As reassuring a presence as the nearby bridges of the Tyne and the constant flow of the mighty river, the traditional Sunday market on Newcastle Quayside continues to draw the crowds week after week, year after year.
This was the busy scene as captured from the Tyne Bridge by a Chronicle photographer 65 years ago in April 1958 at a time when the location was still a daily hive of industrial and maritime activity. The market, in fact, had first been mentioned in records from around 1736, but is thought to date back even further.
In the early 18th century it was said to stretch from the old Tyne Bridge (where the Swing Bridge is today) to Sandgate (near where the Millennium Bridge is today). It would have been a vibrant mix of market stalls, racing tipsters and fairground attractions. In Victorian times, fortune tellers, escapologists, and strongman acts would have pulled in the Quayside crowds.
