Man who put us on the map

Feb 3 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

BICENTENNIALS are like buses: you wait an age for one and then two come along at once.

The Journal reported recently on the programme of events lined up to mark the 200th anniversary this year of the death of Admiral Lord Collingwood.

Now preparations are in full swing to celebrate a second 200th – the anniversary of the birth of another of the North East’s greatest sons in Lord Armstrong.

William Armstrong was not only a great inventor and industrialist who put Tyneside on the world map.

His other legacies include his country home at Cragside in Northumberland, now run by the National Trust as one of the region’s major visitor attractions.

He also bought and restored another top visitor draw, Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, and created the Swing Bridge across the Tyne.

His generosity included giving Jesmond Dene to the city of Newcastle and helping found the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Fleming Memorial Hospital, Hancock Museum and Armstrong College, the forerunner of Newcastle University.

Armstrong’s impact on the region increasingly fascinated Neil Tonge as he worked on a project with schools in Newcastle’s West End.

The schools venture explores the industrial and cultural heritage of the West End, which was the centre of Armstrong’s industrial empire where his works employed 25,000 at their peak.

Neil, who lives in South Charlton in Northumberland, said: “I realised that you couldn’t think of the West End without thinking of Armstrong.

“He was an incredible industrialist, inventor, and entrepreneur. It was a unique combination in what was a phenomenal time in Tyneside’s history.

“Armstrong also displayed amazing generosity to the city of Newcastle.”