Spring
Early Shift, watercolour
Early Shift written by Kevin Hey
The painting features a Newcastle Corporation trolleybus at Park Road in Wallsend, which was just 5 minutes away from where Phil used to live in the 1960s.
Early Shift’ shows a Newcastle trolleybus completing the early morning journey on service 34 from Denton Square. The route from Denton Square would have been up Denton Bank passing Benwell High Reservoir, down Westgate Hill, along Mosley Street and by the Head Office of Newcastle Transport at Manors, then City Road skirting the Tyne-Tees Television Studios, along the riverside weaving by the shipyards at Walker and finally to Park Road. Overhead an electric train from The Coast packed with commuters’ speeds towards Newcastle Central Station, while the ‘men folk’ below, with customary flat caps and their bait, are ‘gannin to the yard’ for another day of heavy toil and hard graft.
The trolleybus system was in operation in the city for over 30 years, between 1935 and 1966. The routes covered much of the east, north and west of the city, with trolleys on many routes at peak times every few minutes. Extra services were operated to Gosforth Park on race days, the Town Moor for The Hoppins and for the shipyards at Walker and Wallsend, and ‘The Ministry’ at Benton. The conversion of trolleybus routes to diesel buses began in the summer of 1963, and the trolley ran on 1 October, 1966.
Kevin Hey
View across the Tyne from Davy Bank Wallsend, watercolour study
View across the Tyne from Davy Bank Wallsend sold
All the fun of the fair sold
Portobello Market Electric Cinema sold
Launch of ESSO Northumbria Swan Hunter Wallsend May 2nd 1969
Sharlston Colliery
The Eccles and Maude, Backworth Colliery. For my friend Keith who worked there and in memory of my mams elder brothers Bill and Aaron who also worked there.
Bar Italia at dusk sold
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club sold
Alan’s surreal Paris 2019 (5 feet square oil on canvas) sold
Going to St James’ Park to see Jackie sold
Sir Bobby Robson at St James’ Park sold
Tyne Theatre and Opera House sold
The Broken Doll Pub sold
St Paul’s Cathedral and Festival Gardens sold
A Northern Town in winter sold
Caphouse Colliery formerly known as Overton Colliery
Martins view
Kites, Trees and Crossed Lines sold
Theatre of Dreams 2019 sold
Alberts view of the Royal Albert Hall sold
Newcastle Central Station, etching and aquatint 1980
Wheldale Colliery, Alan coming home
Gannin alang the Scotswood Road sold
Sledging at dusk sold
Washing Blowing in the wind sold
Light in the shadow of a giant sold
Whitley Bay Spanish City and the Rendezvous Cafe sold
The Beatles at the Cavern Club sold
Autumn in the park sold
Kings Cross and St Pancras watercolour sold
Blue Church under red sky, lockdown
Ribbon under pink crescent moon, lockdown
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee street party sold
St Pancras Station sold
Ribbon barking at the Air ambulance helicopter, lockdown 2020
Peacock butterfly, watercolour, lockdown 2020
Forest in December (Watercolour 12 x 18 cm) (not for sale)
Schools out, lockdown 2020
Across the fields, lockdown 2020
David Byrne at Manchester Apollo sold
Camden Lock Market sold
A Glorious Salute the 3 Queens at Liverpool sold
Home Grown sold
The Giant Wheel sold
Blackpool Tower Ballroom Dancers sold