Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walker is a residential suburb and electoral ward just east of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Walker's name is derived from Old English Wall-kjer, "Wall marsh", the marsh beside Hadrian's Wall.
Generally speaking Walker is the area between Welbeck Road and the banks of the River Tyne, although the modern city ward of Walker incorporates Pottery Bank & St Anthony's. When most Geordies refer to Walker they also incorporate the areas of Daisy Hill & Eastfields. Walkergate and Walkerville, which are located between Welbeck Road and the Fossway/Shields Road are generally considered parts of Walker, these two areas, along with Daisy Hill & Eastfields make up the city Ward of Walkergate.
The residents of Walker are type 51 on the ACORN classification and tend to be low income families, single parents and pensioners. There is an extremely low level of home ownership in Walker with most households being council homes, there are few privately rented homes in Walker.
Walker used to have a large shipbuilding industry, particularly the yard of Armstrong Whitworth at High Walker, but this has declined over the past 50 years and now much of the population is chronically unemployed. The area has suffered as a result and tends to be ignored in the city councils regeneration plans. the council have looked to address this in the past few years and plan to demolish much of the older and run-down houseing stock along Walker Road and replace it with new homes which will be a mixture of council and private houseing, two show homes similar to those planned opened to the viewing public in the spring of 2005 on Walker Road.
The area is notable for Walker Park, the Walker Riverside Park, and the Lady Armstrong Library.
Walker is also the birthplace of Eric Burdon lead singer of The Animals & later War. The Animals recorded a song called "Gonna Send You Back To Walker"
Another Walkerite, the author, journalist and broadcaster Keith Topping, titled one of the chapter's in his novel The Hollow Men, The St. Anthony's Chinese Takeaway Massacre.
Walker is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro, with a station at Walkergate, and has a main bus terminus on Walker Road, although this is quite delapitated and badly serviced.
Most children attend the five primary schools in Walker before transferring to [Walker Technology College[1], a high performing specialist technology and visual arts school for 11-18 year olds.
