Pipewellgate Area With 7 Bridges And 9 Artistic Creations Walk

This walk around the Pipewellgate Area is a lovely stroll offering spectacular views and art to explore, creating plenty photographic opportunities.

Our go-to parking spot when visiting Gateshead or Newcastle is The Glasshouse which is £5.50 for all day parking. After taking in some of the views with the Tyne Bridge, make your way down to the Glasshouse (stairs or lift in northeast corner). Be sure to look up as there is a star ceiling to admire. Thank you Jos for these photos.

Make your way past the Stage Door, and there are two murals, one of Gil (Gilbert) Scott-Heron (1949 to 2011). The words say 'The first revolution is when you change your mind'. Gil was a protest writer/rapper/singer. The other mural is Keith Flint (1969 to 2019) from the electronic music group The Prodigy, renowned for the hit 'Firestarter', and energetic dance moves.

Head to St Mary's Church by going underneath the Tyne Bridge, and during the spring and summer months, you will be welcomed by over 1,100 nesting pairs of Kittiwakes. (Currently this is down to 800 due to bridge renovation 2024/25). Their call is most suitable as it sounds like 'Kitty wey aye'.

Cross Church Street and you can see the Swing Bridge, another photographic opportunity with the Castle and the High Level Bridge.

Wander along Pipewellgate Road. The name could come from the wooden pipes that carried the Gateshead water supply. Higher up is Rabbit Banks Road. The area has medieval origins from 1408 and was extensively rebuilt in the 18th century, not for the better. An wrote

A clearance program began in the 1930s then in the 1960s and 1970s, Riverside Park was landscaped with trees before some sculptures being added in the late 1980s. This is all on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne.

Our first artistic encounter is Rise and Fall, a glass and stainless steel arch that brings some focus to a backdrop of landmarks such as the High Level Bridge, the Tyne Bridge, and the Castle.

It stands nearly 20 feet tall and is pleasing when it reflects the scenery across the water. I was chuffed to capture the Castle.

We head up some steps.

Cone on the right-hand side is by Andy Goldsworthy. I believe it was assembled by the artist in situ in 1992. This is an old foundry site, and the structure of the cone has layers of plate steel, which have oxidised.

Much of Mr Goldsworthy's art is influenced by its surroundings. Nature and the environment will then take their course.

The artist also has other work such as Clougha Pike Chambers In Lancaster.

The cone shape is Andy's most repeated shape, and he has made several stone Pinfold cones around the fells area of Kirby Stephen, Cumbria, or if you wish to travel further afield, Dumfriesshire, France, and South Australia

Further along, there is Rolling Moon by Colin Rose. It was originally made for the Glasgow Garden Festival (1988). Rolling Moon was subsequently relocated to the banks of the Tyne in 1990. Spoiler alert, it does not roll.

It is a 27-metre arc of steel, which reaches 11 metres in height and supports a spun steel ball 1.3 metres in diameter. Mr Rose has quite an extensive resume and started sculpting in the 1970s. I imagine he has studied geometry to get all the curves right.

Next, it's the electric blue Thornbirds railings. It's by Argentinian Marcela Livingston. It was designed to stand out and have interesting shadows. Myth had it that Thornbirds, once hatched, would twitter away and then implant themselves on thorns. No, they do not do this in real life. However their nests are thorny.

Just after the Thornbirds on your left on the bank in the ivy are Sally Matthew's seven life-sized Goats which were left to graze here in 1992. She is also known for the Beamish Shorthorns

The models for the goats were all 'locals' drawn from life at Bill Quay Community Farm, where visitors could also watch the artist working on the sculptures. I believe these are Boer goats with floppy ears that are native to South Africa.

Goats is an inventive use of scrap armatures (electric motors/generators), which Sally then fleshed out with other scrap materials and aggregate cement.

Walk under the blue Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and then marvel at the King Edward VII Bridge, where there is a grand river view of Dunston Staiths.

Follow the path to the left to the King Edward VII Bridge area which is somewhat neglected. Nearby, oversized Rivets are obvious and refer to the thousands of rivets that hold together this historic structure. Their creator is Andrew McKeown, who is also known for Jewels of the Sea in Seaham and Words at the Lawe, South Shields.

The rivets are made from cast iron and embossed with local place names. Local children made a cast of their favourite objects, and they wereencased in the rivets.

Continuing along the path and attached to the Old Redheugh Bridge is Richard Deacon's Once Upon a Time.

Making your way to the top of the Old Redheugh Bridge, you will find the Phoenix Cobbles by Maggy Howarth installed in 1994. The artist used a mosaic of pebbles, ceramics and stainless steel. Hence, reviving the Roman art technique. Do you see the Phoenix rising? It is to symbolise Gateshead's regeneration.

I head back to the Glasshouse alongside the River Tyne, admiring the many bridges to finish the walk.