North East

Counties: Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham.

Main cities and town: Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Darlington.

The North East is England's most northern and sparsely populated region. The region is generally hilly and is noted by many people for the natural beauty of its coastline, Northumberland National Park, the Pennines.

HISTORY

The North East has a rich historical heritage. During the Roman Empire, this region was its northern frontier, traces of which can still be seen at the Hadrian's Wall. Also, there was based the main force against Scotland. Nowadays, there are many surviving ancient castles in Northumberland, the two World Heritage Sites of Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, and many other places to visit!

Northumberland National Park

Northumberland

This is the most northern county of England.
Northumberland originally meant "the land of the people living north of the Humber" (a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England). The present county is a calque of the former kingdom of Northumbria ("-ia" is often translated from Latin to "-land").
This area is now a border between England and Scotland.
Northumberland's prehistory is very rich that can boast of rock art, hillforts (Yeavering Bell), and stone circles (the Goatstones and Duddo Five Stones).
Bamburgh is the historic capital of the county, which is famous for its Bamburgh Castle (still open to the public).
Northumberland is often called the "cradle of Christianity" because the spread of Christianity in England started on Lindisfarne (Holy Island).
The County was a center for Roman Catholicism in England, as well as Jacobite support. For many years, it was an area where many outlaws could hide form the law.
The traditions of this county include such unique ones as: the rapper sword dance, the clog dance, and the Northumbrian small pipe (musical instrument).

tyne and wear

/ˌtaɪn ... ˈwɪər/

This county, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear, came into existence in 1974.
It consists of five metropolitan districts: Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tineside and Sunderland.
Major places of interest: Angel of the North, Hadrian's Wall, Tynemouth Castle, Bede's World, etc.

county Durham

/ˈdʌrəm/, locally /ˈdɜrəm/

This is the only English county that is prefixed with "county".
During the Middle Ages, the county was an ecclesiastical centre (mainly thanks to the presence of St Cuthbert's shrine in Durham Cathedral).
County Durham has a rich heritage of Northumbrian music, dating back from the Northumbrian Golden Age of the 7th and 8th centuries.
Also, the county has mining, farming and heavy railway heritage.

landmarks

Durham Cathedral

- The building of the present cathedral began in 1093, which replaced the previous "White Church".

- The present cathedral was built in the Norman era in 1093.

- The Durham Dean and Chapter Library contain three copies of Magna Carta and some other early printed books.

Angel of the North

- Located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, this contemporary sculpture was designed by Antony Gormley and completed in 1998.

- It is made of steel, 20 meters tall, with wings measuring 54 meters.

- It's Britain's largest sculpture and is said to be the largest angel sculpture in the world.

Hadrian's Wall

- It is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, also known as the Roman Wall or Picts' Wall.

- The construction began in AD 122 in the reign of the emperor Hadrian and marked the boundary between Roman Britannia and unconquered Caledonia (which corresponds to Scotland nowadays).