Sheriff Hill

Sheriff Hill
The Quarry Plantation, Sheriff Hill
Population	5,051
OS grid reference	NZ265605
Metropolitan borough	Gateshead
Metropolitan county	Tyne and Wear
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GATESHEAD
Postcode district	NE9
Dialling code	0191
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Tyne and Wear
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Gateshead (UK Parliament constituency)

Sheriff Hill is a settlement (formerly a village) situated in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. It is bordered by High Fell and Deckham to the North, Beacon Lough to the South, Windy Nook and Carr Hill to the East and Low Fell to the West. It lies 2.3 miles south of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. According to the 2001 census, the settlement had a population of 5,051.

For centuries little more than a "windswept, barren and treacherous heath", the settlement at Sheriff Hill was initially established by a moderate influx of tinkers and miners in the eighteenth century. Considered a village in the historic county of Durham for almost as long as it has been inhabited in measurable numbers, it was formally incorporated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act of 1974.

One of the more populous of the two dozen or so villages which now comprise the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Sheriff Hill has a long and rich history. It was once the centre of potting in Gateshead whilst villagers also contributed substantially to the rich coal-mining heritage of North East England through their work in three coal pits. One of several historic public houses in the settlement, Ye Olde Cannon, was the regular haunt of bishops and judges whose public processions to and from Sheriff Hill would ultimately provide the name of the settlement today.

Sheriff Hill has been transformed since its formative, industrial days. It is home to Gateshead's largest hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as well as a small dene and one of Gateshead's parks (Hodkin Park). The settlement is also a place of topographical significance; the southern most end of Sheriff's Highway, the major road in the settlement, reaches a height of over five-hundred feet above sea level, making it the highest point in the entire metropolitan borough of Gateshead.

History

Gateshead Fell

Main article: Gateshead Fell

Sour Milk Hill Lane, where the demolition of houses so distressed Commissioners in 1816.

Prior to 1800, Sheriff Hill was part of Gateshead Fell; itself a constituent part of the ancient County of Durham. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Gateshead Fell had become a place of considerable notoriety. When John Wesley arrived in 1785, he found a 'pathless waste of white'. In 1809 an Act was finally obtained ordering the enclosure of Gateshead Fell. Commissioners were appointed to settle claims in land and to apportion the Fell accordingly. Plans were laid for the requisition and construction of wells, quarries, drains, roads, watering places and other essential requirements. New roads were to be built on what is now Blue Quarries Road, Church Road and Windy Nook Road. A well was also to be provided at Blue Quarries. Enclosure was completed in 1822.

A number of the existing residential properties on the Fell were demolished, including sixteen at Sour Milk Hill; an act which apparently had caused the commissioner considerable distress, with one Thomas Bell noting:"...the pulling down of these cottages was one of the most unpleasant duties of the Commissioners, the greater number having to be taken down by force". Progress was slow, with the last allotment land disputes not settled until almost 1830, but by the time of completion, Gateshead Fell was at last enclosed and effectively consigned to history. The divisions of the Fell have remained more or less settled, so that the villages created by enclosure have survived, almost entirely intact, to the present

The Sheriff's March

Main article: Sheriff's March (Sheriff Hill)

Medieval Britain operated under a strict feudal system. Allegiance and subservience to the Crown was required by all men and women at all times and on most occasions was demonstrated by the swearing of oaths. Once such occasion occurred twice a year, when the Sheriff of Northumberland met with the Crown Judges who came to Newcastle upon Tyne and sat on the Assizes to hear any legal matters which required their attention. To further emphasise the importance and solemnity of these visitations, a procession was to be held prior to the official meeting of the parties. On the appointed day, usually a Saturday, the procession of these learned men would take place, starting in Newcastle upon Tyne before crossing the River Tyne and passing into Gateshead. After a short refreshment break, the procession then made its way slowly up the old (and remarkably steep) turnpike road (now Old Durham Road/Sheriffs Highway) until all concerned parties came to the designated meeting place. This was initially established at Chile Well but latterly the procession came to "light and go into the house". The house in question was Ye Olde Cannon, located on the turnpike road at the crest of Gateshead Fell. This place was chosen because of the convenience of both the gentry of Northumberland and for the judges journeying from Durham and it was here that wine and punch were again served to the members of the precession at the expense of the Sheriffs who would wait here until the judges made their arrival. Once they had done so, all would return to Newcastle upon Tyne.

This procession took place until 1826 when the procession was re-routed through Low Fell. It is as a direct result of the "Sheriff's March" that the area around Ye Olde Cannon and the old turnpike road became known as Sheriff Hill.

Sodhouse Bank/Sheriff's Highway

Sodhouse Bank circa 1920

The major road in the settlement is Sheriff's Highway, which forms part of the B1296 or the old Great North Road.

Sheriff's Highway is a direct descendant of the old turnpike road which ran along the exact same route. The turnpike road was an essential trade route between the historic city of Durham and the rapidly developing city of Newcastle upon Tyne, itself flourishing as the industrial revolution began to take hold. As the importance of the turnpike road increased, a small number of settlers and at least two public houses sprang forth and established themselves alongside it.

The road was, for many years, known as "Sodhouse Bank", because the dwelling-houses on the road were largely made of mud and sod. Built on turf by tinkers, these were initially inhabited by a combination of the tinkers themselves and a sizeable mining community. These dwellings were known as "sodhuts" and were mostly erected in 1833. They were, however, extremely squalid and dirty and most were demolished in 1886 after local councillors decreed that they were no longer fit for human habitation.

The route of Sodhouse Bank remains but is now called Sheriff's Highway. Sheriff's Highway today is a "wide and bustling road" which is notable for the "spectacular long views over Gateshead, Newcastle and beyond" as well as the steepness of it's slope northward towards Wrekenton.

Economy

Heavy Industry (1750-1925)

Main article: Sheriff Hill Colliery

Sheriff Hill was once a place of heavy industry, playing a pivotal role in both potting and coal mining on Tyneside.

A surviving reference to Sheriff Hill's potting heritage at 124 Sheriffs Highway.

The history of potting in Gateshead is still the subject of considerable research and speculation, but there can be little doubt that Sheriff Hill was "an epicentre" of the pottery industry in the town. Sheriff Hill, and its neighbour Carr Hill, have been described as "the main centres" of potting during the seventeenth and eighteenth century.This was due in no small part to the decision of John Warburton to relocate his manufacturing operations to Newcastle and his subsequent decision to base his main factory in Carr Hill in 1740. Warburton is credited with introducing white earthenware into the area and it is thought that the Old Brown Jug public house in Carr Hill is a direct reference of the rich potting history of that area. Apparently buoyed by the success of Warburton, Paul Jackson established the Sheriff Hill Pottery in 1771 at the corner of Pottery Lane (now Pottersway) and Sodhouse Bank. In 1775, an advertisement in a local newspaper declared:

“P. Jackson, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, having brought his different kind of Earthen Ware to great perfection, hopes for Encouragement from his Friends. He sells wholesale and retail at his manufactory on Gateshead Commons, adjoining the turnpike road and near the Two-mile stone, and at his shop on the Quay, cream coloured enameled, fine black, gilded, spotted and brown Earthen Ware; also large Ware, as Milk, Cream, Butter and Beef Pots and Washing Mugs. Hawkers from Northumberland and Cumberland may be supplied at his shop”

Members of the Jackson family were partners in the business until 1837 when Thomas Patterson took over. By 1839 there were 50 employees, many of whom lived in a row of cottages adjoining the Old Cannon Inn. The pottery still operated at the turn of the twentieth century and was a considerable source of local pride, as one resident recalled:

“When we were not playing games by ourselves, we watched men digging clay from a cavity in a hillock and the potters at their wheels…I remember the satisfactory feeling which swept through the lower end of the village near the pottery when the kiln was drawn, and the ware in it was pronounced good..."

This pottery closed in 1909 and the buildings were demolished in the 1920s to make way for council houses. Potter's Field, now the site of Hodkin Park, survived as a reminder of Sheriff Hill's potting heritage until the 1940's, whilst Pottery Lane is still today called Pottersway.

The proud workforce pose for a photograph at Fanny Pit, Sheriff Hill in 1921. Photograph taken from Gateshead Council public archive.

Tyneside has a rich coal mining heritage and Sheriff Hill is no different in this regard. Sheriff Hill Colliery (more commonly referred to as Ellison Main Colliery) was situated at the summit of Gateshead Fell (now the boundary between Sheriff Hill and Low Fell) and which opened in 1793. Sheriff Hill Colliery operated two main shafts- Fanny Pit and Isabella Pit, the former of which was the deeper of the two. Mining during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was notoriously difficult and often resulted in disasters causing numerous fatalities. Sheriff Hill Colliery suffered a number of such incidents. On 19 July 1819 an explosion caused the deaths of thirty-five men. The Colliery closed in 1926 and never re-opened.

File:Old Mill 1922.jpg

The Old Mill photographed in 1922. Photograph taken from Gateshead Council public archiveTemplate:Pufc

Gateshead has been a centre of the milling industry for centuries. Indeed, the Boldon Book documents the presence of windmills in the area as early as 1189. Whilst many of the mills fell into disuse during the nineteenth century, the Old Mill, also known as Heworth Windmill or Snowden's Mill, was built in 1823 in Sheriff Hill and continued to operate for several decades before finally closing just prior to the turn of the twentieth century. Using wind power to mill corn, the Old Mill provided employment to dozens of local workers as well as providing stables, a granary and a shop for the usage of members of the community. Situated on what now is Queen Elizabeth Avenue, the mill stood dormant for over seventy years and survived long after all of the other industrial mills in Gateshead had been demolished. It stood as a monument to Sheriff Hill's milling heritage until 1964, when it was finally demolished.

Located immediately opposite the Old Mill, Blue Quarries was one of many similar quarries scattered throughout Gateshead and provided some employment for the smattering of experienced stonemasons, quarrymen and their apprentices in Sheriff Hill. During the nineteenth century, quarries in Gateshead concerned themselves primarily with grindstones which could be used in the building of new dwelling-houses and Blue Quarries would have been no different in this regard. Quarrymen were notoriously difficult employees. They were infrequent in the payment of rent owed and were prolific spoilers of land through waste and rubbish. They were also extremely difficult to contain as a workforce, with one employer baldy stating that "if you do not make a publicke [sic] example of some of those fellowes [sic] they'll ride on your shoulders as long as you live". Few were ever employed in Gateshead; during 1839, a boom period of quarrying, only seventy five were employed in total in the whole of Gateshead. By the turn of the twentieth century, the quarries were becoming gradually less active and, one by one, they were discontinued. Those that did survive until occupied themselves with the cutting and shaping of sandstone, which had replaced grindstone as the brick of choice in the home building industry. The quarrymen remained a source of intrigue for local children. One noted that "We watched the stonemasons at the quarry squaring off and smoothing sandstone blocks. The men wore fustian trousers tied with string below the knee". It is not known when Blue Quarries ceased operations, but there is little evidence of it in Sheriff Hill today, as the area is now part of a housing estate. One major reference remains for posterity - the road from Sheriffs Highway leading to The Causeway was named Blue Quarries Road and remains so called today.

Residential Suburb (1926-Present Day)

Although the general layout of the settlement has changed very little since the middle of the nineteenth century, the character of the settlement has 'changed radically' so that, save a handful of small indications (mostly street names such as Pottersway and Blue Quarries Road), all remnants of the settlement's industrial past have been expunged. Today, Sheriff Hill is essentially a residential suburb. There is no major employer in the settlement and the settlement has higher than average (compared to both Gateshead and England as a whole) levels of unemployment: in the area of Broadway, Pottersway and The Avenue, only 23.8% of adults here have full time employment and another 10.09% have part-time jobs. 3.1% of the population of the settlement are sefl employed.Those who do hold positions of employment tend to travel to either Gateshead or Newcastle, save the small number of residents who hold employment at one of the settlement's public houses, betting shops or take-aways. There are small, local shops which also provide a limited number of employment opportunities, but few of these are open for any length of time as they "struggle to compete with the lower prices and convenience of the supermarkets located in central Gateshead, the Metrocentre and Team Valley

Demography

Sheriff Hill compared
2001 UK census	Sheriff Hill	Gateshead	England
Total population	5,051	191,151	49,138,831
White	97.5%	98.4%	90.9%
BME	2.5%	1.6%	4.6%
Aged 0-19	29.2%	24.2%	26.32%
Aged 65+	16.8%	17.3%	15.9%
Male	47%	48.3%	48.7%
Female	53%	51.7%	51.3%

According to the Office for National Statistics, Sheriff Hill has a population of 5,051. 53% of the population are female, slightly above the national average, whilst 47% are male.Only 2.5% 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, 41% are from the Asian or Asian-British ethnic group.Sheriff Hill has a high proportion of lone parent households at some 18.9% of all households in the settlement. This is the fifth highest figure in Gateshead and compares with a Gateshead average of 11.5% and a national average of 9.5%. 32.1% 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, splits Sheiff Hill into two areas; one of which is listed in the top five percent of all deprived areas in England in 2007.

Sheriff Hill compares unfavourably with the wider gateshead area in respect of adult qualifications. Some 50.7% of adults in the settlement have no educational qualifications, compared to 38.4% accross the whole of Gateshead and the England average of 28.9% 25.2% of adults have five or more GCSE's or equivalent at A*-C (compared to 46.6% nationally) and only 11.5% of adults in the settlement have two or more A-Level's (or equivalent).

Governance

High Fell- 2010 Local Elections
Candidate Name	Political Party	Number of Votes	% of Votes Cast
Doreen Davison	Labour	2,123	63.9%
Ann McCarthy	Liberal Democrats	609	18.3%
Dennis W Stokoe	Conservative	340	10.2%
Ronald Fairlamb	British National Party	252	7.6%

Sheriff Hill is part of the High Fell Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. This ward is approximately 2 km in area and has a population of 8,952. The High Fell ward is represented by three councillors. In March 2011, these were Malcolm Graham, Jean Lee and Doreen Davidson. The 2010 council election turnout was 50.5%, an improvement on the 27.7% at the 2008 election despite the introduction of postal voting in an attempt to increase voter turnout. The far right British National Party polled over 10% of the vote in 2008, but their vote fell to 7.6% by 2010.

Sheriff Hill is now part of 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. For many years the local representative for the area was Joyce Quin, who retired on 11 April 2005 and was later awarded a life peerage into the House of Lords on 13 June 2006 and is now Baroness Quin.

Sheriff Hill is one of the safest Labour parliamentary seats in the United Kingdom and the present incumbent is Ian Mearns MP, who lives in nearby Saltwell. He was selected by the party in March 2010 to contest the newly formed Gateshead seat ahead of David Clelland, formerly the Labour MP for the now defunct constituency of Tyne Bridge. Formerly the deputy leader of Gateshead Council and a long time Councillor for the Saltwell ward, he replaced former incumbent Sharon Hodgson MP, who successfully campaigned for election in the newly formed constituency of Washington and Sunderland West. In the 2010 UK General Election, Ian 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%.

Mr Mears success in 2010 followed the return of Sharon Hodgson in the 2005 UK General Election after she had polled over 60% of the total votes cast. No Conservative MP has been elected in the area since the major changes brought upon the UK Electoral System by the Representation of the People Act 1945.

Health

Sheriff Hill Asylum. Picture courtesy of Gateshead Council public archives

Sheriff Hill Lunatic Asylum, also referred to in documents as Gateshead Fell Lunatic Asylum, was situated on Sour Milk Hill Lane, Sheriff Hill, during the nineteenth century. Wesleyan records circa 1830 note that "Sheriff' Hill Lunatic Asylum is pleasantly situated on an ninence, about two-and-a-half miles south of Gateshead, from which a fine aspect of Ravensworth and its vicinity may be obtained" However, disease and mental illness were treated mainly through a policy of isolation and asylum. The exact date of opening remains the subject to debate. Contemporary sources indicate that the asylum opened in 1817, yet others note that when the asylum was advertised in 1834 the posting revealed that "this institution has been established for over thirty years". It is likely that the asylum was opened by a Mrs Orton and that at some stage soon after ownership was transferred to Jacob Gowling and his wife, who soon moved onto nearby Wrekenton to open a new asylum in a similar vein. In 1834, the asylum was in the hands of Samuel Kent, a wealthy local man who owned Beacon Lough Farm, who remained proprietor until the asylum was closed. In 1844, records show that the asylum had 86 patients. Of these, some eighty are recorded as being 'pauper' whilst the other six are listed as 'private'. The weekly charge for the receipt and treatment of paupers was "8-/ including clothes". In 1855, the asylum contracted to receive paupers requiring treatment from neighbouring Newcastle. This increased patient numbers to ninety-four, with eighty-eight paupers. Escapes do not seem to have especially commonplace, but incidents have been recorded. In 1817, the brother of artist John Martin was committed to the asylum after threatening to shoot the Bishop of Oxford. He escaped via the roof three years later. Another, more notorious incident occurred in December 1842:

"An epileptic lunatic escaped from Mr. Kent's asylum at Gateshead Fell...He was immediately pursued but was not retaken...He escaped on the saturday night and on the Monday after his escape he murdered his wife and his daughter in a violent paroxysm of eplileptic mania, in a most savage and horrid manner. This wretched man is now a furious criminal maniac..."

The asylum closed in 1860. The old site of Sheriff Hill Asylum lies dormant today. This shot is taken from Sour Milk Hill Lane.

Surviving archive photographs show that the asylum was designed in a rough square, with buildings on all four sides enclosing a courtyard. Once the asylum closed, the buildings survived and were renamed to the less conspicuous 'Kent's buildings' and the rather more so 'Asylum Square'. The buildings were to prove durable and as late as 1932, local historian D Lumley wrote that "a great part of the building still remains". It is not known when the building was finally demolished, but the present site is derelict. Sheriff Hill's association with isolation and mental health did not end with the demise of the asylum. In 1880, a thirty-eight bed isolation hospital was built on what is now Queen Elizabeth Avenue. The hospital was extended in 1904. This led directly to the construction of what is now the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which was built on the same site and effectively replaced the older isolation unit.

The mayor of Gateshead lays the foundation stone to commence work of the extension of the Isolation Hospital in 1938. Picture from Gateshead Council public archive.

In 1878, the first part of the hospital was erected whilst other sections were added in subsequent years. The site comprised around four acres in total and was enclosed by a large stone wall tipped with barbed wire (or broken glass in places) By 1903 the buildings comprised a main block with an administrative building in the centre and a ward block on each side. There was also a new three-ward block, a porter's lodge, a steam disinfecting building, a laundry and a mortuary. The ward blocks contained seven wards in addition to four other single bed wards. These allowed a potential maximum of seventy eight patients. There were ten nurses, nine other female staff, two porters and two ambulance staff in addition to the matron. There was also a medical officer, who in 1904 was a Dr Clayton assisted by a Dr Kapp. The isolation hospital continued to thrive during the First World War, but otherwise the medical provisions in Sheriff Hill remained woefully substandard. Sheriff Hill had no doctor save those in the isolation hospital and as the population grew, so too did the urgent need for better medical provisions.

First mooted in 1931 when a local governmental survey concluded that hospital provisions in the whole of Gateshead were entirely inadequate, work began on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 1938. After the findings of the 1931 survey were digested, it was ultimately decided that this new hospital be built on the exact site of the old isolation hospital in Sheriff Hill and the conversion and extension work required duly commenced in March 1938. After good early progress saw the foundations for the new general hospital laid in 1939, the war years delayed building work so that the hospital was finally (and belatedly) opened on 18 March 1948 by Queen Elizabeth (the wife of George VI and latterly referred to as the Queen Mother). It is now by far the largest hospital in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead and has been expanded on numerous occasions since, most notably with the opening of the North East NHS Surgery Centre in 2008. This new facility cost £13.3 million to build and treated over 6000 patients for both urgent and non-urgent operations in its first year. In 2009, the Quality Care Commission rated the hospital as 'excellent', the highest possible rating, in both the quality of its care and the use of its resources. The hospital is also currently the "Dr Foster Medium Sized Acute Trust of the Year" and has been rated second best in the country for maternity services by the Healthcare Commission.

Whilst once considered an affluent suburb of the town of Gateshead, the area is now markedly less so, with almost half of the total working age population not economically active and less than half of the households in the area owning a car. Over one quarter of the adult population of the area are considered clinically obese, 44% of the adult population smoke (as opposed to a national average of 33%) and 23.8% of the adults in the area are statistically "binge drinkers".The average life expectancy for men in Sheriff Hill is 70.7 years. Women have a higher life expectancy of 77.5 years. Both figures are below the UK national average.

Education

In March 1871 the Census Committee reported to Gateshead Council that there was a chronic deficiency in school provisions throughout Gateshead. It was found that, of the 8041 children of school age residing in the town, only 4111 undertook a programme of formal education. It was proposed that five new schools be built; Park Lane, Prince Concert Road, Askew Road, near Gateshead Cemetery and at Sheriff Hill Building work was "piecemeal and laborious", even after the second school board (1873–76) elected to follow the proposals mooted by its predecessor. Alexandra Road School was not opened until 1875 due to the contractor in charge being declared bankrupt and work on the school at the Dunston, Tyne and Wear proved extraordinary complex. In the event, a temporary board school was established at Sheriff Hill and by the time that the third school board completed the original planned building work by taking full control of Sheriff Hill National School in 1870, Sheriff Hill had its first fully fledged educational institution.

Sheriff Hill Board School

Sheriff Hill Board School was situated on Church Road immediately adjacent St John’s Church at the crest of Sour Milk Hill and catered for all children aged between five and fourteen years of age. Like the great majority of its contempories, the school was extremely elementary, teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, grammar, geography and needlework. Attendance was compulsory but as parents were required to pay for their children, truancy was rife- indeed, such was the scale of the problem that prizes and awards were presented to children to encourage attendance. Thankfully, such problems were largely eradicated when, in 1891, the penny a week charge on parents was expunged in law and mandatory, free education for children up to the age of twelve years was established.

After 1889 the board introduced technical instruction and modern languages with the assistance of the town council. Biblical instruction was heavily emphasized, with forty minutes a day being devoted solely to the reading and interpretation of the ‘Good Book’. This part of the early curriculum was undertaken with some relish; one Committee noted that “we have proof that many teachers highly approve and most faithfully discharge this part of their duty”. The eighth school board (1894–97) went on to introduce physical exercises, organised games and an intra-schools football league was created. Voluntary swimming instruction was also introduced. As one former pupil recalled, discipline at the school was strict:

“The classes were a mixture of boys and girls and discipline was strict. All the teachers could, and did, cane or use a strap on us when we deserved it. We knew afterwards where we stood with them and we were not resentful afterwards...”

Sheriff Hill School continued providing education to village children well into the twentieth century until it's closure in 1947

Glynwood Primary School and Ennerdale Junior School

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, Gateshead Council drew up far reaching plans in respect of education provisions which intended to cope with the enormous growth in population and the subsequent over-demand for school places. An "enormous sum of public money", some seven million pounds, was set aside for the building of thirty four new primary and secondary schools in the town.

Glynwood Primary School and Ennerdale Junior School were built and duly opened by Alderman Grant on the 28th November 1953 after a dedication by the Rector of Gateshead and in the presence of the local press. Situated on Glynwood Gardens to the north and Southend Terrace to the south, the schools have since merged so that only Glynwood School still survives today and it is the sole educational provision directly available to the children of Sheriff Hill. Today there is also a nursery provision.

There are two hundred and fifty eight students on the roll at present and around sixty more enrolled at nursery. The school day lasts from 8.55am until 3.15pm, with a fifteen minute break in the morning and a fifty-five minute lunch break. An additional ten minute break is provided for the youngest children at 2.40pm. It has an above average number of students with learning disabilities and difficulties and provides specific learning for those children who require it. The number of children entitled to, and claiming, free school meals is above the national average. Those who pay for their meals pay £1.70 per day (or £8.50 per week). Packed lunches are allowed but must not contain sweets or chocolate, which are barred from school. The youngest children also receive one piece of fruit, free of charge, per day. Children are required to wear a uniform and the school operates a strict ‘no football tops’ policy, even in Physical Education classes.

The pupils are taught a variety of subjects under Key Stages One and Two of the National Curriculum including Mathematics, English, Science, History and Geography. In national tests, the school is performing well in English, utilising their ‘Reading Together’ programme, which encourages parents and/or carers to work together with teachers to improve reading, writing and comprehension skills. However, the school does not perform quite so well in Mathematics and Science, where it is still scoring fractionally below (or just in line with) the national average.

The ethos of the school is ‘to provide a positive culture of successful learning in a safe, secure environment and pupils are said to feel ‘safe’ in school and are likely to approach the staff if they have problems. There is an ethos of giving children responsibility which encourages them to trust and take charge of themselves and others which allows them to develop into ‘thoughtful, caring young people’.

In 2006 the school was subjected to the latest OFSTED inspection:

“This is a good school. The head teacher provides outstanding leadership and has succeeded in creating high morale and an excellent team spirit. Academic standards and progress, the curriculum, levels of attendance and the quality of the teaching have all improved since the previous inspection. The school provides good value for money and its capacity to continue to improve is good. Pupils achieve well, often from a low starting point, because the teaching is almost always good and sometimes outstanding. They enjoy school, work hard, and appreciate what adults do for them. Consequently, pupils behave well and make good progress in lessons. Teachers make lessons interesting, with chances for everyone to succeed. They ensure that pupils feel safe and valued and provide calm environment which enables them to work well. Pupils learn how to get along with others in and how to keep safe and healthy. There is a strong tradition in the school of participation and success in sport...”

Leisure and Recreation

Parks and Public Space

Hodkin Park

Trees divide the larger, flowered section of the park from the children's play park.

Described as "a green oasis" Hodkin Park, or Sheriff Hill Park to locals, is one of many small parks in Gateshead. The park adjoins Sheriffs Highway, Causeway, Blue Quarries Road and Southway and is located on the exact site that was previously incumbered by Potter's Field. The name of the park honours Alderman Daniel Hodkin; Gateshead's deputy Mayor in 1920 and a member of the Housing Committee which brough social housing to Sheriff Hill

The park is split unevenly into two sections. The larger of the two sections consists mainly of green space and flower beds, which produce roses, daffodils and other typical British seasonal blooms. A stone stairwell provides access to the larger section of the park from Blue Quarries Road. The smaller section of the park contains a variety of childrens play equipment such as a climbing frame and football goalposts.

Hodkin Park had become something of a 'no-go area' in recent years, frequented mainly by youths for the purposes of anti-social behaviour. In 2009 Gateshead Council gave the park a further makeover, with pupils from the local South Street primary school being invited to plant one of several new herb beds being created as part of a package of improvements to make the park lighter and more open by pruning and clearing dense trees and shrubs and replacing them with more appropriate and inviting planting.

Prior to the outset of the work, Gateshead Councillor David Napier stated that:

"The work we are carrying out in Hodkin Park will not only make the park a better place to visit for everyone but sends out a clear signal that we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour in our parks and public spaces...Parks like Hodkin Park are a real asset for our communities and are an important part of helping our residents, whatever their age, to lead active and healthy lives".

Hodkin Park was locally listed by Gateshead Council in 2004; "this is a positive way of recognising elements of the Borough’s historic built environment which, whilst not of national importance (such as Listed Buildings or Registered Parks and Gardens), are of significance to local communities and contribute to the distinctiveness of the Borough".

Quarry Plantation

At the north end of Sheriffs Highway there runs on the right hand side of the road a dene, which contains a number of old, tall trees (especially oaks, pines and horse chestnuts providing plentiful supplies of conkers for the local children) and a selection of typical British fauna.

The dene is shown as the Quarry Plantation on Ordinance Survey maps of 1858.

Gateshead Council have recently made improvements to encourage a more traditional (and lawful) use of the area. Dirt pathways, or more precisely, desire lines, run through the dell providing access by foot for users. These have now been officially marked-out, with obtrusive branches and plants pruned and/or removed, whilst wooden stairways have recently been installed by Gateshead Council to further encourage visitors to safely enjoy the area.

Public Houses

Despite being a comparatively small suburb of Gateshead, Sheriff Hill has always contained a large number of public houses. This is thought to result from its origins as an area of dwelling for local miners and tinkers and due to the fact that, prior to the opening of Durham Road through Low Fell in 1827, Sodhouse Bank was the route to the Great North Road. Pubs along major roads such as this traditionally thrived as meeting and resting places.

Ye Olde Cannon, Sheriff Hill today

Ye Olde Cannon is situated at the bottom of Sheriffs Highway and has existed in a variety of guises since medieval times. When the sheriffs of Newcastle travelled to meet the Durham judges prior to holding the assizes in the City of Newcastle Upon Tyne, they would stop here for refreshment and 'to discuss serious legal matters'. The pub has operated under it's present name since at least 1782. The historical significance of this venue has been locally recognised: Ye Olde Cannon is one of two public houses in Sheriff Hill to be 'locally listed' by Gateshead Council in 2004 (the other is the Three Tuns).

Slightly further 'up' Sheriffs Highway (travelling south) is The Queens Head. The exact date of opening is unknown but the venue is listed in trade directories in 1848. Unlike The Cannon, surviving photographs demonstrate that this venue has substantially changed in appearance over the last one hundred years; so much so that it is extremely likely that the building which now stands is an entirely different one to that which existed one hundred or so years ago. Circa 1900 the public house was a long, two storey building with steps leading to the primary entrance/exit in the centre of the establishment indicating that the main drinking area was elevated by around foot or so. A side entrance also existed and complimented the rest of the windowed frontage. The proprietor was a William Edward Robinson. It is not known when the rebuilding took place but the Queens Head now sports a mock Tudor look in a mixture of black, red-brick and white painted hues.

The Three Tuns is situated directly at the junction of Sheriffs Highway and Kells Lane/Broadway. It is another public house in the area with a long and well documented history. It is not known when this venue opened but it is listed in trade directories as early as 1778 The Three Tuns was chiefly used by pitmen and quarrymen. Its social activities were cock fighting (abolished by law in 1849) and 'cuddy races' which took place on the open ground in Kells Lane. In 1832 the Three Tuns was the scene of a big reception to celebrate the passing of Lord Russell's Reform Act. It was also the home of reform meetings and benefit societies such as the "Women's Box", run by Jenny Hall, wife of a leading local Primitive Methodist. Since re-opening after refurbishment in 2002, the Three Tuns has hosted live rock and punk music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (as well as most Thursdays) which attracts customers from far outside the Sheriff Hill area. It has also held a number of niche events, including an International Sausage Festival in August 2011 which followed an international pie festival on 30 April 2010. Formerly a "failed Scottish and Newcastle house, the venue has been turned around completely and, as a result, has twice been awarded the title of Gateshead Pub of the Year (in 2005 and 2007) by the now defunct Gateshead Herald and Post newspaper. In 2007, Sir Ian McKellen and Sylvester McCoy made an impromptu visit to the pub and drank with locals.

The Traveller's Rest today

The Travellers Rest is situated at the top of Sheriff's Highway (nominally listed as 1-2 Southend Terrace). Little is documented in respect of this pub, though contemporary evidence confirms that it was once known as The Golden Quiot. It has been suggested that the name change took place in 1895 and refers simply to the tendency of travellers through Sheriff Hill to stop and take refreshment once they reached the top of the steepest part of the hill. In any event, there remains a tendency among locals and regulars to still refer simply to the pub as 'The Quoit'.

The Causeway was situated at the junction between Causeway and Blue Quarries Road. This has existed in a variety of guises since around 1800. By 1890, Mr. Angus McKie was the proprietor of the Causey House Inn; this establishment is marked on ordinance survey maps in the exact same location as the establishment which became latterly called the Causeway Hotel. The venue thrived during the latter part of the nineteenth century as it provided refreshment for quarrymen employed a minute or so walk away However, the venue closed in 2003 and is now used for residential purposes.

Even more spectacular has been the recent demise of The White Swan Inn. Located on Windy Nook Road, this is another public house which can be traced back as far as 1858. By 1890 it was in the hands of Mrs. Ann Robson, who provided refreshment to a combination of the quarrymen and pitmen who worked within short walking distance. However, a downturn in trade at the turn of the twenty-first century resulted in the venue closing in 2003. It has subsequently been completely demolished and replaced by a number of residential flats.

Religion and Places of worship

The settlement formerly contained a number of Methodist Chapels but only one remains today, along with a solitary Anglican church

Historical

The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was situated immediately adjacent Hope Pit near Blue Quarries Road. No surviving photographs of this building exist and it is not known when this church was erected or indeed demolished, though by 1919 the Church was no longer shown on Ordinance Survey maps. There are no surviving remnants of the church and council houses have since been erected in the Blue Quarries area.

File:Zion gym.jpg

The Zion Chapel c.2003 used as a gymnasium

The United Methodist Free Churches were formed in 1857 by the amalgamation of two reform movements arising out of doctrinal disputes within the Wesleyan Church. One of these movements, the Wesleyan Reformers, opened its first preaching room in Gateshead in 1852 and a separate circuit was created in 1958. Six years later, in 1864, the Church opened the Providence Chapel in Sheriff Hill near Sodhouse Bank. The Providence Chapel was built in the Gothic style and had seating for three hundred worshippers. It also accommodated its own Sunday School for the village children, which was situated underneath the main Church. The church was demolished in the middle of the 20th Century. The exact location of the church is unknown and the church is not evidenced on any ordinance survey maps. The New Connection (Zion) Chapel was built in 1836 and was opened by James Forsyth himself, the third minister in the Gateshead Wesleyan circuit at that time. It is not known exactly when it ceased to be used for worship but one published testimony recalls attending the Church in 1914. During the 1980s and 1990s this church was used as a gymnasium but it has since been completely renovated and is now used for residential purposes. In 2004, the Zion chapel was locally listed as a building of special local architectural or historic interest (Category 2). and still stands midway 'up' the western side of Sheriffs Highway at the corner of Egremont Drive. One eyewitness later recounted;

"the two Methodist chapels, Zion and Providence, were both well attended. Zion was also known as 'Scotts Chapel' and Providence as 'Pattersons' after the men who built them. The ordained ministers only came occasionally but most of the local preachers were very, very good. They were humble and didn't pretend to know all the answers..."

St John the Baptist Church

St John's Church circa 1920. Photograph taken from Gateshead Council public archives

The 1809 Enclosure Act decreed that a church be built on Gateshead Fell. An acre of land was set aside and the sum of £1000 was raised by trustees, so that, despite several delays, the foundation stone was laid by Rev. John Collinson, at a "lofty eminence" on Sour Milk Hill, on May 13, 1824. After an overall expenditure of £2742, the building itself was completed and the church was consecrated on August 30, 1825.

An "impressive landmark", St John the Baptist Church contained 1000 sittings, half of which were "declared to be free and unappropriated for ever." The benefice was in the patronage of the bishop of Durham and the Rev. William Hawkes was the first incumbent. underwent a period of restoration (including the addition of an organ loft on the north side and stalls) in 1883. In the late 1990s the Church was again the subject of much needed renovation, with the addition of two meeting rooms and two toilets, both at the rear of the church. Somewhat unusually, the church also has had its traditional pews removed and replaced with carpet and comfortable chairs.

To the side and rear of the church is a sizeable graveyard, though this has been closed for a number of years and is now the responsibility of Gateshead Council. The rectory is not located on the site of the church itself, but rather is situated some fifteen minutes walk away in Shotley Gardens, Low Fell.

The building itself is a neat, plain, Gothic structure built from ashlar and slate. Along with some detailed and well maintained stained glass windows, the predominant distinguishing feature of the church is its elegant tower and spire, which stretches some 148 feet into the Sheriff Hill skyline. Coupled with the natural terrain of the land, the top of the spire reaches over 500 feet into the air, making it the highest point in the entire metropolitan borough of Gateshead and one of the highest churches in England. The church itself, therefore, is visible for several miles in all directions, particularly to the west where it is clearly visible as far away as Blaydon, Ryton and beyond into County Durham.

Sheriff Hill Methodist Church

Sheriff Hill Methodist Church

In 1907 the New Connection and the Free Churches, out of largely financial necessity, amalgamated into one body. This organisation, the United Free Methodist Church, continued its work in Sheriff Hill at the Zion Church on Sodhouse Bank. Ordinance survey maps of 1939 show a United Methodist Church situated on the corner of Kells Lane and Sodhouse Bank, directly opposite the Three Tuns public house.

This is the exact site of the sole surviving Methodist Church in Sheriff Hill today; the Sheriff Hill Methodist Church.

There is little documented history of the building which is unusual in design. The main body of the church is contained within a building of semi-circular design, unkindly described as "a bland modern church...which signally fails to pay respect to its position"'. In the grounds of the church stands a tall wooden cross, inscribed with the words "Jesus Christ, God's Son Saviour".

Sheriff Hill Methodist Church is a focal point of social activity in the settlement. It has hosted bi-annual jumble sales for many years as well as bi-annual auctions. An annual Christmas fayre, replete with traditional stalls and homemade cakes, is also held and which has been said to mark "the start of Christmas in Sheriff Hill". The church also works in collaboration with nearby St John the Baptist Church to provide Cornerstone: a successful cafe and thrift shop which runs every monday morning. The result is a Church which is heavily used and in need of renovation and expansion, with fundraising events ongoing.

Culture

The Hermatage/Gateshead Blue Plaque

File:The Hermatage.JPG

The Hermatage, home of William Clarke (date unknown) as photographed by C R Walton.Template:Pufc

The Hermitage was a mansion with twenty rooms which had its entrance on the old Mill Lane, which ran between Sheriff Hill and Carr Hill. It is not clear when the house was built. The 1858 ordinance survey map shows a building on the site, but later maps show a building of larger proportions. It may have been added to or rebuilt. According to Kelly's Directory, the house was occupied by John Cotes Copland in 1873.

By 1874 it was in possession of William Clarke, engineer.

As a young man, William was employed at Longridge's Iron Works in Bedlington, later moving to Armstrong, Mitchell and Co in Newcastle in 1860. In 1864, he set up a small engineering business on the South Shore in the same area as Hawks and Abbots iron foundries. Within a year, he had taken a partner, Abel Chapman and later the two were joined by Charles Parsons. The firm relocated to St James' Road and within 20 years, was world famous.

William Clarke played an active part in the affairs of Gateshead and was a JP and a Council member for some years as well as an organiser for the local Volunteer Corps, treasurer of the Children's Hospital and a supporter of the Northern Counties Institute for the Deaf. Clarke was a staunch Methodist and the first Treasurer of the 'New Durham Road Wesleyan Mission Committee' in 1885. He also introduced a number of reading rooms and science classes for Gateshead people. It was said of William that he seldom 'strayed from the banks of the Tyne'. He died unexpectedly at the age of 59.

The Gateshead Blue Plaque erected in honour of William Clarke

In 1901 the Hermitage was in the possession of Mrs Isaac Tucker. It then became the High Fell Working Men's Institute before the club moved to modern premises, on Old Durham Road, just downhill from the Hermitage (and still in operation). The Hermitage was demolished about 1964.

On 29 July 2005, Gateshead Council unveiled a blue plaque in commemoration of the life and work of William Clarke. The plaque is situated on the southern most part of the wall which divides Sheriff's Highway and the Quarry Plantation. This reflects the location of the Hermitage, which was built on part of the land which now constitutes the Quarry Plantation

The plaque reads:

WILLIAM CLARKE(1831–1890)
Industrialist and Co-Founder of
Clarke Chapman
lived in the Hermitage,
which stood on this site.

Topography

Sheriff Hill is located in an elevated position overlooking the centre of Gateshead and beyond. The site of St John's Church at Church Road is some four hundred feet above sea level, making it the highest point in the entire borough of Gateshead.

As a result of the topography, the settlement at Sheriff Hill provides residents and visitors with "commanding views across the Tyne Valley to the Cheviot Hills". This is especially true of Sheriff's Highway, which affords "spectacular long views over Gateshead, Newcastle and beyond"'. The spire at St John's Church is a visible landmark for miles in all directions which "gives an aspect of comfort and civilisation to the district"

• 
  View looking west from Church Road. Team Valley Trading Estate dominates the foreground with Marley Hill and Lobley Hill beyond
• 
  View into Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland from Egremont Drive
• 
  Blaydon, Ryton and Crawcrook, ten miles away, can clearly be seen from Egremont Drive looking northwest
• 
  The play area in Hodkin Park. Note the wonderful views to the west of Gateshead and Newcastle

Transport

The settlement is situated on the B1296 "Old Durham Road" which is a former route of the Great North Road before it was diverted through Low Fell on the present route of the A167. It is also a major bus route out of Gateshead served by many bus services, such as the 'Fab 56' and 'Fab 57' and is part of the 93/94 loop network (services run by Go North East under the administration of Nexus).

The journey time by car or bus to Gateshead Town Centre is approximately ten minutes, with a further five minutes journey taking travellers into the Centre of Newcastle.

In times gone by, trams used to run up Old Durham Road and often had difficulty going up the steep hill, however the tracks have long since been lifted. In the present time there is a proposal for trams to return to Old Durham Road as part of a link from Gateshead through to Washington, however this has not made it beyond proposal stages.

See also

• Felling, Tyne and Wear

Bibliography

Academic Texts

• Carlton, Ian Clark (1974). A Short History of Gateshead. Gateshead Coropration. ISBN 0-90127-304-X.
• Hair, T.H (1844). A Series of views of the Collieries in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham. London. ISBN 0-94686-507-8.
• Harrison, John (1979). Sheriff Hill: My Villiage. Gateshead Central Library.
• Kelly (1858). Post Office Directory of Durham.
• Lewis, Samuel (1831). A Topographical Dictionary of England. Lewis & Co. ISBN 0-80631-508-3.
• Manders, Francis William David (1973). A History of Gateshead. Gateshead Coropration. ISBN 0-90127-302-3.
• Marshall, T (1991). Gateshead Place Names and History:Miscellanious Notes. Gateshead Central Library.
• McKenzie, Eneas (1827). Historical Account of Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Including the Borough of Gateshead. McKenzie and Dent. ISBN 1-14429-746-4. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
• Slater, I (1848). Royal National Commercial Directory and Topography of the Counties of Durham.
• Ward (1893–94). Directory of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North and South Shields, Jarrow, Sunderland and the adjacent villages.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
• Ward (1889–90). Directory of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North and South Shields, Jarrow, Sunderland and the adjacent village.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
• Whitehead (1782). Newcastle and Gateshead Directory.

Journals, Reports, Papers and other sources

Where an abbreiviation is used in the references this is indicated below in (brackets) at the end of the source name

• Burn, Zoe (17th November 2010). Vicar dons hat to open Methodist Church Christmas Fair. Newcastle Evening Chronicle. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Buchannan, G.S (November 1905). Report to the Local Government Board on Small-pox in Gateshead and Felling 1903-1904, in relation to Sheriff Hill Hospital. Journal of the Royal Sanitary Institute.
• Davis, K (31st August 2010). Kids love roman troops and Beach Party. Newcastle Evening Chronicle. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Quinn, David (February 2004). Report to Council- Local Lists of Buildings, and Parks and Gardens of Special Interest. Gateshead Council.
• {{cite book |title=Council :!! Malicious link !!20Culture/parks/home.aspx]
  

Gateshead Council's public archive: ISee Gateshead [1]
Sheriff Hill Colliery at Durham Mining Museum [2]
The Northern Echo- Pit Disasters [3]
Collieries in Northumberland and Durham (updated by academic Brian Pears) at Genuki [4]
Neighbourhood Statistics- Gateshead 011B (Lower Layer Super Output Area), 2001 UK Census [5]