Tyne and Wear (redirected from Tyne & Wear)

Tyne and Wear, former metropolitan county, NE England. Created in the 1974 local government reorganization, the county embraced the Newcastle upon Tyne conurbation and comprised five metropolitan districts: Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, and Sunderland. Tyne and Wear was abolished in 1986, and the districts became responsible for all services except police, fire, and civil defense, which are supervised jointly.

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Tyne and Wear

Metropolitan county (pop., 2001: 1,075,979), northeastern England. It was named for its two main rivers, the Tyne and the Wear. Settled since prehistoric times, the area was occupied by the Romans, who built Hadrian's Wall. Saxon, then Norman settlement followed. From the 13th century to recent times, the economy was based on local coal reserves and on such coal-dependent industries as glass, pottery, and chemicals. The main industries now include shipbuilding and heavy electrical engineering.