Here are some facts about the River Tyne.
- The River Tyne is formed at Warden Rock near Hexham at the confluence (meeting point) of two rivers, the North Tyne (with its source in Kielder, Northumberland) and the South Tyne (with its source in Alston Moor, Cumbria).
- The river flows through Corbridge, divides Newcastle and Gateshead, divides Jarrow and Wallsend and flows between South Shields and Tynemouth before flowing into the North Sea.
- From the 13th century until the mid-20th century, the River Tyne was a key route for the export of coal.
- There are shipyards at South Shields and Hubburn.
- The name Tyne was first recorded in Anglo-Saxon times, but its meaning isn’t clear.
- It is believed that the in Roman times the River Verda was the River Tyne.
- The River Tyne is crossed more than 20 times, by a variety of different bridges and tunnels. These include, the New Tyne Tunnel, the High Level Bridge,the Tyne Bridge, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the King Edward VII Bridge, the Constantius Bridge and the Ovingham Bridge.
- The River Tyne has featured in many songs over the years, including: Fog on the Tyne by Lindisfarne, This Is a Low by Blur, Oliver’s Army by Elvis Costello, Blood on the Rooftops by Genesis and Driving in My Car by Madness.
- Barbel (a type of fish) were introduced to the River Tyne in the 1980s in Hexham.
- There is also a River Tyne in Scotland.
- Anglers come to the River Tyne to catch salmon and sea trout.
- Archaeologists have discovered the remains of beavers and moose on the banks of the River Tyne.
- The headland at the mouth of the Tyne has been home to people since the Iron Age.
- Tynemouth Castle is built on a headland overlooking Tynemouth Pier. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, the castle incoporated an earlier Priory.
What next? Discover some more river facts.
