The creation of Tyne Bridge as a constituency in 1983 was a matter of some controversy because its boundaries, for the first time, ignored the natural barrier of the river.
The seat incorporates sections of both Newcastle and Gateshead, and holds most of the heart of the city. The railway station, castle, cathedral and main shopping centre are all found here, as is one of the more successful Millennial engineering projects, the recently opened Gateshead Millennium Bridge, which pivots on an axis like a blinking eye to allow the passage of shipping.
However, despite these features, the seat remains very much a typical North-Eastern inner city area, with all the attendant problems. Unemployment has fallen over the course of the last parliament, but still runs at one of the highest levels on the country. Council housing accounts for almost half of all housing in the constituency, and much of the labour market is partly skilled or simply unskilled.
Labour has held the seat since its creation; the only change since 1983 has been caused by the death of Harry Cowans in 1985, leading to the by-election victory of David Clelland, who has held it ever since.