Byker

Tom Collins House, Byker

Possibly the earliest form of the visible evidence of development in Byker was by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian. A wall, turrets and mile castles, stretching from the east to the west coast provided a barrier to invading border clans and tribes. Hadrian’s Wall lies just south of Shields Road and was excavated in the 1990s. The area was populated by soldiers and their suppliers of foods, livestock and trades, such as weavers, saddlers and blacksmiths amongst others. There are the remains of a mile castle or small fort near Brough Park dog track.[3]

Byker in 1970

Byker first appeared in historical documents in 1198 ‘as the most important Serjeantry in Northumberland’ held by William of Byker, named William Escolland, who was a Norman noble.[3] In 1549 the Mayor and Burgesses of Newcastle sought to extend the borough's boundaries to include part of Byker Township, to take advantage of the land by the river ‘for the dropping of ballast for the coal trade’. The transaction was disputed due to financial disagreements and eventually settled in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in London.

The ward has three primary schools, St. Lawrence RC Primary School,[12] Welbeck Academy and Byker Primary School, which is equipped with a nursery class.[13] The ward does not have any secondary schools, the nearest secondary schools are Jesmond Park Academy, Walker Riverside Academy and Benfield School. Byker Primary School was rated 'Outstanding' in its most recent Ofsted report.

East End Pool and Library

Most of these facilities are in the bordering ward of South Heaton such as the East End Pool and Library on Corbridge Street. In March 2019 it was announced that the library would be transferred to the Shields Road Customer Service Centre in May 2019.[14] The ward itself is at Garden City standards in terms of housing density, offering a number of well-maintained green open spaces. The ward hosts the 'Byker in Bloom' gardening competition which takes place in every summer, including a number of different categories including 'Best Balcony' and 'Best Newcomer'. In 2008, Newcastle City Council agreed a lease of the former Byker Swimming Pool on Shipley Place which had remained closed and unused since the late 1990s, allowing it to be converted into an indoor bouldering and climbing centre known as 'Climb Newcastle'.[15]

Byker Metro station

Byker is served by Byker Metro station on the Tyne and Wear Metro and Shields Road is served by numerous bus routes.

Byker ward stretches from the Fossway and Millers Road in the north of the ward to the banks of the River Tyne in the south. It heads south onto the Shields Road bypass (A187) and continues along the A193 bypass along Shields Road to the Ouse Burn. It turns south down the Ouse Burn to the River Tyne and follows the river east, turning northwards to the west of the properties on The Oval (and excluding the Bakewell Terrace properties). Heading east along Walker Road, the boundary then turns north up Monkchester Road and continues north. It turns west along Dunstanburgh Road, and then north between Welbeck Primary School grounds and the properties on Allendale Road. It turns east along Welbeck Road, then north up Scrogg Road, east at Middle Street, and north along Langley Road. The boundary then runs along the gardens at the back of Whinneyfield Road before turning west down the Fossway.

The results of the UK Census taken on 27 March 2011 for the Byker Ward show the total population on Census night was 12,206 people in 5,835 households.[16][17]

A quarter of people in the Byker ward have a long-term health problem or disability which affects day-to-day activities (25.0%).[16] Lone parent households with dependent children accounted for 12.3% of all households, which is higher than the city average of 7.6%.[16]

Byker has also experienced a large growth in Ethnic minorities, especially those of Polish and African backgrounds. In 2011, the White population was 88.9%, Asians were 4.2%, Black people were 4.1% and Mixed race were 1.6%.[18]

• Photos of the area from Geograph
• Know Newcastle ward profile
• Byker UK Census data 2011
• Kay's Geography guide to the Byker estate including photos and current issues
• Newcastle council 2001 census (archived page)
• Ouseburn Valley regeneration project (archived page)
• Newcastle Council Ward Info: Byker (archived page)

• Konttinen, Sirkka-Liisa. Byker. London: Jonathan Cape, 1983. ISBN 0-224-02109-5. Newcastle: Bloodaxe Books, 1985. ISBN 0-906427-90-8.
• Konttinen, Sirkka-Liisa. Byker Revisited. Newcastle upon Tyne: Northumberland University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-1-904794-42-4.

Media related to Byker at Wikimedia Commons