There are a number are places on Tyneside where you can still see evidence of when the Romans came here and built a wall over 1900 years ago. A new exhibition of paintings at Newcastle City Library celebrates and commemorates some of these places.
The Romans on Tyneside
The Romans completed a considerable amount of building work on Tyneside during the early centuries of the first Millennium AD. They built a fort called Pons Aelius on the site of the present castle keep in Newcastle, which was chosen as a site for the fort not only because it was a good defensive side with steep sides on three sides of it, but also because it was the first place upstream on the River Tyne where the Romans could build a bridge.
The Roman bridge was built just about where the present-day Swing Bridge is found. The Romans also bought built a major fort at Segedunum at what is now Wallsend and another fort at Arbeia in South Shields overlooking the mouth of the Tyne.
However, it could be argued that the most significant piece of Roman building on Tyneside was Hadrian’s Wall began which was begun in 122CE. This wall stretched all the way from the Solway Firth between Cumbria and present-day Galloway in Scotland to Segedunum on the River Tyne.
This heritage has been celebrated and commemorated in many ways over the years and a new exhibition of paintings by Ashley Bayston at Newcastle City Library is continuing in that tradition.
Ashley Bayston
Ashley Bayston describes herself as a ‘nouveau Geordie’. who arrived in Newcastle in 2019, having retired as a barrister and after making what she says was the best decision of her life. Indeed, she has commented: “Newcastle ticked all the boxes and though expectations were high they were quickly exceeded”.
The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown rekindled a love of drawing which had laid dormant in Ashley for a number of decades. As she explored and discovered her new home city, she began to celebrate it in pen and ink sketches.
She held a previous exhibition at the City Library in 2023 entitled Up the hill from paradise. This exhibition was about Benwell and consisted of illustration she drew in a book by Michael Chaplin. This book raised money for the West End food bank in Newcastle.
The opening of the exhibition in Newcastle City Library
In a short speech at the opening of the exhibition in the City Library Newcastle on 26 June, Ashley told how she had come to Newcastle in 2019 and had subsequently met local historian Judith Green in 2022. Judith was said to be an “expert in everything Benwell”.
Ashley had planned to walk the wall in 2020, but the Covid -19 pandemic had put an ned to that aspiration.
Ashley described how they walked around Benwell together and then she started work on the artwork in early 2023. she also commented that living on the river had made her so inspired, with the best view of the city
Ashely went on to comment that drawing makes her feel good and makes other people smile and that while there are paintings there will also be a book developed.
Answering a question, Ashley said that it takes her about half an hour to complete a painting, but now she not finding it so easy with the onset of age and that she can’t draw for more than half an hour without her hand hurting. However, Ashley still finds it very absorbing and relaxing to do artwork.
Interview with Ashley
When did you start putting the exhibition together?
I met Judith Green in 2022. I illustrated a little book about Benwell to raise money for the West End Food Bank. Judith then talked about doing a book about the wall.
Two months ago, she contacted me about getting a grant from English Heritage and so we put together the exhibition once at St James’ Church in Benwell and at the Big History event in West End Library in May.
Why did you do the drawings and paintings in the exhibition?
I loved drawing Newcastle when I first came here. I hadn’t drawn for twenty years.
I discovered drawing again during lockdown and I spent lockdown walking around Newcastle drawing.
A charming exhibition
The exhibition is a charming portrayal of sites in Newcastle connected to Hadrian’s Wall and a love letter from Ashley to her new home town.
The exhibition is currently on display on Floor 6 of Newcastle City Library.
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