Gateshead Garden Festival
Encyclopedia
The Gateshead Garden Festival was the fourth of the United Kingdom
's five National Garden Festival
s. Held between May and October 1990, in Gateshead
, Tyne and Wear
, it lasted 157 days, and received over three million visitors. Attractions included public art displays, a Ferris wheel
, and dance, music, theatre and sporting events. Several modes of transport were provided around the site: a monorail which ran between Norwood
and Eslington, a narrow gauge steam railway
between Dunston
and Redheugh, and a road train
which covered the entire site. A ferry across the River Tyne
, between Dunston Staiths and Newcastle
Quayside
, was also provided.
The festival site was created over a two year period, on 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of derelict land, previously the site of a gasworks, a coal depot and a coking plant. The cost of reclaiming and redeveloping the land was around £37 million. After the festival ended, much of the site was replaced by housing.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's five National Garden Festival
National Garden Festival
The National Garden Festivals were part of the cultural regeneration of large areas of derelict land in Britain's industrial districts during the 1980s and early 1990s. Five were held in total - one every two years, each in a different town or city - after the idea was pushed by environment...
s. Held between May and October 1990, in Gateshead
Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. It is named after its largest town, Gateshead, but also spans the towns of Rowlands Gill, Whickham, Blaydon and Ryton; suburban areas include Felling, Pelaw, Dunston and Low Fell.It is bordered...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, it lasted 157 days, and received over three million visitors. Attractions included public art displays, a Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, and dance, music, theatre and sporting events. Several modes of transport were provided around the site: a monorail which ran between Norwood
Norwood
- Australia :* Norwood Secondary College, Secondary School in Ringwood, Victoria.* Norwood, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide**Electoral district of Norwood, a state electoral district in South Australia...
and Eslington, a narrow gauge steam railway
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
between Dunston
Dunston, Tyne and Wear
Dunston was originally an independent village on the south bank of the River Tyne. It has now been absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in the English county of Tyne and Wear...
and Redheugh, and a road train
Trackless train
A trackless train is a road-going articulated vehicle used for the transport of passengers, comprising a driving vehicle pulling one or more carriages connected by drawbar couplings, in the manner of a road going railway train.-Terminology:Trackless train or land train...
which covered the entire site. A ferry across the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, between Dunston Staiths and Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
Quayside
Quayside
The Quayside is an area along the banks of the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in the North East of England, United Kingdom....
, was also provided.
The festival site was created over a two year period, on 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of derelict land, previously the site of a gasworks, a coal depot and a coking plant. The cost of reclaiming and redeveloping the land was around £37 million. After the festival ended, much of the site was replaced by housing.