Brierdene

Brierdene is a small residential area in the north of the town of Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England. The nearest city is Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Name

The name Brierdene comes from the Brierdene Burn that runs past the area effectively separating Whitley Lodge and Brierdene. The burn rises near the village of West Holywell, thence to the north of Earsdon, through Brierdene Farm and across Whitley Bay Golf Club, through a small valley, under the main road to Blyth A193 road, across the beach and into the sea.

Education

Brierdene is in the catchment area for all three tiers of education. The nearest first school is Whitley Lodge First School. The nearest middle school is Valley Gardens Middle School. This then feeds on to Whitley Bay High School

Streets

Brierdene is closely interlinked with many pedestrian shortcuts between various streets: Brierdene Road, Brierdene Crescent, Hastings Avenue, Craneswater Avenue, Linton Road, Gorsedene Road, Garsdale Road, Astley Drive/ Westley Avenue, Gerrard Road and Westley Close.

Main features

Brierdene used to have its own small Post Office/ Newsagents; however, this closed down and the shop building was converted into a house. The other main feature is the Green, which is used to play games on by the local youth. The Dene is also a major part of the area. A lot of wildlife can be seen in the Dene, including pheasants and foxes. It has been given a lottery grant to improve the area.

The Brierdene area is the location of Whitley Bay Golf Club, the entrance to which lies at the western end of the main part of the Dene.

At the eastern end of the Dene, just before it runs down to the beach, is the Briardene public house, which serves food and regularly hosts its own 'beer festivals' where a wide selection of 'visiting' real ales are served. This hostelry was the site of the former toll-bar on the then turnpike road. The western end of the estate is close to St Mary's Island and the lighthouse.