Wallsend () is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne.[ Office for National Statistics: Census 2001: Urban Areas: Table KS01: Usual Resident Population Retrieved 2009-08-26]
History
Roman Wallsend
In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of
Segedunum. This fort protected the eastern end of Hadrian'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 the
River Tyne. As David Breeze writes, "In the early nineteenth century, as recorded by Bruce,
John Buddle the Younger had often seen the Wall foundations extending far into the river when swimming there as a boy."
[ Handbook to the Roman Wall, Fourteenth Edition by David Breeze, p.136.]
Pre-Conquest
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 the
River Elbe with frequent raids both from sea and from land. Ida the 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 under Edwin of Northumbria, and the subsequent introduction of the Christian faith by King Oswald of Northumbria (635–642) and
St Aidan, that Wallsend enjoyed a time of peace and progress. This time of peace came to an abrupt end in 794 when the Danes (or
Vikings) swarmed up the Tyne in great numbers. In the years before the
Norman Conquest there was a struggle for mastery between Danes and Angles.
19th century to present
Several urban sanitary districts were formed in the parish in the late 19th century:
Willington Quay,
Howdon and Wallsend itself. The first two joined to form the Willington Quay urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, with the portion of the parish outside any urban sanitary district forming the parish of Willington in Tynemouth Rural District. Wallsend was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1901,
and in 1910 took over Willington Quay and Willington, and also part of the parish of
Longbenton.
St Peter's Church, Wallsend (Church of England) has four fine stained glass windows by Michael Healy of An 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 by
Ethel Rhind, also of An Túr Gloine, depicting
The Good Shepherd, Mary of Bethany, David (1921).
Shipbuilding
Wallsend has a history of
shipbuilding and was the home of the Wigham Richardson shipyard, which later amalgamated to form
Swan Hunter, probably best known for building the RMS
Mauretania.
This express liner held the
Blue Riband, for the fastest crossing of the
Atlantic Ocean, for 22 years.
Other famous ships included the RMS Carpathia
Charles Parsons launched his revolutionary Turbinia here in 1894,
World War II ships built here include and which took part in the sinking of the Bismarck.
The shipyard closed in 2007.
Coal mining
Much of Wallsend's early industry was driven by coal mining. The
Wallsend Colliery consisted of seven pits which were active between 1778
and 1935.
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 engineer
John Buddle who helped develop the
Davy Lamp.
Between 1767 and 1925 there were 11 major incidents recorded at the colliery resulting in over 209 deaths.
In 1969 the Rising Sun Colliery in Wallsend was closed. It was the last Tyneside colliery on the north bank of the river.
Twentieth century
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 the Sir G B Hunter Memorial Hospital, surrounding a green square.
Wallsend also has a rugby club which is situtated in Battle Hill. The team is named Wallsend RFC and has over 200 players! Wallsend RFC has been in Wallsend for 175 years and is great for everyone in the area. Wallsend's rugby team brings key support to the community and helps sport in Wallsend thrive.
The town is home to Wallsend Boys Club, which has produced many famous football players such as Alan Shearer, Lee Clark, Steve Watson, Peter Beardsley, Robbie Elliott, Mick Tait and Michael Carrick. It is also hometown and birthplace to internationally successful musician Sting, whose song All This Time refers to the Roman wall and fort. The musical The Last Ship, composed and written by Sting, is set in Wallsend.
Wallsend Town Hall, a large Edwardian Baroque style building in High Street East, was completed in 1908.
Commemorating Roman history
In dedication to its Roman heritage, Wallsend's historic name
Segedunum is shown in many places in the town, and signs with
Latin wordings can also be found. Wallsend Metro Station has some signs in English and Latin. Such translations tend to amuse, with contrasts between today's and ancient times.
Segedunum has 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.
Geography
Wallsend is on the Bank of the River Tyne and one of its tributaries flows through Wallsend known as the Wallsend Burn.
Transport
Demography
In 2011, Wallsend had a population of 43,826, compared with 42,842 in the previous census.
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 in Tyneside and has a larger percentage of white British people compared with Tynemouth which is also slightly larger in population. However it has more ethnic minorities than Jarrow, which is south of the river Tyne.
Notable people
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Paul W. S. Andersonfilmmaker
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Andrea Riseboroughactress
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Sheldon Hallfilm historian
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physicist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
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Andrew Leslieshipbuilder
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John Anthony McGuckintheologian, Orthodox Archpriest
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TV star
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Danny Murphyactor
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Politics
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John McKayMP for Wallsend 1945–1964
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for Newcastle Upon Tyne Central 2010 to present
[[2]]
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T. Dan Smithregional politician
Music
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administrator
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Ray Jacksonmusician
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Ochremusician
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Venomband
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Stingmusician
Footballplayers, managers, coaches
Other sports players
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rider, FIM SuperEnduro World Championship winner
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player
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Gary Wilsonsnooker player
See also
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Point Pleasant
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North East England
External links
