Heaton is a district and suburb[1] in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England, two miles (three kilometres) east of the city centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Walkergate to the east, Jesmond to the north west, Byker to the south, and Sandyford to the west. The name Heaton means high town, referring to the area "being situated on hills above the Ouseburn, a tributary of the River Tyne." The area is divided into South Heaton, and High Heaton, representing the north, respectively. For city council elections, the area is split between three wards: Heaton, Manor Park and Ouseburn.[2] Until 1974 it was in Northumberland.
| Heaton | |
|---|---|
 Chillingham Road, Heaton's main commercial street | |
  Heaton Location within Tyne and Wear | |
| OS grid reference | NZ273660 |
| • London | 242 mi (389 km) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Postcode district | NE6-7 |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Tyne and Wear |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
| Councillors |
|
History
editIn the 12th century Heaton became part of the Barony of Ellingham granted by Henry I to Nicholas de Grenville. King John is claimed to have stayed in the castle at Heaton (the remains of which can still be seen in Heaton Park) on a number of occasions[citation needed]. In the 17th century the Heaton estate was purchased by Henry Babington who was knighted at Heaton Hall by James I on 1 May 1617.[3]
By the 18th century, Heaton was a coal mining area[4] with many of its collieries owned by Matthew White and Richard Ridley, then by his son Matthew Ridley. The Heaton estate was broken up in 1835 when the area became part of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1841 much of the land in Heaton was owned by Armorer Donkin, who on his death in 1851 bequeathed it to his business partner, the industrialist Sir William Armstrong.[5]
In 1879, the corporation acquired part of the Heaton Hall estate, which was then laid out as Heaton Park, and Sir William Armstrong donated Armstrong Park and Jesmond Dene to the city.[4] The three parks run into each other to form a green corridor through east Newcastle.
Geography
editA distinction is often made between High Heaton, and the rest of Heaton, although both technically fall within Heaton. The rest of Heaton is sometimes referred to as South Heaton, although the term has not been seen used in official city council documents.
Notable landmarks in Heaton include the Wills Building, which was originally constructed in 1946–1950 as a cigarette factory[6] and was redeveloped in 1999 as luxury apartments.
Governance
editFor the purposes of city council elections, Heaton was divided into two electoral wards, North Heaton and South Heaton.
However, boundary changes to all wards in Newcastle upon Tyne were implemented at the city council elections in May 2018, with the majority of Heaton now falling in the Heaton ward, and High Heaton in the Manor Park ward. A small part of Heaton, close to Shields Road, falls within the Ouseburn ward. All city council wards are represented by three councillors.[7]
For Parliamentary elections, Heaton is within the Newcastle East constitutency.
Heaton was formerly a township in the parish of Newcastle-All Saints,[8] in 1866 Heaton became a separate civil parish, on 1 April 1914 the parish was abolished to form Newcastle upon Tyne.[9] In 1911 the parish had a population of 21,912.[10] In 1974 it became part of the metropolitan district of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Demography
editHeaton is a mixed working class and middle class area. In recent years it has become a popular residence for many students[11] attending the city's two universities, Newcastle University and Northumbria University. Rent and property prices are generally lower than in the neighbouring areas of Jesmond and Sandyford, but higher than in Byker.
Economy
editDuring the 19th century, the building of the railways saw a line pass through Heaton, now the East Coast Main Line. Heaton also has a major rail depot. Heaton became the location of Sir Charles Parsons engineering works producing turbines which was founded in 1889.[12]
Third Avenue was the birthplace of the Ringtons Tea business.[13]
The main commercial street in Heaton is Chillingham Road which benefits from local amenities including two small supermarkets, a number of small shops and newsagents, hairdressers, takeaways, cafes, restaurants and public houses. Heaton Road is also becoming a notable commercial street.[14]
Education
editHeaton has a large secondary school, Heaton Manor School, recently renamed Jesmond Park Academy, although many children in Heaton attend Benfield School, located on the Heaton/Walkergate boundary. There are also a number of primary schools spread over the area: Ravenswood Primary School, Chillingham Road Primary School, Hotspur Primary School and St. Teresa's Primary School.[15]
Despite austerity, Heaton retains an autism-friendly library in High Heaton with 3-hour computer access and a range of fiction and non-fiction books available.[16]
In 1932, Henderson Hall was opened as halls of residence for Newcastle University.[17]
Sport
editHeaton was home to Newcastle United under their previous name, Newcastle East End F.C., between 1886 and 1892. East End played at the Heaton Junction Ground on Chillingham Road before moving to St James' Park.[4]
Two Northern League football clubs play in areas neighboring Heaton. Heaton Stannington F.C. play in High Heaton, while Newcastle Benfield F.C. play next door to Benfield School.
Heaton is also home to amateur rugby football club Medicals RFC, based in Cartington Terrace.
Religion
edit
Heaton is home to RC and CofE churches, and the Heaton Mosque and Islamic Centre.[18]
Transport
editHeaton was originally served by Heaton railway station, which was on the main line from Newcastle Central to Edinburgh Waverley. The station was closed on 11 August 1980, when the Tyne & Wear Metro system opened.[19] Heaton is now served by the Chillingham Road Metro station, and Byker Metro station which is closer for some in South Heaton. Heaton is also served by a variety of bus routes, including routes 1, 62 and 63, which link Heaton to Newcastle City Centre and areas in the west of Newcastle.
Healthcare
editHeaton Road Surgery was graded 'outstanding' in 2015 by the Care Quality Commission.[20] The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle's second largest major hospital, is in High Heaton.
Notable people
edit- Ove Arup (1895-1988), chief engineer of the Sydney Opera House, was born and raised in Heaton.[21]
- Jack Common (1903–68), left-wing political scientist and sociologist, author of 'Kiddar's Luck' and 'The Ampersand', was born and brought up at Number 44 Third Avenue, Heaton[22] and attended Chillingham Road Primary School; his novels give a vivid portrait of the area in the early 20th century. Common was later to model for the bust of Karl Marx that tops Marx's tomb in Highgate Cemetery, London.
- Chas Chandler (1938–96), bassist for The Animals and manager of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Slade. It is reputed that Jimi Hendrix himself busked on Chillingham Road during his time living with Chas in Heaton[23] at 35 Second Avenue.
- Chris Donald and Simon Donald, founders of Viz magazine, lived and attended school in Heaton.
- Cheryl Cole, former member of pop group Girls Aloud, was born in Heaton on 30 June 1983 and lived there until the mid-1990s when she moved to nearby Walker.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Heaton - Visiting Newcastle upon Tyne". Newcastle Tourism Board. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Your Councillors - Newcastle City Council". www.newcastle.gov.uk.
- ^ John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 3 (London, 1828), p. 281.
- ^ a b c Morton, David (15 October 2014). "Remember When: Heaton Road in Newcastle in 1901 - then and now". Chroniclelive.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ Morgan, Alan (2012). Heaton from farms to foundries. Tyne Bridge Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-857952-06-3.
- ^ Pearson, Lynn F. (1996). Northern City - An Architectural History of Newcastle upon Tyne. Newcastle City Libraries. p. 50. ISBN 1-85795-087-9.
- ^ "Electoral Review of Newcastle". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "History of Heaton, in Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Relationships and changes Heaton CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Population statistics Heaton CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Life in Heaton: Newcastle's 'trendy' suburb". 11 May 2017.
- ^ "CA Parsons: The Tyneside factory that powered nation". Chroniclelive.co.uk. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Going potty over tea company exhibition". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ Walton Robinson. "What's it like to live in Heaton?". Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ Meechan, Simon (11 May 2017). "Life in Heaton: Newcastle's 'trendy' suburb". Chroniclelive.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "High Heaton Library". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ PA, Tom Wilkinson (9 June 2023). "Major fire destroys listed halls of residence". The Irish News. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Goodwin, Nicole (8 January 2020). "What members of Heaton Mosque want you to understand about Islam". ChronicleLive.
- ^ "Disused Stations: Heaton (2nd) Station". Disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Heaton Road Surgery". heatonroadsurgery.nhs.uk.
- ^ "Sir Ove Arup: engineer and philosopher". Heatonhistorygroup.org. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Jack Common". Heatonhistorygroup.org. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ Morton, David (18 September 2015). "How Jimi Hendrix rocked Newcastle and South Shields in 1967". Chroniclelive.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Ten interesting facts about Heaton". Chroniclelive.co.uk. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2020.