Whickham
Encyclopedia
Whickham is a town in North East England
, four miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne
and four and a half miles west of Gateshead
. Whickham is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
. Its postal address is Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
. Whickham is situated on high ground overlooking the River Tyne
and the MetroCentre. It has a population of 16,263.
Whickham is a middle class
living town, with many social, cultural and business activities. This has always been the case. From the Romans
to early English settlement to the Norman Conquest, agriculture
, the Anglo-Scottish wars, the rise and fall of the coal and iron industries, the Reformation, the dawn of railway transportation, electoral reform, twentieth century war to suburbia, these great historical themes have influenced life in Whickham.
The parish, which contains the ancient townships or quarters of Swalwell and Whickham, and part of Fellside, is bounded on the north by the Tyne, on the west by the parishes of Winlaton
and Stella
, on the south-west and south by Lamesley
and Marley Hill and on the east by Dunston
. The ancient parish also included Lowside or Dunston, which was formed into a distinct parish in 1872, and that part of Fellside which includes the villages of Marley Hill and Sunniside, which now form part of the township of Marley Hill. The parish priest is Revd. Barry Joseph Abbott.
To the south-west, above the River Derwent, are the ruins of Old Hollinside, a fortified manor house dating probably from the thirteenth century.
The village underwent some expansion in the 50s when the so called Lake District Estate was built just off Whickham Highway then later in the decade the Oakfield Estate just off Whaggs Lane was built. However house building in the early 60s truly transformed the village into a small town. Grange Estate began the seemingly unending development by Bell the builder which went on into Clavering Park, Clavering Grange, the Cedars and then Fellside Park. Schools followed but there is some debate that the real spirit of the village was lost when the main street of Whickham was demolished.
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, four miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and four and a half miles west of Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
. Whickham is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. It is named after its largest town, Gateshead, but also spans the towns of Rowlands Gill, Whickham, Blaydon and Ryton; suburban areas include Felling, Pelaw, Dunston and Low Fell.It is bordered...
. Its postal address is Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. Whickham is situated on high ground overlooking the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
and the MetroCentre. It has a population of 16,263.
Whickham is a middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
living town, with many social, cultural and business activities. This has always been the case. From the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
to early English settlement to the Norman Conquest, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, the Anglo-Scottish wars, the rise and fall of the coal and iron industries, the Reformation, the dawn of railway transportation, electoral reform, twentieth century war to suburbia, these great historical themes have influenced life in Whickham.
The parish, which contains the ancient townships or quarters of Swalwell and Whickham, and part of Fellside, is bounded on the north by the Tyne, on the west by the parishes of Winlaton
Winlaton
Winlaton is a village situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Once an independent village in County Durham, it became incorporated into the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear and Borough of Gateshead in 1974....
and Stella
Stella park
Stella Park is a housing estate in Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, located on the grounds of a mansion of the same name.-Stella Hall:...
, on the south-west and south by Lamesley
Lamesley
Lamesley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. The village is situated towards the south of Gateshead, near to Birtley and Kibblesworth. The parish includes Lamesley village, Kibblesworth, Eighton Banks and the Northside area of Birtley...
and Marley Hill and on the east by Dunston
Dunston, Tyne and Wear
Dunston was originally an independent village on the south bank of the River Tyne. It has now been absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in the English county of Tyne and Wear...
. The ancient parish also included Lowside or Dunston, which was formed into a distinct parish in 1872, and that part of Fellside which includes the villages of Marley Hill and Sunniside, which now form part of the township of Marley Hill. The parish priest is Revd. Barry Joseph Abbott.
To the south-west, above the River Derwent, are the ruins of Old Hollinside, a fortified manor house dating probably from the thirteenth century.
The village underwent some expansion in the 50s when the so called Lake District Estate was built just off Whickham Highway then later in the decade the Oakfield Estate just off Whaggs Lane was built. However house building in the early 60s truly transformed the village into a small town. Grange Estate began the seemingly unending development by Bell the builder which went on into Clavering Park, Clavering Grange, the Cedars and then Fellside Park. Schools followed but there is some debate that the real spirit of the village was lost when the main street of Whickham was demolished.