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Wallsend

Coordinates:54°59′28″N1°32′02″W/ 54.991°N 1.534°W/54.991; -1.534
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For other uses, seeWallsend (disambiguation).

Wallsend
Wallsend is located in Tyne and Wear
Wallsend
Wallsend
Location withinTyne and Wear
Population43,826[1]
OS grid referenceNZ301664
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWALLSEND
Postcode districtNE28
Dialling code0191
PoliceNorthumbria
FireTyne and Wear
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear
54°59′28″N1°32′02″W/ 54.991°N 1.534°W/54.991; -1.534

Wallsend(/ˌwɔːlzˈɛnd/) is a town inNorth Tyneside,Tyne and Wear,England,at the eastern end ofHadrian's Wall.It has a population of 43,842 and lies 4 miles (6.5 kilometres) east ofNewcastle upon Tyne.[2]

History

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Roman Wallsend

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In Roman times, this was the site of the fort ofSegedunum.This fort protected the eastern end ofHadrian's Wall,which did not terminate at the western wall of the fort, but continued from its south-eastern corner down to the shore of theRiver Tyne.As David Breeze writes, "In the early nineteenth century, as recorded byBruce,John Buddlethe Younger had often seen the Wall foundations extending far into the river when swimming there as a boy. "[3]

Pre-Conquest

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The withdrawal of the Romans from the Wall immediately brought the Picts from the north and shortly afterwards the Angles, sailing from near the mouth of theRiver Elbewith frequent raids both from sea and from land.Idathe Saxon laid waste to the whole of the north in 547 and Wallsend doubtless suffered in the general devastation. It was not until the golden age of Northumberland underEdwin of Northumbria,and the subsequent introduction of the Christian faith by KingOswald of Northumbria(635-642) andSt Aidan,that Wallsend enjoyed a time of peace and progress. This time of peace came to an abrupt end in 794 when the Danes (orVikings) swarmed up the Tyne in great numbers. In the years before theNorman conquestthere was a struggle for mastery between Danes and Angles.

19th century to present

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Several urbansanitary districtswere formed in the parish in the late 19th century:Willington Quay,Howdonand Wallsend itself. The first two joined to form the Willington Quayurban districtunder theLocal Government Act 1894,with the portion of the parish outside any urban sanitary district forming the parish ofWillingtoninTynemouth Rural District.Wallsend was incorporated as amunicipal boroughin 1901,[4]and in 1910 took over Willington Quay and Willington, and also part of the parish ofLongbenton.

St Peter's church (Church of England) has four fine stained glass windows byMichael HealyofAn Túr Gloine:St Patrick, St Peter and St Luke(1913);Our Lord with the Nativity and the Shepherds(1919);Angel of the Resurrection with St George and St Christopher(1921);Our Lord walking on water(1921); and a window byEthel Rhind,also of An Túr Gloine, depictingThe Good Shepherd, Mary of Bethany, David(1921).

Shipbuilding

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World Unicornbeing built by Swan Hunter at the Wallsend shipyard, Tyneside in 1973.

Wallsend has a history ofshipbuildingand was the home of theWigham Richardsonshipyard, which later amalgamated to formSwan Hunter & Wigham Richardson,probably best known for building theRMSMauretania.[5]This express liner held theBlue Riband,for the fastest crossing of theAtlantic,for 22 years.

Other famous ships included theRMSCarpathia[6]which rescued the survivors from theTitanicin 1912, and the icebreakerKrasin(launched asSviatogor) which rescued theUmberto Nobileexpedition onSpitzbergenin 1928, whenRoald Amundsenperished. The story is retold in the movieThe Red Tent,starringSean ConneryandPeter Finch.

Charles Parsonslaunched his revolutionaryTurbiniahere in 1894,[7]thus not only revolutionising the navies of the world, but also, through the large-scale production of affordable electricity, making a significant contribution to the modern age.[clarification needed]He features in aBBCfilm calledThe Inventor of the Twentieth Century.

Wallsend ship repair dry docks, 1987

Russian novelistYevgeny Zamyatinworked at Swan Hunter in 1916–17, and used it as background for his great anti-utopian workWewhich was a major influence onGeorge Orwell'sNineteen Eighty-Four.[8]

World War II ships built here includeHMSSheffieldandHMSVictoriouswhich took part in the sinking of theBismarck.[9]Other ships built there include the newHMSArk Royalin the 1980s.[10]

The shipyard closed in 2007.[11]The musicalThe Last ShipbyStingis set in the shipyard. The formerWallsend Slipway & Engineering CompanyShipyard continues to operate, constructing offshore oil rigs and as a TV studio: productions from there include the hit ITV dramaVerastarringBrenda BlethynandInspector George GentlystarringMartin Shaw.

Coal mining

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Much of Wallsend's early industry was driven by coal mining. TheWallsend Collieryconsisted of seven pits which were active between 1778[12]and 1935.[13]In the 1820s the pits became incorporated as Russell's Colliery, which then became the Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Company Ltd. By 1924 the colliery employed 2,183 people. Its most prominent manager was mining and railway engineerJohn Buddle[14]who helped develop theDavy Lamp.[15]

Between 1767 and 1925 there were 11 major incidents recorded at the colliery resulting in over 209 deaths.[13]On 18 June 1835 a gas explosion in one of the tunnels killed 102 miners,[12]the youngest of whom was aged eight and the oldest 75. Many of the dead were found with their cloth caps in their mouths. This is believed to have been an attempt to prevent inhalation of the gas which eventually killed them. The bodies were extracted and buried in St Peter's churchyard at the top of the bank overlooking the Wallsend Burn. A plaque has been erected within the churchyard to commemorate this tragedy.

Twentieth century

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The town has expanded greatly in terms of housing since the end of World War II, and since the 1960s. Wallsend Town Centre—including the main shopping area known as the "Wallsend Forum" —is in fact to the west of the land covered by the town. To the north of this area lies the older estate of High Farm and the new estate of Hadrian Lodge. The town centre of Wallsend is separated from the eastern areas of the town by the Wallsend Burn, a stream running through a small glacial valley from north-west to south-east and through the Willington Gut into the River Tyne. To the east of the Burn is the old area of Holy Cross, which contains the ruins of a medieval church, the pre-war estate of Rosehill and the mainly post-war estate of Howdon. To the south of Howdon lies Willington Quay which, as its name suggests, once served shipping but which is now dominated by industry and housing. East Howdon forms a small enclave between Willington Quay and North Shields.

The town's principal thoroughfare and shopping street is the High Street. To the north of this street is Wallsend Green, the town's most picturesque area, consisting of large houses as well as theSir G B Hunter Memorial Hospital,surrounding a green square.[16]Behind the Green, where the Burn runs through the parkland of the Hall Grounds lies Wallsend Park, a traditional British municipal park, whose restoration has frequently been demanded by local residents and is planned with many improvements such as a skate and BMX park, better pathways, and a rebuilding of the Duffy Memorial Fountain. On Rheydt Avenue in Wallsend is Centurion Park Golf Club, previously named Wallsend Golf Club. It has 18 holes and a driving range.

The town is home toWallsend Boys Club,which has produced many famousfootballplayers such asAlan Shearer,Lee Clark,Steve Watson,Peter Beardsley,Robbie Elliott,Mick TaitandMichael Carrick.It is also hometown and birthplace to internationally successful musicianSting,whose songAll This Timerefers to the Roman wall and fort. The musicalThe Last Ship,composed and written by Sting, is set in Wallsend.

Wallsend Town Hall,a largeEdwardian Baroque stylebuilding in High Street East, was completed in 1908.[17]

Commemorating Roman history

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In dedication to its Roman heritage, Wallsend's historic nameSegedunumis shown in many places in the town, and signs withLatinwordings can also be found.Wallsend Metro Stationhas some signs in English and Latin. Such translations tend to amuse, with contrasts between today's and ancient times.Segedunum Roman Fort Museumhas displays on Roman history as well as reconstructions of a bath house and a section of the Roman Wall which once stood on the site.[18]

  • A Hadrian's Wall map imitating the style of a Metro map
    A Hadrian's Wall map imitating the style of a Metro map
  • Bilingual, English–Latin station platform and no smoking sign
    Bilingual, English–Latin station platform and no smoking sign
  • No trespassing signs with penalty, in English and Latin
    No trespassing signs with penalty, in English and Latin

Demography

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In 2011, Wallsend had a population of 43,826 compared with 42,842 in the previous census.

Wallsend North Tyneside
White British 95.1% 95.1%
Asian 1.9% 1.9%
Black 0.6% 0.4%
Sources:[19][20]

In Wallsend, 4.9% of the population is non-white British, which is the same as the surrounding borough. It also has the same percentage of Asian people, but has slightly more black people. Wallsend is the second least ethnically diverse major urban subdivision inTynesideand has a larger percentage of white British people compared withTynemouthwhich is also slightly larger in population. However it has more ethnic minorities thanJarrow,which is south of the river Tyne.

Notable people

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Politics

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Music

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Football - players, managers, coaches

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Other sports players

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See also

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References

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  1. ^UK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Wallsend Built-up Area sub division (E35001401)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved2 July2023.
  2. ^Office for National Statistics:Census 2001: Urban Areas: Table KS01: Usual Resident PopulationArchived2007-02-08 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 2009-08-26
  3. ^Handbook to the Roman Wall,Fourteenth Edition byDavid Breeze,p.136.
  4. ^"William Stephen Daglish | Art UK".
  5. ^"World War One role of luxury liner RMS Mauretania".BBC News.13 November 2014.Retrieved7 February2017.
  6. ^"The Carpathia".Archived fromthe originalon 8 May 2012.
  7. ^"Objects".Retrieved7 February2017.
  8. ^"What George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four owes Yevgeny Zamyatin's We".TheGuardian.8 June 2009.
  9. ^Morton, David (29 November 2017)."10 archive images of Swan Hunter on the River Tyne".nechronicle.
  10. ^"HMS Ark Royal to be scrapped in Turkey".10 September 2012.Retrieved7 February2017.
  11. ^"History of Wallsend".Archived fromthe originalon 11 June 2013.
  12. ^ab"History of Wallsend Parks - North Tyneside Council".8 October 2014.Retrieved7 February2017.
  13. ^abMuseum, Durham Mining."Durham Mining Museum - Wallsend Colliery".Retrieved7 February2017.
  14. ^"John Buddle - Graces Guide".Retrieved7 February2017.
  15. ^"Behind the controversy: John Buddle and the development of the safety lamp".4 March 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2015.
  16. ^"The Green, Wallsend Conservation Area"(PDF).North Tyneside Council.Retrieved28 December2019.
  17. ^"Historic Wallsend Town Hall refurbished as office space for businesses".Newcastle Chronicle. 22 February 2015.Retrieved21 November2020.
  18. ^"About Segedunum".Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2012.
  19. ^"KS201EW (Ethnic group) - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics".Retrieved7 February2017.
  20. ^Services, Good Stuff IT."North Tyneside - UK Census Data 2011".Retrieved7 February2017.
  21. ^Broadbent, Mercedes (31 January 2014)."10 stars you might not have known were from the North East".Retrieved7 February2017.
  22. ^Kelly, Mike (25 August 2019)."The ultimate list of 100 great Northerners".ChronicleLive.
  23. ^"Paul Kennedy - Department of History".Retrieved7 February2017.
  24. ^Barr, Gordon (11 June 2015)."Emmerdale's Charlie Hardwick leaving soap for Theatre Royal pantomime Dick Whittington".Chroniclelive.
  25. ^"Role model Danny Murphy signs his way onto the big screen".ITV.Retrieved24 August2024.
  26. ^[1][dead link]
  27. ^Chronicle, Evening (23 September 2009)."Display shows T Dan Smith altered Newcastle".Retrieved7 February2017.
  28. ^Merkling, Frank; Bryan, Karen M. (2013)."Gaddes, Richard (born 1942), opera administrator: Grove Music Online - oi".Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2235173.Retrieved7 February2017.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  29. ^Whetstone, David (14 January 2015)."Lindisfarne legend Ray Jackson calls it a day".The Journal.Retrieved28 December2019.
  30. ^Proctor, Kate (6 March 2015)."Sting talks to fans about 'paying back his debt' to his Wallsend community".Retrieved7 February2017.
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