Newcastle

Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it became a county of itself, a status it retained until becoming part of Tyne and Wear in 1974. The regional nickname and dialect for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie. Newcastle also houses Newcastle University, as well as Northumbria University.

The city developed around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built in 1080 by Robert Curthose, William the Conqueror’s eldest son. The city grew as an important centre for the wool trade in the 14th century, and later became a major coal mining area. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the shipyards lower down the River Tyne, was amongst the world’s largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres.

In 1933 the Society met  in Newcastle on Tyne where a difficult anterior resection was witnessed, and surgery on the cleft palate discussed.

The next meeting there was in 1971 in the spring, the intended trip abroad (to Portugal) being postponed due to the untimely death of Professor Basto Lima.

In 1989 the Society again visited the Royal Victoria Infirmary, where Professor Ivan Johnston and his staff gave an overview of the surgical department’s history and research activities, followed by clinical papers.

 

The images above depict the Theatre Royal (Left) and the Tyne at night (Right)