Heritage
James Hill Monument
Peter Coates's 2006 memorial on Bottle Bank, opposite the Hilton, to James Hill, the Gateshead fiddler known as the Paganini of hornpipe players: a stone fiddle leaning on the wall, a bronze inscription and a carved bench.
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| Address | Bottle Bank, opposite the Hilton |
|---|---|
| Street | Bottle Bank |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Confidence | C · confirmed |
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Where it is
NZ 2541 6359 OS grid · 54.96629, -1.60465
A memorial to James Hill, the 19th-century fiddle player and composer who lived on Bottle Bank for most of his life, by the sculptor Peter Coates, installed in 2006. It is carved from Blaxter sandstone, the stone of the Tyne Bridge’s wall abutment beside it, with bronze set into the paving. A stone fiddle leans against the wall, and a stone bench is cut with the names of his tunes, among them The Hawk, the High Level Hornpipe, Fiddler’s Fancy, Underhand and Beeswing. The bronze inscription calls him a world-renowned fiddle player and composer, the finest exponent of the Newcastle hornpipe style, most active 1842–1852.
The High Level Hornpipe is named for the bridge a few yards away. The monument won a Civic Trust Award in 2009, and Coates says it has become a place of pilgrimage for Hill’s admirers worldwide. It is a sculpture you can sit on: the bench is part of the piece.
The bronze inscription. September 2026.
- Gateshead Council — James Hill Monument
- Peter Coates — James Hill Monument
- Co-Curate — James Hill Memorial (grid reference NZ 2541 6359, used for the pin)
- Andy, on the ground, September 2026 (photographs, inscription)