Intersecting Forms

Just before the bridge over White Street is a sculpture on the right. Created entirely from materials on the site it consists of two intersecting forms that recall the bases of old chimneys. The "smoke" is made from railway ballast, clinker and quartz. It was constructed by local volunteers from the Fairbridge Centre under the guidance of sculptor Neil Canavan.

Mountain Bike Wheel Mosaic

At the back of The Wincomblee public house is an informal stopping area giving access to the pub. On the ground is a depiction of a mountain bike wheel created using paving blocks and tarmac. The stone viaduct of Wincomblee Bridge is surmounted by a steel railing designed by City Design to reflect the Victorian heritage of the area.

Mountain Bike Wheel - West Abutment

The trackbed of the railway can be seen continuing level and two adjacent bridges have been removed from here. At road level it can be seen that the abutments of the two railway embankments do not match. The stone one is the older of the two and was built over a waggonway that extended from the river some 10 miles inland. At the end of the nineteenth century a tram line was built but the bend was too sharp to get the trams around so another bridge was constructed - not quite parallel to the first.

As part of the economic development plans for the area, both bridges have now been removed exposing the retaining walls. To protect people from the drop off these abutments, fencing has been erected and to make it hard to clamber around the ends and walk up the sloping abutments, steel discs have been attached.

These are ornamental and have been designed to reflect two themes. The first design refers to the oldest recorded human involvement in the site and is an enlargement of a Roman sistertius or sixpence that bears the head of Emperor Hadrian.
It has been made using the very latest technology of digitally controlled plasma cutting.

The design of the other discs anticipates the site's future use as a cycleway and is based on a mountain bike wheel. They were manufactured using traditional engineering fabrication methods commonly found in this shipbuilding area

There are two sets of these "artworks" which were designed by Newcastle City Council Landscape department.

Remnants of the old bridge girders can be seen along the cycleway where they have been cut to shape to provide seating - if you don't mind rivets sticking in you !!!!!