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The city of Newcastle is best known for being a modern, industrial city. However the history of the city actually goes back much further than this.
The area was first settled during Roman times when a fort called Pons Aelius was built on the banks of the Tyne River in around 120AD.
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The Romans then left the north of England at the start of the fifth century, but there is archaeological evidence that the area continued to be inhabited after their departure.
The next important date in the city's history is 1080, when Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, built the "new castle" that gives the town its name.
The original castle was made of wood and it was soon replaced with one built of stone. The remains of this castle can still be visited today in the form of the Keep, which dates from 1170, and the Black Gate, which dates from 1248.
For several centuries the town was one of northern England's most significant defensive outposts, and as a result walls began to be built around the city in the middle of the 14th century. Some remains of these City Walls can still be seen today.
Then during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) Newcastle established itself as England's foremost coal exporter, and under the trade the town flourished and grew rapidly.
The legacy of this period of extensive coal production is still evident in the expression "taking coals to Newcastle" which is used to suggest an exercise in waste and futility!
Over the next few centuries various other industries also established themselves in Newcastle. Of these, perhaps the most significant were the iron and steel industries, for these were to play a significant factor in Newcastle's development in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This is because when industrialisation reached the north of England, Newcastle's reputation for coal, iron and steel meant that the town was in an excellent position to reap the benefits.
Newcastle quickly prospered under industrialisation; for example soon it was one of the most important shipbuilding centres of the country. And of course, thanks to engineers such as George Stevenson, Newcastle quickly became synonymous with the railway industry.
During this period the town expanded rapidly and Newcastle's wealthy merchants and businessmen paid for extensive development in the city, large areas of which remain today.
The elegant Victorian streets, houses and civic buildings that survive from this period clearly demonstrate the city's former wealth and status. Grey Street in particular is an excellent example of this golden era.
However, Newcastle's industrial success also meant that it was very vulnerable to recession, and so when the Great Depression hit Newcastle in the early 1930s, it suffered terribly.
Numerous factories closed and unemployment was widespread, and as a result the city quickly declined into poverty.
This period of the town's history is particularly famous for an event known as the Jarrow Crusade. This took place in 1936 when 200 men from Jarrow marched nearly 300 miles to London to protest about the lack of welfare for those suffering during the depression.
The event was central to the subsequent development of welfare, but it took many years for the city to recover.
In recent decades several other trades have replaced many of the traditional, industrial areas of employment.
Of these the most significant one is the retail trade. Since the 1980's several large shopping centres have opened in the city, establishing Newcastle as one of the best shopping cities in the UK.
There has also been extensive restoration and rejuvenation in the city centre and so Newcastle is now surprisingly stylish. And with a buzzing nightlife and excellent cultural scene it is now one of the UK's trendiest cities and an excellent place to visit.
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