You might not see them from this angle very often
Swan Hunter Cranes from Railway Terrace
There is a lot being written in the local press at the moment about the cranes that are being dismantled at Swan Hunter’s Wallsend yard.
I’ve just been browsing through some old photographs and found this one, which shows them from quite an unusual angle. The photo was taken from the top of the street where I used to live, Railway Terrace, near Davy Bank and Hadrian Road.
I don’t think the cranes were intentionally in the photo – in fact, I have no idea why it was taken at all. It does give you a good idea what an old Tyneside terrace was like. This shows the back lane, that used to be festooned with washing on Mondays. You can see the coal hatches, where the regular delivery was poured through into the coal house, which was next to the outside toilet and the shed that stored my brothers’ bogies and my bike. To the right of the picture is the route of the old riverside railway line, that used to bring all the men to the yards. The trains went past my bedroom window, making the frame rattle.