Plaque unveiled by the Queen when she opened Metro in 1981 is restored to its former glory

Nexus apprentices cleaning the Metro plaque that was unveiled by the Queen at Gateshead in 1981
9 October 2022

A commemorative plaque that was unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen when she carried out the official opening of the Tyne and Wear Metro has been restored to its former glory. 

The brass plate, which is located in the Metro concourse at Gateshead Interchange, has been given a deep clean, buffed back up to a mirror-like shine, and is gleaming once again. 

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, undertook the work as a mark of respect following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8. 

Two track engineering apprentices – Daniel Noble, 19, of South Shields, and Oliver Humphries 19, of Seaham, - were given the task of cleaning the plaque.

They set about carefully cleaning and polishing it.

And with a can of Brasso, and a bit of good old fashioned elbow grease they could soon see their reflections in it. 

They shifted 40 years of built-up dirt and detritus from the plaque, and have transformed a tiny but touchingly symbolic landmark on the Metro system. 

The plaque was unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen on November 6, 1981 when she visited Tyneside to officially open Metro.

Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “It’s wonderful to see the plaque that the Queen unveiled in 1981 shining brightly once again. 

“Our apprentices have done a cracking job getting it all cleaned, polished, and looking as good as new. 

“It now looks exactly like it was that day in November 1981 when scores of staff, media and civic dignitaries gathered to watch Her Majesty officially declare the Tyne and Wear Metro open on what was a historic day for our region.” 

When the Queen opened Metro in 1981 she arrived by car on Grey Street in the centre of Newcastle before boarding a Metro train at Monument. 

Her Majesty was introduced to staff who had worked on the project before she boarded a train. 

A special gantry was set up so that she could briefly alight to officially name the QEII Metro bridge over the River Tyne. 

The Queen then got back on the Metro for the short journey to Gateshead, where she met the driver of the train before heading up to concourse to unveil the plaque. 
 

Videos

Archive footage of Her Majesty The Queen opening Metro in 1981

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