Benwell and Scotswood

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Benwell
Ward
Newcastle upon Tyne UK ward map highlighting Benwell and Scotswood.svg
Benwell and Scotswood highlighted within Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear UK location map.svg
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Benwell
Location within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference NZ213644
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Newcastle upon Tyne
Postcode district NE15
Police Northumbria
Fire Tyne and Wear
Ambulance North East
UK Parliament
Councillors Jeremy Beecham (Labour)
Rob Higgins (Labour)
Hazel Stephenson (Labour)
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear
54°58′26″N1°40′08″W / 54.974°N 1.669°W / 54.974; -1.669 Coordinates: 54°58′26″N1°40′08″W / 54.974°N 1.669°W / 54.974; -1.669

Benwell and Scotswood is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. The ward encompasses the Benwell and Scotswood housing areas, as well as the Newcastle Business Park, which is located on the banks of the River Tyne and houses offices of companies such as British Airways and the Automobile Association. The population of the ward is 13,759, which is 5.3% of the total population of Newcastle upon Tyne. Car ownership in the area is 45.1%, lower than the city average of 54.7%. The 2011 Census gave a population of 12,694. [1]

Contents

Scotswood Bridge across the River Tyne. Scotswood Bridge eastward09.jpg
Scotswood Bridge across the River Tyne.

History

Charlotte Pit in Benwell around 1935. Charlotte Pit, Benwell around 1935.jpg
Charlotte Pit in Benwell around 1935.

Scotswood grew during the industrial revolution and provided labour for the huge Vickers Armstrong military engineering group formerly Armstrong Whitworth. Scotswood Road, which Vickers Armstrong used to dominate, is a main route along the Tyne and is mentioned in the song "Blaydon Races". [2]

The Scotswood Bridge, which was known as the Chain Bridge, was the first bridge to be built over the Tyne in the industrial era. It opened in 1831 and was in use until 1967 when it had been superseded by a more modern structure, and was hence demolished. [3]

Benwell and Scotswood were both sites of a number of coalmines. [4] [5] On 30 March 1925 the Montague Main Colliery Disaster occurred, caused by an inrush of water from the nearby disused Paradise Pit and resulting in the loss of 38 lives. [6]

Scotswood railway station was served by the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway between 1839 and 1967. [7]

The Fenham and Benwell district formed an independent urban district, which was incorporated into the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1904.

The site came to attention in the summer of 1968 for being the scene where two male toddlers Martin Brown, aged 4, and Brian Howe, aged 3, were found dead, after being strangled to death by Mary Bell. [8]

Boundaries

The boundary of the Benwell and Scotswood ward starts at the West Road/A1 roundabout southbound along the A1 to the River Tyne, then east to the Scotswood Road and William Armstrong Drive junction. Northbound, the boundary joins Buddle Road and continues along St Johns Road to Elswick Road. The boundary then heads west onto Adelaide Terrace to the Hodgkin Park Road junction and continues north to the rear of the allotment gardens and Lismore Place. The boundary moves to the west behind Denhill Park properties to Pendower Hall School and follows the school's eastern perimeter north to the West Road to the A1.

Education

The ward has two nursery schools, six primary schools, one comprehensive secondary school and a school for children with specific needs. [9]

Recreation and leisure

Scotswood Community Garden, 2009. Scotswood Community Garden, Newcastle upon Tyne - geograph.org.uk - 1463440.jpg
Scotswood Community Garden, 2009.

The ward has both the West End Library and Denton Burn Library, [10] which have computers with free internet access. The West End library holds the West Newcastle Picture History Collection of around 17,000 images of the West End, some taken by Jimmy Forsyth. [11] Benwell Nature Park and Denton Dene South are located within the ward. Scotswood Leisure Centre hosts various sports clubs and fitness classes. The ward contains three pieces of Play Provision, provided by Newcastle Play Service.

These are the Lillia Play Sessions, held at the Lillia Youth Centre and two playcentres: Scotswood Playcentre and Benwell Playcentre. These provide free open access sessions five days a week to children 5–12 (older children with disabilities and additional needs are also welcome).

Scotswood Natural Community garden was awarded a Green Flag Community Award. In 2012 a Sculpture Trail was created which involved the creation of four sculptures by artists working with local community groups. [12]

West End RFC is a local amateur rugby club which plays its home matches at All Saints Sports Centre. [13]

Charts

Age groupNumber
Under 163,011
16–241,569
25–443,907
45–643,055
65–741,154
75+1,045
EthnicityNumber %
White13,16195.8
Afro-Caribbean350.3
South Asian3982.9
Chinese270.2
Other1120.8

The ward has 6,411 housing spaces, 6.4% being vacant, higher than the city average of 5.3%. Owner-occupied properties stand at 46.9%, also lower than the city average of 53.3%. The properties are as follows:

Property typeNumber %
Detached4066.3
Semi-detached3,00346.8
Terraced1,40421.9
Flats1,60124.9
Other30

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References

  1. ↑ "Ward population 2011" . Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Blaydon Races lyrics - in full". 31 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "Scotswood Bridge (Chain Bridge)".
  4. ↑ "Benwell Colliery – DMM".
  5. ↑ "Montague Main, Scotswood – DMM".
  6. ↑ "Durham Mining Museum - Colliery Disaster 1925".
  7. ↑ "Disused Stations: Scotswood Station".
  8. ↑ "Who is Mary Bell? The schoolgirl who became a killer". 25 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "Hadrian School | About Us | Who We Are". Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  10. ↑ "Denton Burn Library | Newcastle City Council".
  11. ↑ "West End Library and Community Hub | Newcastle City Council".
  12. ↑ "Geordie Gem where nature and sculpture meet in harmony". Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Active Newcastle | West End Rugby Club". Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
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