West Jesmond Metro station

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West Jesmond
Location
Place Jesmond
Local authority Newcastle
Fare zone information
Network Zone 17
Metro Zone A
Operations
Platforms 2
History
Opened 1900-12-01
Closed for conversion 1978-08-23
Metro since 1980-08-11
Tyne and Wear Metro
List of Tyne and Wear Metro stations

West Jesmond Metro station is one of two Tyne and Wear Metro stations that serve the suburb of Jesmond in Newcastle upon Tyne. West Jesmond is the busiest suburban station on the Metro network, with 966,467 annual passenger boardings in 1995-96.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

It was built by the North Eastern Railway company as a heavy rail station, and opened in December 1900[2]. The station platforms are on opposite sides of the line and are linked by an underground pedestrian subway.

The platforms originally had glass awnings to shelter passengers, but these were removed in the 1970s. The sawn-off remnants of these awnings can still be seen attached to the station buildings.

The station closed in 1978 for conversion to Metro service, reopening in August 1980. The original station buildings were kept, but the platforms were shortened and a new footbridge was built over the line.

[edit] Notable landmarks

The derelict Jesmond Picture House building is adjacent to the station, and is clearly visible from passing Metro trains. This suburban cinema opened in 1921 and survived well into the multiplex age. Made in America was the last film to be screened there when it finally closed its doors in October 1993.[3]

In August 2007, a consultation was held by the present owners of the building, MK Partnerships, who acquired it the previous year. The owners have rejected the idea of it ever opening as a cinema again, the building being in a very shabby condition both inside and out. The owners have an office complex with shops at the bottom planned, however it is unclear whether the building is to be demolished. They may be planning to renovate the cinema by converting it into offices with shops at the bottom. In this case an extra floor would to be put on top of it, raising the height of the building slightly. Building work on the scheme is scheduled to start sometime next year, once plans have been submitted and approved by the local council. This will therefore mean that, after about 15 years standing empty, the Jesmond Picture House will finally be renovated as something else or demolished.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Young, Alan (1999). Suburban Railways of Tyneside. Martin Bairstow, p 94. ISBN 1-871944-20-1. 
  2. ^ Blyth and Tyne stations. Northumbrian Railways. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  3. ^ Manders, Frank (2005). Cinemas of Newcastle. Tyne Bridge Publishing, p 120. ISBN 1-85795-152-2. 

[edit] External links

Preceding station   Tyne and Wear Metro   Following station
toward St James via the Coast
 Yellow line
toward Airport
 Green line
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