Gosforth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gosforth | |
  Gosforth shown within Tyne and Wear |
|
| Population | 18,281[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Metropolitan county | Tyne and Wear |
| Region | North East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Postcode district | NE3 |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Tyne and Wear |
| Ambulance | North East |
| European Parliament | North East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear | |
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it was merged with the county borough of Newcastle, the urban district of Newburn and parts of Castle Ward Rural District into the Metropolitan Borough of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. There are two electoral wards in Gosforth, East Gosforth and West Gosforth.
Contents |
[edit] History
The origin of the area's name is thought to have come from the title Gese Ford meaning “the ford over the Ouse”, referring to a crossing over the local River Ouse. Gosforth is thought to have originated from around 1166[2] and South Gosforth dates back past 1319, when it has been noted that the English Army retreated there from a siege on Berwick[3].
[edit] Mining
In the 19th century, Gosforth was the location of Gosforth[4] and Coxlodge Collieries[5]. The area of land which Coxlodge Colliery occupied is around the Regent Centre area, and the Gosforth Colliery was nearer to modern day South Gosforth.
[edit] Landmarks
It has a large business complex called the Regent Centre, which houses many notable organisations including the Newcastle regional centre for the Open University and HM Revenue & Customs. Gosforth High Street is part of the Great North Road. Gosforth's main High School is Gosforth High School, and one of the main private schools in Gosforth is Westfield School. St Nicholas Hospital is also located in Gosforth, which houses the Jubilee Theatre, a Victorian Theatre built in 1899.[6]
[edit] Areas of Gosforth
Apart from South Gosforth, many districts of Gosforth are suffixed "Park". There is Grange Park, Brunton Park, Melton Park, Grove Park, Gosforth Park (including its racecourse), Newcastle Great Park and Whitebridge Park. East of the Great North Road, Garden Village was developed on 'garden suburb' lines in the 1920s to house workers at the nearby LNER electric train depot (now the Metro depot).
Gosforth has a range of suburban style housing and executive apartments and a mix of local pubs, restaurants and the famous Three Mile Inn which is exceptionally busy at 5pm partly because of its close proximity to the Regent Centre office development. Gosforth's newest pub is Wetherspoons The Job Bulman, named after the founder of Bulman Village (now central Gosforth). The Job Bulman is located in the former 1920s post office building on St Nicholas Avenue and was Gosforth's first non smoking pub.
[edit] Newcastle Great Park
The latest expansion of Gosforth is in the north-west corner of the suburb called "Newcastle Great Park" which is three years into a ten year building project. The Warkworth Woods and Melbury sectors are almost complete and it will eventually extend into Kingston Park at the end of its development.
[edit] Great Park, Brunton Park & Melton Park
Gosforth holds many estates such as Great Park, Brunton Park & Melton Park. These house several amenities & local businesses such as a bakers, ceramic studio, newsagents, estate agent, hair & beauty salons & a pub, The Royal George. Another pub is The Three Mile Inn which is on the same complex as Scalini's (Italian restaurant), just a short walk from the area.
Melton Park has a chapel which dates back to early medieval or late Norman times. It may have been built on the site of a Roman fort.[7]
[edit] Sports
Gosforth has sports facilities such as Gosforth Swimming Pool and Northern Rugby Club among others. Famous sportsmen from Gosforth include footballer Alan Shearer and athlete Jonathan Edwards.
[edit] Business
Many businesses have offices in the Regent Centre, near the High Street. Gosforth also houses the headquarters of the bank, Northern Rock. Greggs, the national retail bakery chain, started with one shop on Gosforth High Street.
[edit] Shopping
Gosforth has its own High Street, which has been home to local shops for over a hundred years.[8] Shops on the high street include a branch of Woolworths, Boots, Thorpes, (a well established local hardware store), estate agents and banks, among many others. In the 1980s The Gosforth Shopping Centre was built on the High street and connects to Gosforth Central Park ; shops here include a new Sainsbury's and WHSmith. The park was built in 1932 for £10,000 and opened on 6th August 1932[9]. The High Street once also had a fire station (built in 1894), which moved to Jubilee Road many years ago.
[edit] Supermarkets
Gosforth shopping centre has a new Sainsbury's, which was formerly a Kwik Save/Somerfield store. Opposite Regent Centre is a 24 hour Asda and Kingston Park houses a Tesco store.
The ASDA supermarket had an extension built in 2007. The extension houses a photographic service centre and restaurant, along with a partial refurbishment of the store. The ground on which the ASDA store stands was formerly the Gosforth Greyhound Stadium until the late 1980s. The stadium had also previously been a Speedway Track from 1929-30[10].
Newcastle City Council reported to Great Park residents in a meeting that it has outline planning permission in 2007/8 for a new supermarket. However no such location has yet been confirmed.
[edit] Transport & communication
Gosforth is served by five Tyne and Wear Metro stations: Ilford Road, South Gosforth, Regent Centre, Wansbeck Road and Fawdon. The control centre for the Metro system is located at South Gosforth station, and the main depot and car sheds are nearby.
NE3 is the postcode area for Gosforth and BT Landlines start with (0191) 213, 217, 223, 236, 284 and 285.
Cable, provided by Virgin Media, does not fully cover Gosforth. It is not available to homes covered by the Wideopen Telephone Exchange in the north of the suburb.
In 1902 Gosforth was linked by tramway to Wallsend, then Newcastle a year later; this tramway has long since been removed as other travel links evolved.[8]
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary schools
[edit] First schools |
[edit] Middle/Junior high schools
[edit] High schools[edit] Independent schools
|
[edit] Gosforth Library
Gosforth has a public library which was re-built in 2007. In November 2006, the old Gosforth Library was closed and moved to a nearby temporary location. The single storey building was subsequently demolished and is being replaced by a new two storey building. The new Library and Customer Service Centre, costing £2.8 million opened on 17th December 2007. The Gosforth Customer Service Centre includes a PayPoint and the library has a self service facility[11]. The new building will also incorporate 'public art' to give the Centre an identity and a connection with the local area. The Library was officially opened on 8th February 2008 by John Grundy; music students from Gosforth High School also performed at the opening.
[edit] Famous natives and residents
Notable natives and residents of Gosforth include:
- Donna Air - actress and television presenter[12]
- Michael Chopra - footballer for Sunderland AFC[13]
- Jonathan Edwards - triple jump world record holder[14]
- Robbie Elliott - footballer for Hartlepool United F.C.[15]
- John Grundy - television presenter
- Wilfred Josephs - composer[16]
- David Knopfler - guitarist in Dire Straits, moved to Gosforth as a child, brother of Mark
- Mark Knopfler - guitarist and vocalist in Dire Straits, moved to Gosforth as a child[16]
- Andrew Leslie - shipbuilder (lived at Coxlodge Hall)[2]
- Ben Price - actor[17]
- Alan Shearer - international footballer[18]
[edit] Nearest places |
[edit] Nearest metro stations |
[edit] Photo gallery
[edit] Gosforth High Street
 The old Fire Station (dark building) and shops |
 The Gosforth Hotel and shops |
 The High Street taken from in between the two churches |
 The High Street as it appears when arriving Gosforth |
 The side of Gosforth Shopping Centre |
 The Job Bulman Pub (old Post Office building) |
[edit] References
- ^ Census 2001 Population. Newcastle City Council. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ a b Newcastle upon Tyne. northumbrian-coast.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Whellan, William (1855). History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland. Whellan and Co., p.454. Retrieved on 2008-05-04. “The village of South Gosforth is situated two and a half miles north-east by north of Newcastle. Here it was that the English army retreated when on its way to the siege of Berwick, in 1319.”
- ^ Gosforth Colliery. The Durham Mining Museum. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Coxlodge Colliery. The Durham Mining Museum. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Theatre. Juniper Productions. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Hidden Chapel in Gosforth estate. BBC News (2006-05-19). Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ a b Gosforth High Street. TimArchive (2000-11-25). Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Gosforth History. Gosforth Life. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Gosforth (Newcastle). Defunct Speedway. Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
- ^ Gosforth Customer Service Centre and Library. Newcastle City Council. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Stars happy on home ground. icNewcsatle (2001-12-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Chopra keeping head down ahead of derby. The Northern Echo (2008-04-11). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Olympian Jonathan Edwards has 'crisis of faith'. The Telegraph (2007-02-12). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Footballer's wife is living the dream. The Journal (2003-03-31). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ a b Famous people with North East Connections (PDF). Newcastle City Council (2004-09). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Going for gold at the Great North Run. Cafod (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ Newcastle and Blackburn legend Alan Shearer – simply the best. SportIngo (2008-03-13). Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
[edit] External links
- Kay's Geography urban case study profile of Gosforth
- Ward Info: East Gosforth at Newcastle City Council
- Ward Info: West Gosforth at Newcastle City Council
- Gosforth Life - Photographs from Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Gosforth Garden Village Association - Residents' website
