Year's End

One of the better signs that has emerged in these last few difficult years, has been the recognition of open space, green space and just plain old 'open air' that enhances our shared lives. It's been encouraging to see how well used the City Stadium this has been this year, and hopefully more possibilities to come, for families, residents and wildlife. A new notice board that highlights local events, facilities and artists and makers is another welcome sign of that recognition. All of this is a long way from threats that once seemed poised to snatch this precious green space away and cover it with tarmac!

So, here's to the future!

Seasons Greetings to one and all and a Happy New Year 2024

The Vale in Snow

White Bridge, White Water

When did it start to rain? When will it stop? Everywhere is sodden it seems. Down to the Vale and on to the White Bridge. There, a huge willow brought down by Storm Arwen in distant 2021 has remained in place barely trimmed, and now dams the Ouseburn. The volume of water that struggles to bypass the trunk has built up and overflows into a 'new' old channel looping around the obstacle – water always finds a way – and torrents over the weir beneath a sorry looking White Bridge.

However, it was, in a small way, a spectacle on a very dull day, when the colours of the autumn lightened the mood of winding down towards the year's Shortest Day, and recalling the exciting way nature can never be taken for granted, even here in the heart of a city.

Album of photographs here (off site link)

Slugtown

Slugtown is a gallery and workspce on Wreatham Place, Shieldfield. I have only just become aware of Slugtown, for which apologies.

Slugtown is another welcome sign that there is a spirit of enterprise and connection building across the district, from the Star and Shadow, Biscuit studios and bars and venues on Shieldfield Lane, a slowly building community of talented souls.

Their latest show, Faces, Faces by Ki Yoong is exceptional. A series of compelling portraits beautifully displayed. A must see.

Images are copyright. Used by permission.

Faces, Faces Ki Yoong On view until 21 October 2023 Open Thursday – Saturday, 11 – 5pm, and by appointment Faces, Faces continues until 21 October 2023.  Ki Yoong’s debut solo exhibition seeks to challenge the relationship between observer and the observed in a series of highly rendered, technically virtuosic works.   Full documentation of Faces, Faces and accompanying text are available on our website.   For all enquiries, please email: contact.slugtown@gmail.com Read more → Evening Colours (Opal) Oil on board, copper 30 x 24.5 x 3.5cm 2023 Enquire about this work → Cameo Watercolour on paper 34 x 29.5cm (framed) 2023 Enquire about this work → Sunday Morning Oil on board, copper 30 x 24.5 x 3.5cm 2023 Enquire about this work → Copyright (C) 2023 Slugtown. All rights reserved.

Greening Shieldfield

Shieldfield Street

Once an extensive manufacturing and transport district, Shieldfield has few signs of these past activities to show today. Plans to build over demolished factory sites – offices (for whom?) or apartments, finalised on student housing blocks while Shieldfield experienced the usual infamies of 60s town planning, styles from fashionable architects of the day re-heated for social housing. 

Happily for today, the associated tree planting phase – possibly to soften bleakness or alienating spaces created by T-square wielding 'shared spaces facilitators' – has come into its own. Trees that made it past the pole stage, are now a feature that does much more than soften an edge or blank space. A striking aspect of walking through Shieldfield now are the spreading branches and groves created by a what was once thought little more than a 'detail'.

Sorbus spp. A fine crop of berries

In a world facing climate change, increasing pressures on movement, the contemporary drive to keep, enhance or use green space in our towns and cities is a welcome initiative rolling out around the globe. Shieldfield has had a head start.

I define Shieldfield by the centre pinned to Wretham Place, bounded by Shieldfield Green, Portland Road and Shieldfield Lane cum Clarence Street.

A photographic gallery of my recent walk here (off site page).

Summertime

 Flower bed outside Star & Shadow, Warwick Street. Great show!

For those with a good memory, June was sunny. Over battlefield the flowers bloomed and the bees buzzed to good effect. Then July cam along and while southern Europe and even 'the south' grew hotter, grey skies and much rain was the order of the day. Global warming seemed a cruel rumour. Warm clothing was dug out of cupboards.

It might seem an academic past time to read about coming fears of extreme weather when the Summer in the north lived up to recent, damp, history. But the likelihood is that the seasons will change for all in time. Choosing the Precautionary Principle (if bad can happen it will happen) some thinkers are urging more green space in our cities across the world. Shade from trees works, areas of plantings or grasses help dissipate heat – further – they make being outside a more pleasant experience than heated concrete and tar mac.

Damp afternoon 27th July 2023

We must think about adapting with the added plus that this expands that gain from the recent Covid 19 quarantine periods, when so many discovered the psychological support that comes from public open spaces and our city parks and gardens warding against feelings of isolation and disjunction. More would be no bad thing. Cities are going to have to change.

Here is a portfolio (off site link) of the seasonal offering from the Battlefield (a.k.a. City Stadium) including, as a finale, the regrown cherry trees, cut back wantonly along Portland Road; spot them amongst the huge buddleia!

Sun, sun, sun!

The weather is just breaking as I write this post. Just in time since water levels in the Ouseburn are very low and the grass hereabouts looks like the same colour as cardboard boxes.

Love to complain, don't we? But our recent welcome weather has been brilliant for a longish spell that suggests we will have some sort of a Summer this year.

The Battlefield, my blog's name for the City Stadium, has never seemed more mature and welcoming a green space as could be. It's been wonderful to witness the slow growing appreciation of this green patch overlooking the Lower Ouseburn, as strollers, commuters on foot or wheels, sun worshippers and picnic groups have used its identity as a park in all but name. It seems a game ago when the existence of this piece of scrubby ground was being eyed up by potential 'owners' for their own use. The whole of the district has gained from it. Across Shieldfield there is a spirit of revival and possibility that has come in step with the re-generation of this precious piece of urban green space.

A sample of images:

No time to relax ...

Development opportunity?

 

New signs have popped up around Battlefield (a.k.a. The City Stadium) highlighting its attractions. These are to be welcomed – as far as they go. Remember, this is Newcastle and promises are meant to be broken.

For long Battlefield cum City Stadium enjoyed no protection at all. I was reliably informed it isn't even technically Public Open Space.

I started to write and illustrated this blog because plans had appeared, disappeared and re-appeared in amended form around the turn of the century to build (in turn and turn about) offices (using the 'open space' to park 1300 cars!); then 350 plus apartments. Kiboshed over ground pollution fears because the site adjacent had been a paint factory that used lead, arsenic, antimony, cadmium and whatnot to make products, the schemes at City Centre Planning to off load the site languished until overseas tax haven avoidance schemes produced a series of student accommodation blocks, as if my magic. Students must be immune to heavy metal.

But some of the plan had envisioned effectively privatising the open space; playing fields, changing rooms and doubtless much restricted or removed rights of access for the public.

Far fetched or just delayed for the moment?

The Observer publishes a column today that sets out the facts. Eva Wiseman puts figures to the fears I and others have for the future of Public Open Space as a thing in cities in the age of neo-liberal economics.

'In 2019, after eight years of austerity, their funding cut by 60%, councils sold off thousands of public spaces, including libraries, community centres and playgrounds. An added little kick: the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found 64 councils in England had spent a third of the money made from selling these public assets on making staff redundant. Locality, a campaign group fighting to save public spaces, estimates that nearly half of all public land in Britain has been sold off since the 1970s; they say nearly 4,000 public spaces and buildings are being sold off every year in England alone. Sometimes they’re turned into flats and offices, sometimes those offices are surrounded by “privately owned public spaces”, with security guards patrolling, and cameras in the trees, and no photos, or protests, or rough sleeping allowed. They look like parks, but feel once removed – like an illustration of a park, or a photocopy.'

Emphasis added. Read the entire article here.

So, let us welcome recognition of the value to our community and visitors of this inner city open space, but let's not be complacent about it. Ever.

Hope springs eternal. Foolish hope ...

 The wind is still sharp but when the sunshines on Battlefield, hope springs eternal ...

Flowers both planted and adventitious tell a story.

A fine display in a break between showers ...

Hacked back by instruction of Newcastle City Council two years ago, but not giving up this Spring,
a once fine Cherry tree on Portland Road ...

Coltsfoot, a plant of unloved spaces, never gives up.

Leaves little to the imagination

 

Another plug for the City Stadium a.k.a Battlefield and its growing importance as green space

This Cinderella open space, for so long seen by Newcastle City Council as an opportunity for car parking or some other gimcrack idea, has become a marvellous facility for a large number of local residents and many visitors.

Trees that seemed permanently stunted and isolated between more well established parks to the north and the former industrial (now varied use) Ouseburn it overlooks. But in the last twenty years of close observation coinciding with this blog's life time, those trees that survived felling (by the Council) or storms have flourished. The prospects of this once forlorn green space are so improved it may be a struggle for some to remember how matters were.

The pandemic (amongst other pressures) suddenly propelled any patch of open ground into people's lives. There is only so much daytime television one can watch. People got out doors – safely distanced!

The Guardian reports on the national picture for tree cover. The facts aren't as good as we might wish, though sites such as lowland heaths shouldn't have much tree cover since that habitat is now semi-precious relic for its specialised wildlife; also Fenland (New Holland) ought not to be on the list of places laking tree cover. That too is a specialised near aquatic habitat, much of which has been drained already.

The revival of interest in all things natural and green, sparked at least as much by mental stability concerns as human physical health, is to be welcomed. Even on the City Stadium site there are opportunities for more planting; alongside Warwick Street for example.