101-630: Low Fell is a suburb of Gateshead situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear , England. Built predominantly on sandstone, grindstone and clay, it is bordered by Sheriff Hill / Deckham to the east, Saltwell/Bensham to the west, Harlow Green to the south and Shipcote to the north. Low Fell is 3 miles (4.8 kilometres ) south of Gateshead , 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) south of Newcastle upon Tyne and 12 miles (19 kilometres) north of Durham . The main road into Low Fell
202-492: A county borough , independent from Durham County Council . In 1870, the Old Town Hall was built, designed by John Johnstone who also designed the previously built Newcastle Town Hall . The ornamental clock in front of the old town hall was presented to Gateshead in 1892 by the mayor, Walter de Lancey Willson, on the occasion of him being elected for a third time. He was also one of the founders of Walter Willson's,
303-535: A Gateshead Quays cultural quarter. The development includes the Gateshead Millennium Bridge , erected in 2001, which won the prestigious Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2002. The brutalist Trinity Centre Car Park , which was designed by Owen Luder , dominated the town centre for many years until its demolition in 2010. A product of attempts to regenerate the area in the 1960s, the car park gained an iconic status due to its appearance in
404-601: A Grade II listed building is the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church. Built on a steeply sloping site on Durham Road in 1882 and opened in January 1883, this church is a "pleasing and individual adaptation of early Gothic design", built in tooled sandstone with Welsh slate roof–tiles. There are two further churches in the suburb. These are Denewell Avenue Church and St Peter's. The former was a presbyterian church - now United Reformed Church, located on
505-552: A Newcastle magazine. Subsequent parts appeared over the next two years. Other well-known works include The Weshin’ Day ; his last poem was The Market Day . Wilson never lost his love of the area, or its people. He moved to Fell House, close to his birthplace, and spent the remainder of his long life there. He went on to write many other songs and pieces of prose, usually in the Geordie dialect ; these were mostly published by George Routledge & Sons . Wilson died on 9 May 1858 at
606-656: A chain of grocers in the North East and Cumbria. The old town hall also served as a magistrate's court and one of Gateshead's police stations. In 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972 , the County Borough of Gateshead was merged with the urban districts of Felling , Whickham , Blaydon and Ryton and part of the rural district of Chester-le-Street to create the much larger Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead . The town of Gateshead
707-540: A converted flour mill. The Glasshouse International Centre for Music , previously The Sage, a Norman Foster -designed venue for music and the performing arts opened on 17 December 2004. Gateshead also hosted the Gateshead Garden Festival in 1990, rejuvenating 200 acres (0.81 km ) of derelict land (now mostly replaced with housing). The Angel of the North , a famous sculpture in nearby Lamesley ,
808-473: A mile of farmland between Gateshead and Low Fell, though the land was far less severe than that leading to Sheriff Hill and Wrekenton, so plans were drawn to build a new road through the farmland, Low Fell and towards Durham. Work began on this new road on 6 December 1824 and took some eighteen months to complete so that the first mail coach travelled on the new road, today known as Durham Road, on 17 June 1826. Thomas Wilson used to call this road "the road through
909-451: A rarity and the last remaining pit heaps had been removed. The result was that numerous wealthy individuals were drawn to the area and it was this influx which helped shape and grow the early settlement, as opposed to the more usual means of growth allied to work and industry. The 1880s were a decade of considerable building in the village, fueled by the completion of a tramway with nearby Gateshead in 1883 and this brought some light industry to
1010-409: A short stay in this job, he moved to a clerkship on Newcastle's Quayside. In 1803, Wilson followed this with a move to join a Tyneside engineering company run by Mr John Losh. He became a partner in the company in 1807 and the partnership changed its name to Losh, Wilson and Bell , manufacturer of alkali and iron. In 1826 the first part of his most famous song The Pitman's Pay was published in
1111-417: A small group of Newcastle merchants acquired the 'Grand Lease' of the manors of Gateshead and Whickham . In the hundred years from 1574 coal shipments from Newcastle increased elevenfold while the population of Gateshead doubled to approximately 5,500. However, the lease and the abundant coal supplies ended in 1680. The pits were shallow as problems of ventilation and flooding defeated attempts to mine coal from
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#17327805549511212-422: A suburb of Gateshead into a very poor family. Like many from the North East, he began his working life down the mines at one of the many local pits, starting as a trapper-boy at around the age of around 8 or 9 years old. He had the determination to better himself, and wanted to improve his life and so studied, educating himself to a high standard, before moving on to become a schoolmaster at an early age. After
1313-409: A thriving community of shops, restaurants, schools and churches. Low Fell is a local council ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead . This ward is approximately 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi) in area and has a population of 8,643. The Low Fell ward is represented by three councillors. In April 2012, these were Ron Beadle, Frank Hindle and Susan Craig. Low Fell is now part of
1414-430: A town", adding that it appeared to have been designed "by an enemy of the human race". William Wailes the celebrated stained-glass maker, lived at South Dene from 1853 to 1860. In 1860, he designed Saltwell Towers as a fairy-tale palace for himself. It is an imposing Victorian mansion in its own park with a romantic skyline of turrets and battlements. It was originally furnished sumptuously by Gerrard Robinson. Some of
1515-574: Is Gateshead Millennium Bridge , winner of the prestigious Robert Stephenson Award. Socialist singer/songwriter Alex Glasgow , the so–called "bard of Tyneside", is best remembered for writing and singing the theme tune to the BBC television classic When the Boat Comes In . Glasgow lived at 59 Church Road in Low Fell until he emigrated to Australia in 1981. A Gateshead Blue Plaque was erected on
1616-450: Is Heathfield House, a two-story villa built by John Wardle (designer of St Helen's Church) in 1865 and Musgrave House, an ashlar villa with raised quoins built in 1854–5 which has been used as a school, but is no longer so. Both buildings are now converted to private flats. The most prominent church in Low Fell is St Helen's Church, a Gothic revival church built from rock–faced sandstone with ashlar details. Costing £13,000 and paid for "by
1717-1016: Is a cricket club and a rugby club adjacent to each other on Eastwood Gardens. These are Gateshead Fell Cricket Club and Gateshead Rugby Club. Gateshead Rugby Club was formed in 1998 following the merger of Gateshead Fell Rugby Club and North Durham Rugby Club. Gateshead is served by the following rail transport stations with some being operated by National Rail and some being Tyne & Wear Metro stations: Dunston , Felling , Gateshead Interchange , Gateshead Stadium , Heworth Interchange , MetroCentre and Pelaw . Tyne & Wear Metro stations at Gateshead Interchange and Gateshead Stadium provide direct light-rail access to Newcastle Central , Newcastle Airport , Sunderland , Tynemouth and South Shields Interchange . National Rail services are provided by Northern at Dunston and MetroCentre stations. The East Coast Main Line , which runs from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley , cuts directly through
1818-420: Is about 10 minutes, and 15 minutes to Newcastle upon Tyne . The nearest National Rail stations are Heworth and Newcastle , with the nearest Tyne and Wear Metro station located at Gateshead . The settlement lies on a busy bus corridor, with frequent services operating in and around Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne. Services are operated by Arriva North East and Go North East . As of June 2020,
1919-530: Is an unusual trait in the modern Gatshead conurbation. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 , Low Fell has a population of 8,643. 51% of the population are female, slightly below the national average, whilst 49% are male. Only 1% of the population are from a Black or other Minority Ethnic Group (BME), as opposed to 9.1% of the national population. Of the BME group in the settlement, 40% are from
2020-605: Is in contrast to the flat and low lying Team Valley located on the western edges of town. The high elevations allow for impressive views over the Tyne valley into Newcastle and across Tyneside to Sunderland and the North Sea from lookouts in Windmill Hills and Windy Nook respectively. The Office for National Statistics defines the town as an urban sub-division. The 2011 ONS urban sub-division of Gateshead contains
2121-522: Is in the North East of England in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear , and within the historic boundaries of County Durham . It is located on the southern bank of the River Tyne at a latitude of 54.57° N and a longitude of 1.35° W. Gateshead experiences a temperate climate which is considerably warmer than some other locations at similar latitudes as a result of the warming influence of
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#17327805549512222-556: Is the A167 . According to the 2001 UK census, Low Fell had a population of 8,643, falling marginally to 8,636 at the 2011 census. For centuries little more than part of a windswept, barren and treacherous heath, the settlement at Low Fell was initially established by a moderate influx of tinkers and miners in the 18th century. Gateshead Fell was initially incorporated into the Municipal Borough of Gateshead in 1835 and then
2323-473: Is the busiest bus station in Tyne & Wear and was used by 3.9 million bus passengers in 2008. Thomas Wilson (poet) Thomas Wilson (1773 – 9 May 1858) was a Tyneside poet, from Low Fell in County Durham . His most famous work, written in the Geordie dialect , is The Pitman's Pay , originally published between 1826 and 1830. Wilson, was born on 14 November 1773 at Low Fell , now
2424-461: Is triple gabled, and built of roughly dressed sandstone, and was the first private residence in the world to be lit by electric light. It later became a school, and is now retirement sheltered housing. 231 Kells Lane is the location of Home House. This fine early 19th century, symmetrical, ashlar and sandstone property was the family home of the Dodds sisters, and is also a Grade II listed building. At
2525-498: Is used in the references this is indicated below in (brackets) at the end of the source name. When a source is available online, a link has been included. Gateshead Gateshead ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ t s ( h ) ɛ d / ) is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear , England. It is on the River Tyne 's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of
2626-653: Is visible from the A1 to the south of Gateshead, as well as from the East Coast Main Line . Other public art include works by Richard Deacon , Colin Rose, Sally Matthews , Andy Goldsworthy , Gordon Young and Michael Winstone . The earliest recorded coal mining in the Gateshead area is dated to 1344. As trade on the Tyne prospered there were several attempts by the burghers of Newcastle to annex Gateshead. In 1576
2727-461: The 2005 UK General Election after she had polled over 60% of the total votes cast whilst in 2001, Joyce Quin was returned to parliament with a majority of 53.3%. Low Fell, at a latitude of 54.93° N and a longitude of 1.60 ° W, lies on the eastern side of the Team Valley , some 2.5 miles (4.0 kilometres ) south of the centre of Gateshead town centre on "one of the main link roads" into
2828-523: The Football League in 1960 in favour of Peterborough United , whilst Gateshead Thunder lost their place in Super League as a result of a takeover (officially termed a merger) by Hull F.C. Both Gateshead clubs continue to ply their trade at lower levels in their respective sports, thanks mainly to the efforts of their supporters. The Gateshead Senators American Football team also use
2929-728: The Gulf Stream (via the North Atlantic drift ). It is located in the rain shadow of the North Pennines and is therefore in one of the driest regions of the United Kingdom . One of the most distinguishing features of Gateshead is its topography . The land rises 230 feet from Gateshead Quays to the town centre and continues rising to a height of 525 feet at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sheriff Hill . This
3030-433: The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead was formed, Low Fell had transformed from those early, village days and was by that time a bustling suburb with a considerable independent commercial hub attracting a high volume of vehicular traffic. That character is relatively unchanged today, but Low Fell remains one of the most attractive places to live in the North East of England , retaining a distinctive village feel and containing
3131-624: The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship and Thomas Wilson , a local poet most famous for his 1843 work The Pitman's Pay . Ruth Dodds was a prominent Labour politician in Gateshead who, along with her sisters Hope and Sylvia Dodds, funded the building of the Little Theatre Gateshead . All three lived in Low Fell their entire lives. Steve “The Bridge” Aspinall, a nationally renowned Civil Engineer, whose multiple achievements freely speak for themselves. An example of which
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3232-544: The Team Valley Trading Estate was built in the mid-1930s to alleviate the situation. In the late noughties , Gateshead Council started to regenerate the town, with the long-term aim of making Gateshead a city. The most extensive transformation occurred in the Quayside , with almost all the structures there being constructed or refurbished in this time. In the early 2010s, regeneration refocused on
3333-637: The Westminster parliamentary constituency of Gateshead . It had previously formed part of the Gateshead East and Washington West constituency which was abolished by boundary changes prior to the 2010 UK General Election . The present incumbent MP is Ian Mearns , who lives in nearby Saltwell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear . Mearns, a member of the Labour party, replaced former incumbent Sharon Hodgson MP, who successfully campaigned for election in
3434-699: The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway . In 1854 the works moved to the Greenesfield site and became the manufacturing headquarters of North Eastern Railway . In 1909, locomotive construction was moved to Darlington and the rest of the works were closed in 1932. Robert Stirling Newall took out a patent on the manufacture of wire ropes in 1840 and in partnership with Messrs. Liddell and Gordon, set up his headquarters at Gateshead. A worldwide industry of wire-drawing resulted. The submarine telegraph cable received its definitive form through Newall's initiative, involving
3535-570: The county council . In the 2021 Census , the town had a population of 196,151. Gateshead is first mentioned in Latin translation in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People as ad caput caprae ("at the goat's head"). This interpretation is consistent with the later English attestations of the name, among them Gatesheued ( c. 1190 ), literally "goat's head" but in
3636-450: The 1971 film Get Carter , starring Michael Caine . An unsuccessful campaign to have the structure listed was backed by Sylvester Stallone , who played the main role in the 2000 remake of the film. The car park was scheduled for demolition in 2009, but this was delayed as a result of a disagreement between Tesco , who re-developed the site, and Gateshead Council . The council had not been given firm assurances that Tesco would build
3737-730: The Asian or Asian–British ethnic group. Low Fell has a very low proportion of lone parent households at some 4% of all households in the settlement. This is the lowest figure in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead and compares very favourably with a Borough average of 11.5% and a national average of 9.5%. Some 26% of households have dependent children, as opposed to 29.5% nationally and 28.4% in Gateshead. The Index of Multiple Deprivation , which divides England into 32,482 areas and measures quality of life indicators to indicate deprivation , does not include any part of Low Fell in any of
3838-789: The Black Horse on Kells Lane, the Buck (now The Beaconsfield) on Beaconsfield Road (formerly Buck Lane), the Crown (now the Tap at Carters Well) and the Gateshead Arms on Durham Road. All of these venues were in existence prior to 1858. The suburb was also once home to a pair of cinemas; the Classic and the Capitol (confusingly, this cinema was also later named 'The Classic'). The original Classic
3939-435: The County Borough of Gateshead in 1889. More recently, it was formally incorporated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972 which took effect on 1 April 1974. Prior to 1809, Low Fell was part of Gateshead Fell; itself a constituent part of the ancient County of Durham . Once described as a "windswept, barren and treacherous heath ", it took its name from nearby Gateshead and
4040-551: The Durham Road area is "a vibrant commercial hub with thriving shops, bars and restaurants" as well as some banks and small offices. These now act as the principle commercial centre for the area though the townscape in this area varies greatly and the unsympathetic development at the crest of Albert Drive in the 1960s is uncommon and has been said to detract from the suburb. A smaller commercial area developed at Kells Lane, again predominantly built through small enterprise, and today
4141-729: The Gateshead side of the River Tyne, around the old river crossing where the Swing Bridge now stands, since Roman times. The first recorded mention of Gateshead is in the writings of the Venerable Bede who referred to an Abbot of Gateshead called Utta in 623. In 1068 William the Conqueror defeated the forces of Edgar the Ætheling and Malcolm king of Scotland ( Shakespeare 's Malcolm ) on Gateshead Fell (now Low Fell and Sheriff Hill ). During medieval times Gateshead
Low Fell - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-466: The Indies, as well as flax, wine, and grain. He sold tea, sugar, chocolate, and tobacco. He operated the largest coal mines in the area, and was a leading salt producer. As the government's principal agent in the North country, he was in contact with leading ministers. William Hawks , originally a blacksmith , started business in Gateshead in 1747, working with the iron brought to the Tyne as ballast by
4343-884: The International Stadium, as well as this it was used in the 2006 Northern Conference champions in the British American Football League . Gateshead Leisure Centre is home to the Gateshead Phoenix Basketball Team. The team currently plays in EBL League Division 4. Home games are usually on a Sunday afternoon during the season, which runs from September to March. The team was formed in 2013 and ended their initial season well placed to progress after defeating local rivals Newcastle Eagles II and promotion chasing Kingston Panthers . In Low Fell there
4444-560: The Literary Rooms is a Grade II listed South African War memorial, dated 1903, and signed 'Morrison'. Located close to the main shopping centre on Durham Road lies Whinney House, a large villa built in 1865 by local resident Edward Joicey. It is now being converted into luxury flats. An impressive hexagonal based, stone fountain which has Grade II listed status is still in evidence. Travelling further along Durham Road towards Gateshead are two more Grade II listed buildings. The first
4545-948: The New Cannon Inn on the corner of Durham Road and Buck Lane (now Beaconsfield Road) in 1826– the same year that the Sheriff's March was re–routed from Sheriff Hill to the new road through Low Fell. Despite the cessation of the Sheriff's March in 1838, Clements' establishment became "the social centre of the growing village, where concerts, dinners and meetings of all kinds were held". New, adjoining roads gradually began to appear, such as Lamesley Road, which later became Kells Lane, and Low Fell Road, which became Beaconsfield Road and Belle Vue Bank. In January 1841, local poet Thomas Wilson bought land on Durham Road and opened literary rooms which were opened in November 1841. The upper section of
4646-550: The North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art . The town shares the Millennium Bridge , Tyne Bridge and multiple other bridges with Newcastle upon Tyne . Historically part of County Durham , under the Local Government Act 1888 the town was made a county borough , meaning it was administered independently of
4747-608: The Tyne colliers. Hawks and Co. eventually became one of the biggest iron businesses in the North , producing anchors, chains and so on to meet a growing demand. There was keen contemporary rivalry between 'Hawks' Blacks' and 'Crowley's Crew'. The famous 'Hawks' men' including Ned White, went on to be celebrated in Geordie song and story. In 1831 a locomotive works was established by the Newcastle and Darlington Railway, later part of
4848-542: The age of 85 and is buried in St Johns Church Sheriff Hill Gateshead. A philanthropist, he was responsible for the erection of a building in Low Fell in 1841 which provided reading rooms, a schoolroom and a lecture theatre for the working classes. A social club in the Low Fell area is named after him. Gateshead Borough Council plans to erect a Blue plaque to commemorate "Thomas Wilson (1774-1858) Poet, Teacher and Business Man". There
4949-477: The area contains a butcher's shop,a bakery, hair dressers and a greengrocers. The unemployment levels in the suburb are very low compared to both local and national levels at 2.6%. The overall level of economic activity in Low Fell in 2004 was 69%, as compared to 61% in Gateshead overall and 67% in England. Manufacturing is the largest sector of employment for residents in the suburb. 15% of all working residents of
5050-666: The area; in the same year Mawson & Swan built their dry plate works in Kells Lane and this proved to be the first of several light industries to locate in that area. These smaller industries, allied to several farms in the Dryden Road area of the village (Dryden Farm, Orchard Cottage Dairy Farm and Derwent Crook Farm all survived in this area until the Second World War ), generated a small economy in an area where inhabitants had built and settled predominantly to escape
5151-551: The areas marked as deprived. Low Fell compares very favourably with the wider Gateshead area in respect of adults with educational qualifications. Only 23% of adults in the settlement have no educational qualifications (the lowest figure in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead), compared to 38.4% across the whole of Gateshead and the England average of 28.9%. 55% of adults have at least five or more GCSEs or equivalent at A*–C (compared to 46.6% nationally) and, of these, 28% are qualified to degree level. Prior to enclosure, Low Fell
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#17327805549515252-552: The bleakness of the land and for the criminality undertaken upon it. When theologian John Wesley arrived in a blizzard in 1785, he found a "pathless waste of white" inhabited predominantly by tinkers, gypsies, pitmen and quarrymen. In 1809 an Act was obtained ordering the enclosure of Gateshead Fell. The Inclosure Act separated Gateshead Fell into Wrekenton and Sheriff Hill (collectively High Fell) plus Low Fell. Commissioners were appointed to settle claims in land and to apportion Gateshead Fell accordingly. Plans were laid for
5353-560: The borough. It is a part of the local development plan which is in conjunction with Newcastle city borough, and was created in the 1960s. Its stated aims are to: In the Gateshead borough boundary, as well as the aforementioned areas, it also surrounds the communities of Chopwell , Crawcrook , Greenside , High Spen , Kibblesworth , Lockhaugh, Rowlands Gill , Ryton , Sunniside , as well several small hamlets. Landscape features and facilities such as woods and nature reserves, local golf courses, Burdon Moor and Whinell Hill are also within
5454-445: The centre of both Gateshead and Newcastle–upon–Tyne, England . The distance from Low Fell to London is 254 miles (409 kilometres). Low Fell occupies an elevated position which slopes down from east to west. Though the principal routes through Durham Road and Kells Lane are of gentle slope, some parts of the suburb are quite steeply sloped– notably those which border Sheriff Hill to the east (Church Road particularly). The land upon which
5555-464: The context of a place-name meaning 'headland or hill frequented by (wild) goats'. Although other derivations have been mooted, it is this that is given by the standard authorities. A Brittonic predecessor, named with the element *gabro- , 'goat' (c.f. Welsh gafr ), may underlie the name. Gateshead might have been the Roman-British fort of Gabrosentum . There has been a settlement on
5656-425: The corner of Denewell Avenue and Dryden Road which was formed originally in 1907 when a wood and corrugated iron building was erected on a site purchased for £480. This building was soon demolished and replaced with a new building which opened on Good Friday, 10 April 1914. St Peter's, meanwhile, is a Roman Catholic located on Kells Lane which opened in 1962. Low Fell is home to numerous public houses. The New Cannon
5757-474: The deeper seams. William Cotesworth (1668-1726) was a prominent merchant based in Gateshead, where he was a leader in coal and international trade. Cotesworth began as the son of a yeoman and apprentice to a tallow - candler. He ended as an esquire, having been mayor, Justice of the Peace and sheriff of Northumberland. He collected tallow from all over England and sold it across the globe. He imported dyes from
5858-420: The demographics of Gateshead with the wider Metropolitan borough. The town's population in 2011 was 120,046 compared with 78,403 in 2001. This is due to a slight population increase and boundary and methodology changes since 2001. Felling used to be a separate urban subdivision and had a population of around 35,000, but now it is considered part of Gateshead town. The population of the 2011 census boundaries in 2001
5959-430: The dirt and grime of industrial Tyneside . As Gateshead expanded southward to meet the village, Low Fell became a residential suburb of Gateshead but one which has, through its atypical development, has retained a rural village character. In 1897, the first shops were built on Durham Road. These expanded substantially so that by 1939 the villagers were able to forgo travel to nearby Gateshead for commercial purposes. Today
6060-411: The dirt and noise of industrial Newcastle and Gateshead. These individuals duly built and lived in mansion property in the area. One such property, Heathfield, was a mansion located on Durham Road which was built and owned by a wealthy chemical manufacturer who kept bears in his substantial adjoining grounds. Through the early 20th century, the village continued to expand towards Gateshead, though even in
6161-592: The east, Saltwell/Shipcote to the north, Allerdene to the south and the Team Valley Trading Estate to the west. The precise boundaries of the suburb are difficult to ascertain, though the southern boundary was fixed with certainty at the junction of Kells Lane and Durham Road by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 and the eastern border with Sheriff Hill is clearly demarcated by Sheriff's Highway/Old Durham Road. Though
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#17327805549516262-507: The fact that the area was "a fell or common contigious to it". That portion of Gateshead Fell which would later become Low Fell was, in the 1640s, little more than boggy marsh and wetlands owned by the Bishop of Durham who simply divided the land into plots and rented them to the few tenants willing to pay for them. By the 18th century, the lower section of Gateshead Fell consisted broadly of sparsely populated farm and woodland, demarcated from
6363-473: The fields"; a description which was said to have suited the road well until at least the turn of the 20th century. The opening of the new road saw people drawn to an area which now attracted considerable trade, travel and through–fare. Robert Clements, proprietor of the Old Cannon Inn at Sheriff Hill , quickly foresaw the likely detrimental effect that the new road would have on his business and opened
6464-677: The following bus routes serve Low Fell: Until the establishment of Kells Lane Primary School in 1895, education provision in Low Fell relied largely upon the contribution of local residents such as Thomas Wilson , whose literary rooms on Durham Road provided classes for residents. There are now several schools in the suburb. Low Fell has three primary schools - Kells Lane Primary School on Kells Lane, St Peter's RC Primary School on Dryden Road, and Oakfield Infant and Junior School on Chowdene Bank. Kells Lane Primary, St Peter's RC Primary and Oakfield Infant School were all rated 'Outstanding' in their most recent Ofsted inspections; Oakfield Junior School
6565-496: The green belt area. The town of Gateshead consists of the following districts. Some of them were once separate settlements that were absorbed by encroaching urban sprawl , while others consist entirely of retail, industrial and housing estates. Many of these areas overlap each other and their boundaries are by no means official or fixed. Gateshead is a Town (Urban Subdivision) in the Tyneside urban area . The table below compares
6666-469: The historical County Borough together with areas that the town has absorbed, including Dunston , Felling , Heworth , Pelaw and Bill Quay . Given the proximity of Gateshead to Newcastle, just south of the River Tyne from the city centre , it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as being a part of Newcastle. Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council teamed up in 2000 to create a unified marketing brand name, NewcastleGateshead , to better promote
6767-456: The houses between Shipcote and the village were private and the owners added 'Low Fell' to their addresses, at times not even mentioning Gateshead, although, if we adhere to the original boundaries, they did not live in Low Fell at all". The village changed little in either character or structure after the end of World War II, though in 1965 plans were drawn for the further development of Durham Road which drew criticism from residents. By 1974, when
6868-424: The increase was over 100,000. This expansion resulted in the spread southwards of the town. In 1854, a catastrophic explosion on the quayside destroyed most of Gateshead's medieval heritage, and caused widespread damage on the Newcastle side of the river. Sir Joseph Swan lived at Underhill, Low Fell, Gateshead from 1869 to 1883, where his experiments led to the invention of the electric light bulb . The house
6969-450: The interwar–years "children could play marbles on Durham Road in perfect safety". However, by the turn of World War II in 1945, Gateshead itself has expanded so much that the urban sprawl had removed much of the scenic panorama which had delighted settlers in the suburb a century earlier. In spite of these developments: By 1939, Low Fell had become the select suburb of Gateshead and had substantial and independent shopping facilities. All of
7070-433: The laudable benevolence of Edward Joicey", the foundation stone of St Helen's was laid on 29 October 1873 and the church was consecrated on 29 August 1876. The result is "a lovely church" located on Belle Vue Bank which benefits from a number of high quality, stained–glass windows. and a Father Willis organ, built for the church and rebuilt in 1949 by H Vincent of Sunderland. St Helen's is now a Grade II* listed building. Also
7171-430: The literary rooms was used as a school for local children until the opening of a new school on a site at Kells Lane in 1895. In the 1880s there was a decade of intensive building and the population of the village increased accordingly. The relative tranquility of the village, coupled with scenic views of surrounding hills and countryside, attracted rich industrialists from nearby Newcastle–upon–Tyne, seeking an alternative to
7272-608: The newly formed constituency of Washington and Sunderland West . In the 2010 UK General Election, Mearns was elected with a majority of 12,549 votes over the second placed candidate, Frank Hindle. The swing from the Labour party to the Liberal Democrats was 3.9%. Low Fell is part of one of the safest Labour parliamentary seats in the United Kingdom. Mearns' success in 2010 followed the return of Sharon Hodgson in
7373-472: The panelling installed by Robinson was later moved to the Shipley Art Gallery . Wailes sold Saltwell Towers to the corporation in 1876 for use as a public park, provided he could use the house for the rest of his life. For many years the structure was essentially an empty shell but following a restoration programme it was reopened to the public in 2004. The council sponsored the development of
7474-558: The previously envisioned town centre development which was to include a Tesco mega-store as well as shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, offices and student accommodation. The council effectively used the car park as a bargaining tool to ensure that the company adhered to the original proposals and blocked its demolition until they submitted a suitable planning application. Demolition finally took place in July–August 2010. The Derwent Tower , another well known example of brutalist architecture,
7575-490: The requisition and construction of wells (including Carter's Well; located on Durham Road and accompanied today by a commemorative Gateshead blue plaque ), quarries, drains, roads, watering places and other essential requirements. Progress was slow, with the last allotment disputes not settled until 1822, but by the time of completion, Gateshead Fell was entirely enclosed and effectively consigned to history. The divisions of Gateshead Fell have remained more or less settled, so that
7676-410: The section of Gateshead Fell which was to become Sheriff Hill by a boundary formed by a mound of earth. In 1771, the number of settlers on Gateshead Fell increased as a result of the 'Great Flood of 1771', during which the rivers Tyne , Wear and Tees all burst their banks, causing people to lose their homes. By this time, however, Gateshead Fell had become a place of considerable notoriety, both for
7777-399: The settlement is built contains predominantly sandstone , grindstone and clay. After the enclosure of Gateshead Fell , Low Fell developed firstly into a village but following the subsequent large urban expansion of Gateshead, Low Fell was enveloped so that "now it is surrounded by suburban Gateshead, which has developed in dense form around it with little visual delineation" and in 1974
7878-433: The southern edge of Durham Road is Carter's Well, the first of the notable buildings and items of interest on that road. 516 Durham Road houses "a stone building with a domestic air". This Grade II listed building was the literary room built by local subscription at the instigation of Thomas Wilson in 1841. Designed by Thomas Oliver, the building was used as a bank and is now The Bank Restaurant and Bar. Immediately adjacent to
7979-481: The suburb do so in a managerial capacity; again, this is the highest figure in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead . Low Fell is home to numerous buildings listed by English Heritage . Underhill , at 99 Kells Lane, is a Grade II* listed building. It was the home of Sir Joseph Wilson Swan between 1869 and 1883 and was the site of many pioneering experiments in photographic processing and in electricity. Described as "a large, unlovely polychrome villa", Underhill
8080-514: The summer months, and is home of the Gateshead Harriers athletics club. It is also host to rugby league fixtures, and the home ground of Gateshead Football Club . Gateshead Thunder Rugby League Football Club played at Gateshead International Stadium until its purchase by Newcastle Rugby Limited and the subsequent rebranding as Newcastle Thunder . Both clubs have had their problems: Gateshead A.F.C. were controversially voted out of
8181-483: The town centre (Bridges and Saltwell) have minority populations very similar to the national average. The Tyneside metropolitan area, which contains the borough of Gateshead, has a population of 829,300; the NewcastleGateshead urban core area has population of 480,400. The Metropolitan borough of Gateshead had a population of 200,214 in 2011. Gateshead is the main major area in the metropolitan borough and
8282-575: The town centre. The £150 million Trinity Square development opened in May 2013, it incorporates student accommodation, a cinema, health centre and shops. It was nominated for the Carbuncle Cup in September 2014. The cup was however awarded to another development which involved Tesco , Woolwich Central . In 1835, Gateshead was established as a municipal borough and in 1889 it was made
8383-484: The town on its way between Newcastle Central and Chester-le-Street stations. There are presently no stations on this line within Gateshead, as Low Fell , Bensham and Gateshead West stations were closed in 1952, 1954 and 1965 respectively. Several major road links pass through Gateshead, including the A1 which links London to Edinburgh and the A184 which connects the town to Sunderland . Gateshead Interchange
8484-546: The town takes up around 60% of the borough's population. Other major areas in the borough include Whickham , Birtley , Blaydon-on-Tyne and Ryton . Gateshead is home to the MetroCentre , the largest shopping mall in the UK until 2008; and the Team Valley Trading Estate, once the largest and still one of the larger purpose-built commercial estates in the UK. The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has been established in
8585-403: The urbanisation of Gateshead around it has detracted from the panoramic views of western Gateshead that were once enjoyed by residents, at elevated positions views of Lobley Hill , Team Valley and Dunston Hill can be glimpsed. Although now a suburb of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, the openness and greenspace prevalent in Low Fell means that the suburb continues to enjoy a rural feel, which
8686-639: The use of gutta-percha surrounded by strong wires. The first successful Dover – Calais cable on 25 September 1851, was made in Newall's works. In 1853, he invented the brake-drum and cone for laying cable in deep seas. Half of the first Atlantic cable was manufactured in Gateshead. Newall was interested in astronomy, and his giant 25-inch (640 mm) telescope was set up in the garden at Ferndene, his Gateshead residence, in 1871. J. B. Priestley , writing of Gateshead in his 1934 travelogue English Journey , said that "no true civilisation could have produced such
8787-430: The village was formally incorporated into Tyne and Wear as part of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972 . Until the implementation of that Act, Low Fell was part of the ceremonial county of County Durham as part of the County Borough of Gateshead. It is now bordered by a number of settlements which also now form part of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. These are Sheriff Hill to
8888-462: The villages created by enclosure have survived, almost entirely intact, to the present day. After enclosure, 'civilisation came to the Fell'. This began with the building of a new road. The only major road through Gateshead Fell was that which followed the same route of the ancient turnpike road which ran through what is now Sheriff Hill (today this is Old Durham Road/Sheriffs Highway). The turnpike road
8989-670: The wall of his old house in February 2006 Former England international cricketer Graham Onions lives in Low Fell having previously played for nearby Gateshead Fell Cricket Club. Low Fell is located on the A167 – the former route of the Great North Road and the A1 , before it was diverted first to the Tyne Tunnel and then to its present route on the Western Bypass . The journey time by car or bus to Gateshead
9090-517: The whole of the Tyneside conurbation. Climate in this area has small differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round to meet the criterion for Oceanic climate, at least 30 mm per month. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb " (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ). The town is within the wider Tyne & Wear Green Belt, with its portion in much of its surrounding rural area of
9191-465: Was 113,220, proving that there was some sort of population increase. In 2011, 8.0% of the population of Gateshead Town were from an ethnic minority group (non-indigenous), compared with only 6.0% for the surrounding borough. Despite the borough's low ethnic minority population compared with the England average of 20.2%, it has slightly more ethnic minorities than other boroughs in Tyne and Wear, such as Sunderland or North Tyneside, and two wards near
9292-535: Was a geologist of international reputation and an early proponent of the theory of continental drift. He pioneered the use of radiometric dating of minerals and was the first earth scientist to grasp the mechanical and thermal implications of mantle convection, which led eventually to the acceptance of plate tectonics, and has a blue plaque outside his childhood home on Primrose Hill. Other notable former residents include J. Thomas Looney , an elementary school master whose controversial text 'Shakespeare Identified' founded
9393-644: Was also designed by Owen Luder and stood in the neighbourhood of Dunston . Like the Trinity Car Park it also failed in its bid to become a listed building and was demolished in 2012. Also located in this area are the Grade II listed Dunston Staiths which were built in 1890. Following the award of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of almost £420,000 restoration of the structure was planned in 2014 and completed by 2015. Gateshead International Stadium regularly holds international athletics meetings over
9494-442: Was also rated 'Outstanding'. Low Fell also has two specialist schools for students with additional educational needs. The Cedars Academy on Ivy Lane is a school for students aged 3–19 with a range of special educational needs and was rated 'Good' in 2012. The Dryden School on Shotley Gardens caters for students aged 11–19 with severe or profound multiple learning difficulties and was rated 'Outstanding' in 2015. Where an abbreviation
9595-512: Was established on Durham Road in 1826 and soon became something of a social hub for the village, hosting travelling troupes, lessons in quadrille dancing and hosting plays from visiting theatre as early as the 1820–30s. So successful was the New Cannon that in those formative years it "monopolised trade on the new major route and was, in fact, the centre of village life". The Cannon Inn still survives today, along with other public houses such as
9696-430: Was located on Kells Lane and was opened in 1928, whilst the Capitol was located on Durham Road and opened in 1936. Both closed prior to the turn of the 21st century. Sir Joseph Swan is famous for being the inventor of the incandescent light–bulb (though also instrumental in improvements to photographic film and rechargeable batteries), lived at Underhill , 99 Kells Lane in Low Fell between 1869 and 1883. Arthur Holmes
9797-423: Was predominantly inhabited by a small number of tinkers and hawkers but after enclosure the character of the suburb changed rapidly as people moved to be close to the new turnpike road. Although neighbouring Sheriff Hill thrived through an influx of heavy industry , built upon a colliery and pottery particularly, by 1827 new allotment owners on Low Fell had spent heavily to improve land so that sod cottages were
9898-541: Was rated 'Good'. At secondary level, Grace College is situated on Saltwell Road South and was rated by Ofsted in 2018 as 'Inadequate'. Low Fell also falls within the catchment areas of certain secondary schools in other areas of Gateshead, such as the selective state school Emmanuel College in Lobley Hill which was rated 'Outstanding' in 2013, and Cardinal Hume Catholic School in Beacon Lough, which in 2014
9999-404: Was the first in the world to be wired for domestic electric light. In 1889 one of the largest employers ( Hawks, Crawshay and Sons ) closed down and unemployment has since been a burden. Up to the Second World War there were repeated newspaper reports of the unemployed sending deputations to the council to provide work. The depression years of the 1920s and 1930s created even more joblessness and
10100-566: Was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Durham . At this time the area was largely forest with some agricultural land. The forest was the subject of Gateshead's first charter, granted in the 12th century by Hugh du Puiset , Bishop of Durham. An alternative spelling may be "Gatishevede", as seen in a legal record, dated 1430. Throughout the Industrial Revolution the population of Gateshead expanded rapidly; between 1801 and 1901
10201-452: Was very steep and was deemed rather unsatisfactory: Why should coaches have to labour up the long hill from Newcastle to the top of Gateshead Fell, and then go down the steep descent to the Coach & Horses inn just before Birtley, while those coming from the south had to climb and descend the hills in reverse? There must be a new road with better gradients... Until 1824 there was still about
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