At the dawn of the 20th century
Nostalgia Editor “THE past is a foreign country - they do things differently there.” So wrote the author LP Hartley in his novel, The Go-Between.
Our photographs come from the first decade of the 20th century.
If North East folk who were alive in 1900 had somehow time-travelled forward to 2017, they’d have thought they’d gone stark raving mad or touched down on some shiny alien planet.
Television, aeroplanes, internet, film, mobile phones, space travel, highrise buildings, road traffic, medical marvels and much more were undreamed of at the dawn of the 20th century.
Not to mention the new foods, fashion, and music that have come our way or, indeed, the equality of women, and the multi-racial society we live in today.
Similarly, if people living today were to be plonked back in time to the North East of 117 years earlier, their senses would also be under serious assault.
The region – or certainly its towns and cities – would have been smoky, grimy, and blackened, amid a constant backdrop of industrial banging and clattering.
And – some might say thankfully – there wouldn’t have been a false eye lash, a designer shirt, or a McDonald’s hamburger in sight (although the Edwardians were very fond of meat and derivatives like Bovril!)
For most folk, who were part of a large family living in a small home, life was a daily grind of poorly-paid hard work with relatively little in the way of leisure and relaxation.
We’ve all seen the old photos of people – gathered in streets free of traffic – just wandering around and chatting.
Essentially, they just wanted to get out of the house in an age long before TV and the internet provided on- demand, effortless entertainment.
Meanwhile, in contrast to our own increasingly secular society, these were often God-fearing and churchgoing people.
At the same time, of course, they were patriotic and respected the Royal Family - attitudes which have arguably persisted through the years.
Edward VII, the son of Queen Victoria, was the king - and a popular one at that.
When he came to Newcastle in 1906 to open a new railway bridge in his name across the Tyne, and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, thousands gathered in the rainy city centre streets from the early hours just to snatch a fleeting glimpse of the passing monarch.
But if life for most people in the region was hard then, there was the consolation of Newcastle United being three times league champions during the decade.
The past really is a foreign country! Grey’s Monument is decorated for the visit of King Edward VII to Newcastle in 1906