Low Fell is a suburb of Gateshead situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. Built predominantly on sandstone, grindstone and clay, it is bordered by Sheriff Hill/Deckham to the east, Saltwell/Bensham to the west, Harlow Green to the south and Shipcote to the north. Low Fell is south of Gateshead, south of Newcastle upon Tyne and north of Durham.
The main road into Low Fell is the A167. According to the 2001 UK census, Low Fell had a population of 8,643, falling marginally to 8,636 at the 2011 census. For centuries little more than part of a windswept, barren and treacherous heath, the settlement at Low Fell was initially established by a moderate influx of tinkers and miners in the 18th century. Gateshead Fell was initially incorporated into the Municipal Borough of Gateshead in 1835 and then the County Borough of Gateshead in 1889. More recently, it was formally incorporated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972 which took effect on 1 April 1974.
History Gateshead Fell
Prior to 1809, Low Fell was part of Gateshead Fell; itself a constituent part of the ancient County of Durham.Manders, 1973: 307 Once described as a "windswept, barren and treacherous heath",Manders, 1973: 308 it took its name from nearby Gateshead and the fact that the area was "a fell or common contigious to it".Lewis, 1848: 284 That portion of Gateshead Fell which would later become Low Fell was, in the 1640s, little more than boggy marsh and wetlands owned by the Bishop of Durham who simply divided the land into plots and rented them to the few tenants willing to pay for them.LFCAMP, 2006: 5 By the 18th century, the lower section of Gateshead Fell consisted broadly of sparsely populated farm and woodland, demarcated from the section of Gateshead Fell which was to become Sheriff Hill by a boundary formed by a mound of earth.LFCAMP, 2006: 5–6
In 1771, the number of settlers on Gateshead Fell increased as a result of the 'Great Flood of 1771', during which the rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees all burst their banks, causing people to lose their homes.Garrett, 1818: 38 By this time, however, Gateshead Fell had become a place of considerable notoriety, both for the bleakness of the land and for the criminality undertaken upon it.Manders, 1973: 309. Indeed, in March 1888, North Country Lore and Legend, Monthly Chronicle recalled: "Gateshead Fell, as the name implies, was once a wild common, over a portion of which lay the road between Durham and Newcastle. The loneliness of the bleak moorland was quite guile enough to invest it with terror to travellers a hundred years ago and occasionally there were incidents that served greatly to enhance the evil repute of the locality..." (author unknown) When theologian John Wesley arrived in a blizzard in 1785, he found a "pathless waste of white" inhabited predominantly by tinkers, gypsies, pitmen and quarrymen.Carlton, 1974: 114
In 1809 an inclosure act, the Gateshead Inclosure Act 1809 (49 Geo. 3. c. cxxxv), was obtained ordering the enclosure of Gateshead Fell.Manders, 1973: 309
1809–present day
The Gateshead Inclosure Act 1809 separated Gateshead Fell into Wrekenton and Sheriff Hill (collectively High Fell) plus Low Fell. Commissioners were appointed to settle claims in land and to apportion Gateshead Fell accordingly. Plans were laid for the requisition and construction of wells (including Carter's Well; located on Durham Road and accompanied today by a commemorative Gateshead blue plaqueRichards, 2010: para.2), quarries, drains, roads, watering places and other essential requirements. Progress was slow, with the last allotment disputes not settled until 1822, but by the time of completion, Gateshead Fell was entirely enclosed and effectively consigned to history.Manders, 1973: 310 The divisions of Gateshead Fell have remained more or less settled, so that the villages created by enclosure have survived, almost entirely intact, to the present day.
After enclosure, 'civilisation came to the Fell'. This began with the building of a new road. The only major road through Gateshead Fell was that which followed the same route of the ancient turnpike road which ran through what is now Sheriff Hill (today this is Old Durham Road/Sheriffs Highway). The turnpike road was very steep and was deemed rather unsatisfactory:Why should coaches have to labour up the long hill from Newcastle to the top of Gateshead Fell, and then go down the steep descent to the Coach & Horses inn just before Birtley, while those coming from the south had to climb and descend the hills in reverse? There must be a new road with better gradients...As described by Hope–Dodds, 1965/6, Part 1. Available online courtesy of Gateshead Council accessed 11 April 2012 Until 1824 there was still about a mile of farmland between Gateshead and Low Fell, though the land was far less severe than that leading to Sheriff Hill and Wrekenton, so plans were drawn to build a new road through the farmland, Low Fell and towards Durham. Work began on this new road on 6 December 1824 and took some eighteen months to complete so that the first mail coach travelled on the new road, today known as Durham Road, on 17 June 1826.Hope–Dodds, 1965/6: Part 1 Thomas Wilson used to call this road "the road through the fields";Brazendale, 2004: 66 a description which was said to have suited the road well until at least the turn of the 20th century.Hope–Dodds, 1965/6: Part 3
The opening of the new road saw people drawn to an area which now attracted considerable trade, travel and through–fare. Robert Clements, proprietor of the Old Cannon Inn at Sheriff Hill, quickly foresaw the likely detrimental effect that the new road would have on his business and opened the New Cannon Inn on the corner of Durham Road and Buck Lane (now Beaconsfield Road) in 1826– the same year that the Sheriff's March was re–routed from Sheriff Hill to the new road through Low Fell.McKenzie, 1827, 746 at fn 1 Despite the cessation of the Sheriff's March in 1838,Marshall, 1991: 131, Para 1 Clements' establishment became "the social centre of the growing village, where concerts, dinners and meetings of all kinds were held".Carlton, 1974: 115
New, adjoining roads gradually began to appear, such as Lamesley Road, which later became Kells Lane, and Low Fell Road, which became Beaconsfield Road and Belle Vue Bank.Overbury, 2009: para.10 In January 1841, local poet Thomas Wilson bought land on Durham Road and opened literary rooms which were opened in November 1841. The upper section of the literary rooms was used as a school for local children until the opening of a new school on a site at Kells Lane in 1895.Manders, 1973: 311 In the 1880s there was a decade of intensive building and the population of the village increased accordingly. The relative tranquility of the village, coupled with scenic views of surrounding hills and countryside, attracted rich industrialists from nearby Newcastle–upon–Tyne, seeking an alternative to the dirt and noise of industrial Newcastle and Gateshead.LFCAMP, 2007: 3, Col 1 These individuals duly built and lived in mansion property in the area.Overbury, 2009: para.6 One such property, Heathfield, was a mansion located on Durham Road which was built and owned by a wealthy chemical manufacturer who kept bears in his substantial adjoining grounds.
Through the early 20th century, the village continued to expand towards Gateshead,Manders, 1973: 314 though even in the interwar–years "children could play marbles on Durham Road in perfect safety". However, by the turn of World War II in 1945, Gateshead itself has expanded so much that the urban sprawl had removed much of the scenic panorama which had delighted settlers in the suburb a century earlier. In spite of these developments:
By 1939, Low Fell had become the select suburb of Gateshead and had substantial and independent shopping facilities. All of the houses between Shipcote and the village were private and the owners added 'Low Fell' to their addresses, at times not even mentioning Gateshead, although, if we adhere to the original boundaries, they did not live in Low Fell at all".
The village changed little in either character or structure after the end of World War II,Manders, 1973: 315 though in 1965 plans were drawn for the further development of Durham Road which drew criticism from residents.There is a violent controversy about a new main road north. The A1 which was once the Great North Road is chockablock with lorries, cars, motor cycles, buses and every sort of miscellaneous motor traffic roaring along day and night. Something must be done. There must be a by–pass at least... per Hope–Dodds, 1965/6: Part 1 By 1974, when the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead was formed, Low Fell had transformed from those early, village days and was by that time a bustling suburb with a considerable independent commercial hub attracting a high volume of vehicular traffic. That character is relatively unchanged today, but Low Fell remains one of the most attractive places to live in the North East of England, retaining a distinctive village feel and containing a thriving community of shops, restaurants, schools and churches.Overbury, 2009: para.8
Governance +Gateshead Council, Low Fell– 2011 Local ElectionsGateshead Council, Local Elections 2011– Low fellCandidate namePolitical partyNumber of votes% of votes castRon BeadleLiberal Democrats1,57343.2%John YoungLabour1,32536.4%Paul SterlingConservative36910.1%Mal MacleanIndependent2055.6% Low Fell is a local council ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. This ward is approximately in area and has a population of 8,643.Gateshead Council, Low Fell– Ward Factsheet (2012) The Low Fell ward is represented by three councillors. In April 2012, these were Ron Beadle, Frank Hindle and Susan Craig.Gateshead Council, Ward Information– Low Fell (retrieved 11 April 2012)
Low Fell 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.The Guardian, Gateshead East and Washington West, date and author unknown (retrieved 18 March 2012)
The present incumbent MP is Ian Mearns, who lives in nearby Saltwell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Mearns, a member of the Labour party, replaced former incumbent Sharon Hodgson MP, who successfully campaigned for election in the newly formed constituency of Washington and Sunderland West.BBC, Election 2010– Washington & Sunderland West (retrieved 18 March 2011) In the 2010 UK General Election, 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%.Author unknown, Election 2010– Gateshead, the BBC (retrieved 18 March 2012)
Low Fell is part of one of the safest Labour parliamentary seats in the United Kingdom. Mearns' 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 castAuthor unknown, Election 2005, the BBC (retrieved 18 March 2012) whilst in 2001, Joyce Quin was returned to parliament with a majority of 53.3%.HC Research Paper 01/54 18 June 2001: p67
Geography and topography