This public house originated as the Cross Keys Hotel, rebuilt for John Rowell & son in the year of Queen Victoria’s death – the time of a great sea change in the political and cultural life of the country. It is fascinating that when first opened, provision was made for ‘a room entirely devoted to temperance requirements’; rather an ironic undertaking for an establishment generally intended for the opposite purpose! The building is of significant size, and uses a slightly exuberant, satisfyingly varied palette in terms of design and materials. It is bold and well detailed, and retains almost all of its original features. The frontage is extensive, constructed primarily in brick, with mock timber framing animating the 1st floor of the principal section and gables to either side. A subsidiary block set back to the south utilises proportionally more brick and is rather domestic in appearance, retaining the lead work to the 1st floor bay windows which was part of the original design for the whole upper floor. The sandstone dressings offer a pleasing visual contrast with the brick, expressed in cill and lintel bands and nicely moulded architraves. One of the key features are the tall, slender chimneys with cornice detail and narrow pots, which grace the various planes of the slate roof, as well as the rows of thick section timber framed glazing with multiple vertical lights. The attractive, quality detailing also includes cast iron rainwater goods, with some decorative curly brackets, and delightful terracotta finials. Simple cast iron grilles provide ventilation but unfortunately additional extraction vents have been introduced through the wall. This is virtually the only alteration to the original building, and, whilst flat-roofed, the rear extension has been constructed with great sensitivity, employing matching design elements and materials. It is a significant building in the area, with a strong visual presence on the street, and represents a good example of the explosion in pub rebuilding around the turn of the 20th century. MATERIALS Brick, stone, timber, render ARCHITECT James W Frazer (49 Grey Street, Newcastle) DATES 1901 (rebuilding) LOCAL LIST

The home farm of the Ravensworth Estate (HER 646). Built of coursed squared sandstone, it has a curious Dutch-gabled outbuilding. The Hall was named after a leat known as 'The Trench' (HER 4121) which provided a water supply for the pumps at a coal mill (HER 1663) in the north-east corner of the estate. LOCAL LIST

Single storey shop premises built for William Cooper and taken over by John George Adamson in 1930 as a butcher’s. It is built as the end of a terrace in brick with a Welsh slate roof. The original timber Edwardian shop-front is still present, painted in black and jade green. To each side are fluted pilasters, with an elaborate fascia above. The dentil-moulded cornice is supported on scrolled corbels decorated with acanthus leaves. Below this are striking and unusual wide single-pane white-painted timber sashes with moulded mullions in between, and a deeply inset traditional doorway to the southern end with a quarry tiled step. The timber door is panelled to the base with planking to the upper portion, and a decorative pierced iron grille above. White glazed tiles clad the stall riser, with a black painted stone plinth below. It is historically connected with the Methodist chapel that stood across the road as both owners were active members of the congregation. MATERIALS Red Brick, slate, timber, cast iron ARCHITECT G J Wilson DATES 1902 LOCAL LIST

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital was designed by F H Patterson with the guidance of chief architect H J Cook. Construction began in June 1939 and the hospital opened in March 1948. The original brick buildings are architecturally modest. A three-storeyed multi-purpose main blcok housed the outpatients department, general wards, operating suite and X-Ray department, plus offices, kitchens and stores. There was also a single-storeyed maternity unit and new isolation hospital in a detached position close to the main gate with its pair of lodges. Services (laundry etc) were housed in a complex of buildings between the main blcok and new isolation hospital. The hospital has been enlarged and remodelled several times. The former Isolation Wing, built 1938-40 is on the Local List. Local List entry - This former Isolation Wing has considerable interest as a purpose-built mid 20th century health building, and for its restrained, streamlined appearance with Art Deco influences.
Originally built as part of the Sheriff Hill Infectious Diseases Hospital, it has also been previously used as nurses’ residences. Constructed in red brick, it is monumental in appearance (reminiscent of a cruise ship?) with a strong horizontality emphasised by a flat roof and stone cill band to the ground floor, as well as concrete string courses to the 2nd floor. The ascending piers of the bold stone Art deco style door surround balance the composition, however, as does the vertical glazing of the flanking cylindrical stair towers. Unfortunately the original windows have been replaced with plastic frames, but the essential character of the building is still intact as it has not been encroached upon by modern additions. Arthur Radsham, children’s illustrator, made a drawing of the building. ARCHITECT F H Patterson under guidance from H J Cook DATES 1940 LOCAL LIST

The handsome new Borough Treasurer's Department was opened in 1954, described as "Civic Centre First Stage" (Gateshead council had outgrown Johnstone's town hall on West Street by this time). It had a circular single-storeyed ratings hall at the south end and an adjacent two-storeyed office block, which was heightened to three storeys in 1972-4 by Leslie Berry, Borough Architect, with tinted glass and anodized aluminium. However the building was not destined to become the new administrative focal point of the borough as a new civic centre was opened on Regent Street in 1987. The former treasurer's department is now a training centre. LOCAL LIST

Now Sunderland Talmudical College. Red brick building with stone dressings and Welsh slate roof in elaborate Flemish style. Two storeys, five bays, the outer under shaped gables. Much carved decoration. DATES 1897 LOCAL LIST

1871 by George Burn. Monument to rower, James Renforth, who died aged 29. He was World Sculling Champion in 1868. His last race was on the River Kennebacassis in New Brunswick, Canada in August 1871 where he died due to 'congestion of the lungs'. The Canadians named a small town Renforth in his honour. The Renforth monument shows the rower dying in the arms of his friend and crew member Henry Kelly. It originally stood in Gateshead's East Cemetery where Renforth was laid to rest, but following vandalism in the 1980s it was moved into storage and then reinstated in 1992 outside the Shipley Art Gallery {2}. This extraordinary, theatrical memorial was erected to the famous local rower James Renforth, who died at the age of 29 during an international boat race on the St John regatta course on the Kennebecasis river in Canada. Local people, keen to recognise their hero, had raised over £500 to be used for a memorial, funeral expenses, and to provide for Renforth’s widow. Sculpted by George Burn of Newcastle in good quality Prudham stone, it depicts the moment of death, when Renforth was held by his colleague and friend, Harry Kelly. It is over 11 feet high and 8 feet long, and weighs about 14 tons, and consists of a 3 course basement, surmounted by a wreath-draped sarcophagus. The bay and oak wreaths represent victory, and feature medallions of James Percy and Robert Chambers (other colleagues) The basement features 3 rampant lions representing England, 7 stars to represent the American crew, and a memorial inscription on a large die.. A ribbon scroll on the sarcophagus states: ‘In the midst of life we are in death’. The memorial was clearly of great significance at the time, and though it is unusual and rather dramatic to the modern eye, it has great character and a certain earnestness to it. It is now in a prominent location adjacent to the Shipley Art Gallery, having been moved from St Edmunds Cemetery in the 1980s. Another memorial was erected at St Mary’s. MATERIALS Prudham sandstone DESIGNER George Burn (Neville Arcade, Newcastle) DATES 28/10/1872 (unveiling) 1992 (restoration) LOCAL LIST

In 1916 the Carnegie Trust of Dunfermline offered Gateshead a grant of £15,000 for a new public library (John Johnstone's library on Swinburne Street was now too small). In 1918 Arthur Stockwell was appointed as architect. Initial designs were costed above the grant, even though it was raised to £16,500. Stockwell died. In 1925/6 a reduced design was executed by David Ditchburn with a top-up loan of £6,500 from the government. The Public Library echoes the design of its neighbour the Shipley Art Gallery. Ionic portico with two ranges capped with small domes and one-storey wings. It was operated on the open-access system. It was extended in red brick by Leslie Berry, Borough Architect in 1975/6 and remains the town's main library {Taylor and Lovie, 2004}. Local List entry - Gateshead Central Library was born in 1925 following a long gestation period. It superseded the first public library on Swinburne Street, with grant assistance from the Carnegie Trust and central government. Although the original appointed architect was the same as for the Shipley, he died during the prevarications, and a new architect was thence forced to interpret his drawings to provide a reduced scheme that the budget would allow. The Edwardian Baroque architectural language is manifestly shared with that of the aforementioned art gallery. This is particularly apparent at the entrance, where a grand portico is raised on 2 ionic columns rather than 4, the little brother of its stately neighbour. Again, the slender balusters of the parapet and the cascading steps spilling out onto the pavement echo those nearby, but the copper domes are a unique feature, harmoniously crowning the piers of the portico. Various decorative motifs are employed, including egg and dart, and dentil mouldings, Two orange brick wings feature high level metal windows, opening inwards on brackets, in order to accommodate the shelving within. As at the Shipley, also, large glazed panels were incorporated into the roof, in order to provide ample, diffuse light suitable for the purpose of the building. The interior is of great interest as many original features remain, including much of the original shelving and a book hoist cupboard, as well as deeply moulded dentilled cornices, floral iron ceiling grilles, and historic lamp brackets. A strong room, a fine object of its time is still extant in the basement, which was mainly used for storage and a committee room but was designated as an air-raid shelter during the war. The plan form is now much altered, especially with the extension in the 1970s, which transferred the main entrance to the northern end of the building. When it was opened it consisted of the main lending library, a reference library, a reading room, and a children’s library, which was so small that no books could be issued during story time! The building is an essential chapter in the cultural history of Gateshead, as well as being part of an architecturally distinguished civic grouping at Shipcote, including the Shipley Gallery, the former Education Offices, the Shipcote Baths and the former Borough Treasurer’s department. MATERIALS Sandstone, brick, slate, glazing ARCHITECT Arthur Stockwell / David Ditchburn Ext.: Leslie Berry BUILDERS: Pringles Fittings: North of England School Furnishing Co. DATES 6/4/1926 (opened) 1976 (Extension) During WWII an air raid shelter was built on the site. LOCAL LIST

Now Centre for Advanced Rabbinics. ARCHITECT William S Chambers (Fawcett St, Sunderland & Neville St, N/C) DATES 1871 Sits well. Nice way of finishing 2 terraces. Nice features. Interest in layout, design, appearance and history. LOCAL LIST

This little, informal grouping is of great interest as one of the earliest in Low Fell. When originally constructed they would have been nearby to the old Whinny House Estate, and number 3 clearly follows an historic route as it is cut off at one corner. It is likely that this is the oldest building, present on a map of 1822, although No. 1 could have been altered rather than entirely rebuilt, as there is a building on site but in a different form. There was a building present on the site of no. 4, but this may have been rebuilt – it is certainly later than no.3 as the roof is built over the top. Number 2, however, has been completely rebuilt in an unsympathetic way, and is now discordant within the grouping. The 2 storey sandstone cottages were constructed in local materials but have Welsh slate roofs. The architectural detailing varies significantly, with nos. 3 and 4 rather formal, polite and embellished, but no.1 plain. The detailing on number 3 looks older than elsewhere, with very large quoins and an elegant canopy formed of a cornice on beautifully carved scrolled brackets, above a moulded door surround. The window openings may have been altered, and the coursed, dressed stonework to the front contrasts with the rubble construction to the side. The roof is hipped with a stone chimney, but has in all likelihood been altered, as to the western end of the front elevation an attractive and detailed kneeler remains, almost obscured by the wonderfully moulded eaves cornice of no. 4. It must have originally had a pitched roof with water tabling to gables, but may have been altered when a route along the edge of the house was made. To no. 4 the moulding to the eaves cornice is echoed in the window surrounds, but the door surround is plan. These both enjoy historic slate roofs, whereas that to no. 1 has unfortunately been replaced with concrete tiles. This building is of coursed, dressed stone, also, but lacks the architectural refinements of the other buildings – however, it still sports the historic blue enamel sign for the row. None of the original windows now remain in the properties – it would be positive if sashes could be reinstated (no.4 historically boasted margin sashes), and a slate roof reintroduced to no. 1. MATERIALS Sandstone, slate DATES 3-4 Early 19th century? 1 Mid 19th century LOCAL LIST