road properties was formerly the boundary of the town.
Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines
10th July 2022
Forth Lane.
22nd May 2007
Forth House, Gargamel
1980
Forth Lane 1980.
The photograph has been taken from Westgate Road and is looking along Forth Lane towards Pink Lane. There are buildings on both sides of Forth Lane including a Casino on the left-hand side. Buildings on Pink Lane and the spire of St Mary's Cathedral can be seen in the background
Photo courtesy of Newcastle Libraries.
More Information:
See my other photos around Bewick Street:
- Central Station
- Clayton Street
- Clayton Street West - St Mary's Cathedral
- Westgate Road
- Westmorland Road
Sources:
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