European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 3, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Creating an Den Gateshead prepares for Garden festival ancient Walls surround Berwick upon Tweed. Bra most visitors to a huge horticultural exhibition beside the River Tyne in northeastern England will not suspect that its Lush grounds once were filled with the structures of the Industrial revolution. Until recently derelict warehouses and factories and railway sidings crowded the 200-acre site of the National Garden festival at Gateshead which opens May 18 and runs through oct. 21. The area has been transformed into a Parkland. Old buildings were razed scrap was hauled away and some 2 million Trees and shrubs were planted along with 3 tons of grass seed and enough turf to fill 1,000 average household lawns. The Garden festival which is expected to attract More than 3 million visitors will feature some 100 Quot theme gardens Quot from All Over the world. They include a japanese Tea Garden Complete with teahouse a German Beer Garden and a traditional English Garden with herbaceous Borders designed by Queen Elizabeth s Gardener Ashleigh Stephenson. There will also be a trop Carium filled with tropical plants and butterflies and other insects a unique White Garden made entirely with White plants and Flowers and even a computerized Remote controlled Quot Garden of the  organizers also Hope to incorporate Britain s largest outdoor display of sculpture into the show a plus Britain s biggest exhibition of contemporary Art and Europe s largest Ferris wheel a 144-foot Structure that will offer a Birds Eye View of the festival. Among the 15,000 hours of events planned in conjunction with the festival Are pop Folk and classical concerts dance exhibitions Street theater fireworks and a Midsummer Viking festival that will feature longboat Quot invading Quot the River Tyne. The site Borders a one mile stretch of the River and such events As Powerboat racing rowing regattas and colourful chinese dragon boat racing will be staged. Spectators can watch the River events from the towering Dunston Coal Staths built Over the Tyne in 1890 for loading cargo ships. It is one of the world s largest surviving Timber structures. Festival visitors also will be Able to use some novel Means of transport to get around including Caterpillar shaped Monorail trains a miniature steam railway and a Tramway with three cars that once plied the streets of Newcastle. 10 stripes Magazine May 3, 1990