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Benwell’s BigHousesA Heritage WalkOn the trail of the big houses and mansions of Benwell
This circular walk starts and endsat St James' Church. It takes youalong Benwell Lane and around oldBenwell, following clues to wherethe former big houses stood andwho lived in them.
This heritage walk was devised bySt James' Heritage & EnvironmentGroup in partnership with theBenwell Big Houses Group whohelped to research the history ofthe big houses for the bookBenwell's Big Houses.
To contact us or to obtain a copy ofthe book:
St James' Heritage & Environment Groupc/o Cornerstone, 64 Armstrong RoadNewcastle upon TyneNE4 7TUEmail: [email protected] visit St James' any Tuesday 11.00am - 3.30pm
The national charity working to create safe,attractive, enjoyable streets where peoplewant to walk.
www.livingstreets.org.uk
St James' ChurchInside this 170 year oldchurch are memorials tosome of the wealthypeople connected withBenwell, such as coalowner and engineer JohnBuddle, Benjamin Brownehead of shipbuilders andengineers HawthornLeslie, and Walter Scott asuccessful businessmanwho built London's firstunderground electricrailway.
Among those buried in thechurchyard are the builderand developer RichardGrainger, coal ownerWilliam Cochran Carr, leadmanufacturer WilliamIsaac Cookson, glassmanufacturer JohnSowerby, and ArthurThomas Lloyd the thirdBishop of Newcastle.
CondercumCondercum Road(formerly called CharlottePit Lane) is named afterCondercum fort - a largecavalry fort on the RomanWall, built at the highestpoint with good views ofthe surroundingcountryside.
Several 19th mansionshere were calledCondercum, includingLower Condercum, hometo William Cochran Carr, alocal coal owner who alsoowned South Benwellbrickworks. Where theSpringbank Club nowstands, there was a bighouse called Spring BankVilla, once home to theBrims family who wereengineering and buildingcontractors.
Benwell GrangeBenwell Grange was builtin the 1860’s. Notableresidents included GeorgeAngus, son of the founderof the Newcastle rubberand leather company thatlater merged with Dunlopto become a majormultinational. A laterresident was the wine andspirit merchant JohnMcPherson, best knownfor his Cluny brand ofwhisky.
In 1920 the house wasbought by the RoyalVictoria School for theBlind which ran a hosteland training centre forblind young women hereuntil 1954. It wasdemolished in 1968.
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Early 19th century Benwell was hometo some of the most wealthy andpowerful people on Tyneside. It was apeaceful rural area but stillconveniently near to the facilities andsocial life of Newcastle. By the startof the 20th century, despite the rapidgrowth of heavy industries andextensive coal workings, most of thearea was still occupied by largedetached houses set in their owngrounds, protected from the sight ofindustry and coal mines by trees andother landscaping. Today only a fewof Benwell's big houses remainstanding, and none are now in use asprivate homes. But traces survive,such as gateposts, boundary walls,and street names.
Pendower HallPendower Hall was built inthe 1860’s for JohnWilliam Pease, a bankerand director of the NorthEastern RailwayCompany. In 1919 thehouse and grounds weresold to Newcastle Council. The land was used to buildsome of the first councilhouses in the city, whilstthe house was convertedto an "open air" school forchildren with physicalhealth problems. In the1950’s the school movedto new premises nearby,and the Hall became aneducation centre until itsclosure in 2002.
Benwell HouseBenwell House was built inthe 1820’s. Its firstresident was the coalowner, John Walker.
Reached by a long driveleading from BenwellLane, it was a stone-builtmansion situated inextensive grounds,including fountains and awalled garden, andsurrounded by woodlands.The estate extended southto the river at Paradise.
In 1902 the house andgrounds were convertedinto the Benwell HouseHotel. This closed in 1969and the building wasdemolished four years later.
Benwell DeneHouseBenwell Dene was built in1866, designed by thearchitect Alfred Waterhousewho also designedLondon's Natural HistoryMuseum and ManchesterTown Hall. It was thehome of Thomas Hodgkin,a partner in the Newcastlebank of Hodgkin, Barnett,Pease and Spence whichlater became Lloyd'sBank. Hodgkin was also arespected historian.
In 1893 Hodgkin soldBenwell Dene to the RoyalVictoria School for theBlind, which relocated toBenwell from its previouscity centre premises. Itremained there until itclosed in 1985.
�4 �5Hodgkin ParkWhen the banker ThomasHodgkin left Benwell tolive in Bamburgh Castle,he gave almost six acresof land from his estate tothe council to bedeveloped as a publicpark. Hodgkin Park wasopened in 1899 by MrsHodgkin, and laterextended by the additionof a further 12.5 acressouth of Armstrong Road.
Benwell TowersThe first owner of BenwellTowers was ThomasCrawhall, whose businessinterests included rope-making, lead miningand coal mining. In 1881 itbecame the residence ofthe Bishops of Newcastle.From 1943-76 it was abase and training centrefor the mines fire andrescue services. After thisit became in turn the SilverLady night club, the Mitrepub, and then the locationfor the Byker Grovetelevision series until2006. There has been abig house on this sitesince the 12th century.
Benwell Cottage Benwell Cottage, to thewest of Benwell Towers,was actually a large housestanding in extensivegrounds. Its most famousresident was the railwayengineer and steamengine builder, WilliamHawthorn, who, along withhis brother Robert, wasone of Tyneside's mostillustrious industrialpioneers.
In the 1920’s, RoyalVictoria School for theBlind bought the houseand grounds to create atraining centre for blindyoung men. This wasclosed in the 1950s, andthe house stood emptyuntil it was demolished in 1972.
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Benwell HallBenwell Hall dated fromthe 18th century. Standingin its own wooded andlandscaped grounds, itwas home to severalimportant industrialistsincluding WilliamCuthbert, owner ofMontagu Colliery.
The last residents werethe Bramble family whomoved there in the 1920s.William Bramble, the "DickWhittington of Newcastle",is said to have arrived withhis possessions in abundle on his back to seekhis fortune. He becameLord Mayor, afterachieving wealth fromretailing and propertydevelopment. The housewas demolished in the 1980’s.
Benwell OldHouseBenwell Old House was alarge house with gardensand orchards in the centreof Benwell village whichdated from the 17th or18th century. It wasdemolished in the 1950’s.
Its most high profileresident was JosephStraker who lived there forseveral years in the 19thcentury. Son of a shipowner from Walker,Straker was himself atimber merchant, shiprepairer, and owner of theBrancepeth, Brandon andWillington collieries inCounty Durham.
�10Benwell VillageBy the mid-19th centuryalmost 200 people lived inBenwell Village, a smallsettlement of cottages,farms, a blacksmith, aschool, a church and twopubs. Most families reliedon jobs servicing the bighouses nearby.
Originally the Green Treeand Hawthorn pubs werenext to each other on thenorth side of the road, butlater the Hawthorn movedto the opposite side wherenew houses now stand. StJohn's Church (the oldestchurch in Benwell) wasrebuilt on its present sitein 1950.
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Registered Charity No. 1108448 (England and Wales)
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Walking is a simple, free and green way toincrease your fitness levels.
Research shows that walking one mile in 15 minutes burns about the same number ofcalories as running a mile in 8½ minutes.
Regular physical activity improves mood, helpsrelieve depression, and increases feelings of well-being.
Walking for just 30 minutes a day during theworking week means reaching theGovernment’s recommended level of dailyactivity needed to transform your health.
Simple things can make a big difference to how we use our streets. If you would like tomake your area Fitter for Walking contactCharlotte O’Keefe on 0191 2457361 [email protected]
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With our supporters we influence decisionmakers nationally and locally, run successfulprojects to encourage people to walk, andprovide specialist consultancy services to helpreduce congestion and carbon emissions,improve health, and make sure everycommunity can enjoy vibrant streets and public spaces.
If you would like to find out more about ourwork, please take a look at our website orregister for our e-newsletter atwww.livingstreets.org.uk
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St James’Churchstart and
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BenwellGrange
Pendower Hall
Hodgkin Park
Benwell Hall
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BenwellTowers
BenwellOld House
BenwellVillage
BenwellCottage Benwell
Dene House
Condercum
Point of interest(see other side of leaflet)
Walking route - road
Walking route - footpath
Approximately ¼ mile in 5 mins
Walk takes approximately 45 minutes
0 100 250m
0 100 250yd
Digital Cartography by Pindar Creative 01296 390100 www.pindarcreative.co.ukContains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2011
Key
Walk directions
Start at St James’ church. �1
Leaving the church, walk a few yards east to thecrossroads at the top of Atkinson Road. At thebeginning of the 20th century, the tramsstopped here. Adelaide Terrace was a busyshopping street but Benwell Lane was still acountry lane overhung with big trees.Condercum Road running north up the hill owesits name to the area’s Roman history. �2
Return to the church entrance and continue towalk west along Benwell Lane. Note the formervicarage on your left behind the stone boundarywall of the church. This was designed by JohnDobson who also designed the church.
After crossing Bishops Road, you will passBenwell Grange on your left. �3 Now a housingassociation estate, this was formerly the site ofone of Benwell’s big houses.
Continue west and cross Hodgkin Park Road.
Note the Co-operative Funeral Service premiseson your left as you continue west. This site wasformerly occupied by Benwell House. �4
Continue until you reach, on your left, BenwellDene House. �5 This is no longer a privateresidence. It can be viewed from the courtyardentrance. A little further along you will pass thegates of Hodgkin Park, a fine Victorian Parkwhich was once part of the grounds of BenwellDene House. �6
Cross Benwell Lane here and continue to walk ina westerly direction. As you pass the end ofPendower Estate on your right, a high stone wallbegins. This is the boundary wall of BenwellTowers. A few yards further along, carvings setinto the wall mark the position of an old well.The spring supplying this well now flowsunderground.
Continuing west, you come to the gatehouse ofBenwell Towers. One of the few big houses tohave survived in Benwell. The gateposts stillstand at the start of a narrow lane leading to thehouse. Sadly it is not now possible to enter thegrounds to view it properly. �7
A short distance further along you will come to abus stop and a small triangular parking bay.Turn right here and pass between bollards towalk up a narrow lane. This takes you toFergusons Lane. As you come out onto
Fergusons Lane you can stand and look to thewest or walk a few yards further along. On thesouth side of the lane, about where ShaftoCourt stands now, is the site of BenwellCottage. �8
On the north side is the site of Benwell Hall.The house is gone but the gateposts and stoneboundary wall remain. There are still manybeautiful mature trees dating from the old Hall. �9Return to the point where the narrow laneleading from Benwell Lane joins FergusonsLane. Continue to walk in an easterly directionpast some new houses. On your right, will be ashort road, leading to stone gateposts with twobollards between them. Beyond them is agrassed area. On the left side of this short roadyou will notice an old stone wall, with evidence ofa bricked-up door. This marks the boundary ofBenwell Old House. �10
Continue along the main road. You are now inthe heart of old Benwell Village, of which littleremains. �11 . As you walk, you pass the policestation and entrance to St Cuthbert’s School onyour left. On your right, you can see BenwellTowers behind a small estate of new housescalled Benwell Village Mews. These houses were
built on the site where Pendower Schools used tobe. You may want to cross the road to get a betterview of the Towers.
Turn right, walk down the west side ofPendower Way through Pendower Estate. Asyou walk, you can catch glimpses of BenwellTowers in the gaps between the houses on yourright. You will be able to see less during thesummer, when the leaves are on the trees.Pendower was one of Britain’s first councilestates, built as part of the drive to provide“homes for heroes” after the First World War. It was named after another of Benwell’s big houses(which can be seen from the West Road). �12
When you reach Jenison Avenue on the lefthand side of Pendower Way, cross the road andwalk along Jenison Avenue to the end. You willsee a grassy area facing you on SunnybankAvenue. The stone wall behind here marks theboundary of the Pease Estate where PendowerHall was situated. Beyond here was theCharlotte Pit, known locally as the “Charley”.This was the last pit to operate in Benwell,finally closing in the 1930s. Turn right and walkdown Sunnybank Avenue to rejoin Benwell Lane.Turn left here and return to St James’ Church.
