It was 1970 - the year when The Beatles broke up, the Tories under Ted Heath earned a surprise General Election victory, and Brazil inspired by their star player, Pele, won the football World Cup in Mexico.
Meanwhile, closer to home, an amateur filmmaker called Doug Collender was out and about in Newcastle capturing scenes around the city centre. Our fascinating video clip, courtesy of the North East Film Archive, contains part of Doug's original 12-minute silent colour film and recalls just another day in Newcastle as it was 52 years ago.
The clip begins focusing briefly on a turret at the Castle Keep, before the camera pans left to capture a diesel pulling a passenger train towards Newcastle Central Station across its vast network of railway lines. The Lantern Tower at St Nicholas' Cathedral - these days rebranded as Newcastle Cathedral - comes into view next.
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We then see the River Tyne and some of its famous bridges - the Swing Bridge, the High Level Bridge with a train heading towards Gateshead, and the Tyne Bridge, which at the time was still a relatively youthful 43 years old (it marks its centenary in six years time). The camera captures busy traffic in the newly-constructed Swan House area before the action shifts to the city-centre oasis of old Eldon Square.
The grassy area, with its war memorial and people sitting in the sunshine, looks much as it does today, but there's no sign of the eponymous shopping complex (which would open in 1976), although the old square's western terrace appears to have already been demolished in preparation. In the background we see two of the four giant floodlight pylons that towered over St James' Park between 1958 and 1978.
The final scenes capture Blackett Street, much of which would soon be bulldozed to make way for the shopping centre, and the Grey's Monument area - including the Sunrise Chinese restaurant, one of the first in the city - before a bus makes its way around the monument (a one-time mini-roundabout) past Turner's photography shop (today it's Waterstones) and the southern entrance to Fenwick's, towards Gallowgate.
If you would like to watch more archive footage like this, but in DVD form, Newcastle On Film has been specially produced by NEFA. Presented and narrated by Pam Royle - latterly of ITV Tyne Tees News fame - it pays homage to life on Tyneside and features lots of wonderful archive film footage.
The DVD 'Newcastle On Film' is priced at £12 (including postage and packing), and all profits from the sale go back into the valuable work of the North East Film Archive. Buy it here. See more from the North East Film Archive at www.yfanefa.com
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