Newcastle City Council

Welcome to the website for Walkergate ward. 

This site contains a wide variety of information about the ward including what's on, local facilities and services, useful contacts, community groups, local meetings and events and how to have your say. It also provides facts and figures about Walkergate and links to key local websites. The links on the right hand side of the page will help you to find what you need.

The site is a work in progress and we welcome your comments and ideas. Please get in touch with the Communities Officer if you have any suggestions about what else could be added.

Decent Neighbourhood Standards

Every neighbourhood in Newcastle will be brought up to a decent standard under a new set of proposals by the city council.

The council, with residents, wants to create its own Decent Neighbourhoods Standards to ensure consistently good services in each of the city's 26 wards, with services such as street cleaning, graffiti removal and bin collections being constantly monitored and improved.

Residents who would like to make their views known should visit http://www.letstalknewcastle.co.uk/consultations/index/13 and take part in an online survey

 Walkergate Highways Maintenance

Click here for a ward report for Walkergate outlining highways schemes from 2010 onwards (opens pdf 2.7 MB).  There is a separate report for a range of works across the whole of the city. Click here for more details (opens pdf 243.43KB)

Crime and Community Safety

Walkergate ward is covered by the Byker and Walker police teams who work with partners such as Newcastle City Council, Your Homes Newcastle and Tyne & Wear Fire Service to tackle crime and community safety in your area.

You should always phone 999 in an emergency. For a non emergency report or enquiry phone 03456 043 043.

Contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Online Map

Use our online map to find your nearest libraries and schools. You can also find out where your nearest recycling site is and find leisure services, such as swimming pools, and heritage information, such as listed buildings and ancient monuments. 

Friends of Newcastle Trees (FoNT)

The newly constituted Friends of Newcastle Trees takes over the work of the Newcastle Tree Wardens as set up by the Newcastle City Council Tree Strategy.  Friends of Newcastle Trees Information Sheet (101kb)

Tree Wardens from Friends of Newcastle Trees act as a 'neighbourhood watch' over the trees where they live, looking out for problems like vandalism, storm damage, disease, dead trees and reporting protected trees being damaged or under threat.  You could also help find places to plant more trees in your area and join in with tree, hedgerow and woodland projects.  To find out more please contact Edwina Symmons pn 0191 2778950  email: newcastletrees@ymail.com

Local Heritage Information

Walkergate history       Picture - Stotts Road

The history of Walkergate Ward is, of course, linked closely to the history of neighbouring Walker Ward. The historic origins of Walker are, however, largely to be found within Walkergate Ward, which is home to the older settlements of Walker Gate, Old Walker and Low Walker. Walkergate Ward today is predominantly early-mid 20th century housing, open green space for recreation, and the remnants of the once thriving shipbuilding yards (and other associated 19th century industries) on the River Tyne.

Human activity in the area, however, dates back much earlier than the 19th and 20th centuries. There is some archaeological evidence of a prehistoric presence in the area, as it is thought that there was once a burial mound at Stott’s House Farm (which was located at what is now the corner of Foss Way and Waverdale Avenue).

The next clear evidence of early human activity is the Roman Wall, which follows the line of today’s Foss Way. Milecastles, remains of the Military Way, foundations of the wall and evidence of the defensive ditch have all been identified in Walkergate. A fragment of a Roman inscription was found built into the end of a stable at Stott’s House Farm, and several other Roman finds, such as bone and coins, have been recorded.

The first reference to “Walker” appears to be the small medieval village of Walker (now known as Old Walker) in the 12th century, which was a manor held by the barony of Morpeth. By the mid-19th century Walker was just a farm and some cottages, and could have been close to becoming one of many “lost” medieval settlements. The site of the old village lies immediately to the south of Foss Way and to the east of Scrogg Road.

Large scale coal mining began in the area in the early 1700s, with up to ten collieries in operation in the Walker area, including Delight Pit on what is now the site of Sir Charles Parsons and St. Alban’s RC primary schools. A waggonway ran through the heart of Walkergate, taking coal to the staiths on the riverside.

Newcastle Corporation purchased the manor of Walker in the 18th century and with it acquired the river shore for ballast dumping. The riverside became increasingly industrialised during the 19th century, with various shipyards, brickfields, brick and tile works, copperas (dyers) and raff (timber) yards. Shipbuilding became a key industry in the area. In the mid-19th century Miller, Ravenhall and Co. began building iron steamers for the P&O line at Low Walker; this was one of several smaller yards that were subsumed into the Neptune Yard and later became part of the world-famous Swan Hunter yard.

The growth of industry also brought a massive growth in population and residential development in the area, along with improved transport infrastructure. In the 19th century the NER Newcastle and Tynemouth Riverside Branch railway was built, which connected Low Walker to the East Coast Mainline at Byker; the branch line is now a public footpath.
 

Are you part of a group or organisation with an interest in the local history of Walkergate? If you have information about the area, please contact the Communities Officer and we will look to create a Local Heritage section on this page.