Jesmond
Encyclopedia
Jesmond is a residential suburb and is split into two electoral wards
just north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. The population is about 12,000. It is adjacent to, and to the east of, the Town Moor
, providing pedestrian and cycle paths to Spital Tongues
and the city's two Universities. It is widely considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle.
there occurred in the valley of the Ouse an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It seems reasonable to suppose that the Virgin was beheld with the infant Christ
, because up until that time Jesmond had been known as Gese Muth “the mouth of the Ouse” while afterwards it was known as Jesmond or “the hill of Jesus”. The ruins of the Chapel are on the west side of the valley but local tradition holds that the apparition itself occurred at St Mary’s Rock which stands in the midst of the stream next to the ruins of Ridley Mill. If this tradition is correct it may indicate that the Chapel was a slipper chapel at which pilgrims removed their shoes before walking the remaining distance to the site of the apparition barefoot.
A trace of the processions to the shrine which occurred at this time is found in the name of that section of the former Great North Road adjacent to the Tyne called Pilgrim Street. During a period in which the shrine was in need of repair it was endowed with indulgences by a rescript of Pope Martin V
on certain feasts of the liturgical year. A spring known as St Mary’s Well of uncertain date may also be found near to the chapel. It has the word “Gratia” inscribed upon stone above it. The greater part of the history of the shrine, its origins and the miracles which were said to have occurred there, have been lost in the destruction which came upon it in the sixteenth century.
The chapel was suppressed in the Reformation
and fell into ruin. Afterwards the ruin and its grounds passed through various owners (one of whom tried to turn the well into a bathing pool) it was acquired by Lord Armstrong
in the nineteenth century and given by him to the City of Newcastle. Mass
is now offered there on occasion by the local Roman Catholic priest and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
. Flowers along with letters and candles are often left in the ruins and it is once more frequented by occasional pilgrims. A booklet outlining the surviving history of the chapel may be obtained from the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Name on North Jesmond Avenue.
, Holy Trinity Church, Jesmond Dene
woodland and the Royal Grammar School
. The area's principal commercial area forms around Osborne Road, Acorn Road, and St Georges Terrace, the former being dominated by hotels and bars, and the latter by shops and cafes.
Newcastle City Council has designated three conservation areas within Jesmond; Brandling Village, South Jesmond and Jesmond Dene.
The Mansion House owned by a wealthy industrialist Arthur Sutherland
, 1st Baronet, owned one of the most impressive residential properties in Jesmond. Built in 1876. The Mansion was donated to the city by Sutherland in 1953 and is now the official residence of the Lord Mayor and can be used for private events. The house, situated in the centre of Jesmond previously sat in 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land. One acre of the land including previous stables were sold as a private property, now owned by relatives of Arthur Sutherland.
Along with Leeds and Belfast, Jesmond is experiencing studentification
. It is a popular residential area for students attending Newcastle University and Northumbria University
.
Newcastle Cricket Club plays its home games at Osborne Avenue
, which is also a home venue for Northumberland County Cricket Club
. The Jesmond Lawn Tennis club is also popular for socialising.
Jesmond is one of the 24 areas in England to have a real tennis
club which is used to hold events.
, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein
, English Rugby Union player Mathew Tait
, footballer Shola Ameobi
, journalist and broadcaster Nancy Spain
, concert pianist Denis Matthews
, writer Catherine Cookson
, singers Bryan Ferry
and Sting, songwriter and record producer Steve Hillier
, novelist Eva Ibbotson
Yevgeny Zamyatin
, Arthur Sutherland
1st Baron, and Carole Middleton (mother of The Duchess of Cambridge). The only Briton to die in the Killing Fields
of Cambodia
, John Dewhirst
, was born in Jesmond. Chris Donald
and Simon Donald
, the founders of Viz (comic)
, spent their early lives on Lily Crescent in Jesmond.
in Jesmond was used as a set for the Dumping Ground in the popular children's television series Tracy Beaker Returns
, starring Dani Harmer
. The program has so far aired in 2010 and 2011, winning a Children's BAFTA for the 2010 series.
, with stations at Jesmond
, West Jesmond
and Ilford Road
. Jesmond station is the point at which Metro trains travelling north emerge from the underground section. Trains travel southbound to Sunderland or South Shields
via City Centre
and Gateshead
, and northbound to the Airport
via Kingston Park
or Whitley Bay
.
, located on Victoria Square near the Civic Centre.
One of the largest evangelical
Anglican churches in the UK is Jesmond Parish Church
, which is affiliated with the controversial Christian Institute
(based in nearby Gosforth
), and has attracted several pickets, particularly over its anti-gay stance.
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
just north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The population is about 12,000. It is adjacent to, and to the east of, the Town Moor
Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Town Moor is a large area of common land in Newcastle upon Tyne. It covers an area of around 400ha, and is larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined, stretching from the city centre and Spital Tongues in the south out to Cowgate/Kenton Bar to the west, Gosforth to the north and...
, providing pedestrian and cycle paths to Spital Tongues
Spital Tongues
Spital Tongues is a historic area of Newcastle upon Tyne, located north west of the city centre.Its unusual name is believed to be derived from 'spital' – a corruption of the word 'hospital' that is quite commonly found in UK place names - and 'tongues', meaning outlying pieces of land...
and the city's two Universities. It is widely considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle.
History
According to local tradition, some time shortly after the Norman ConquestNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
there occurred in the valley of the Ouse an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It seems reasonable to suppose that the Virgin was beheld with the infant Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, because up until that time Jesmond had been known as Gese Muth “the mouth of the Ouse” while afterwards it was known as Jesmond or “the hill of Jesus”. The ruins of the Chapel are on the west side of the valley but local tradition holds that the apparition itself occurred at St Mary’s Rock which stands in the midst of the stream next to the ruins of Ridley Mill. If this tradition is correct it may indicate that the Chapel was a slipper chapel at which pilgrims removed their shoes before walking the remaining distance to the site of the apparition barefoot.
A trace of the processions to the shrine which occurred at this time is found in the name of that section of the former Great North Road adjacent to the Tyne called Pilgrim Street. During a period in which the shrine was in need of repair it was endowed with indulgences by a rescript of Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
on certain feasts of the liturgical year. A spring known as St Mary’s Well of uncertain date may also be found near to the chapel. It has the word “Gratia” inscribed upon stone above it. The greater part of the history of the shrine, its origins and the miracles which were said to have occurred there, have been lost in the destruction which came upon it in the sixteenth century.
The chapel was suppressed in the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and fell into ruin. Afterwards the ruin and its grounds passed through various owners (one of whom tried to turn the well into a bathing pool) it was acquired by Lord Armstrong
William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong
William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong CB, FRS was an effective Tyneside industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing empire.-Early life:...
in the nineteenth century and given by him to the City of Newcastle. Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
is now offered there on occasion by the local Roman Catholic priest and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
The Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in the Province of Liverpool, known also on occasion as the Northern Province.-History:...
. Flowers along with letters and candles are often left in the ruins and it is once more frequented by occasional pilgrims. A booklet outlining the surviving history of the chapel may be obtained from the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Name on North Jesmond Avenue.
Areas of Jesmond
The area is notable for Jesmond Parish ChurchJesmond Parish Church
Jesmond Parish Church is a parish church in the Church of England situated in the Jesmond suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.- History :...
, Holy Trinity Church, Jesmond Dene
Jesmond Dene
Jesmond Dene is a public park in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It occupies the narrow steep-sided valley of a small stream known as the Ouseburn: in North-east England, such valleys are commonly known as denes....
woodland and the Royal Grammar School
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Royal Grammar School Newcastle upon Tyne, known locally and often abbreviated as RGS, is a long-established co-educational, independent school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It gained its Royal Charter under Queen Elizabeth I...
. The area's principal commercial area forms around Osborne Road, Acorn Road, and St Georges Terrace, the former being dominated by hotels and bars, and the latter by shops and cafes.
Newcastle City Council has designated three conservation areas within Jesmond; Brandling Village, South Jesmond and Jesmond Dene.
The Mansion House owned by a wealthy industrialist Arthur Sutherland
Arthur Sutherland
Sir Arthur Munro Sutherland, 1st Baronet KBE , of Hethpool House, Kirknewton, Northumberland, was an English shipowner and philanthropist....
, 1st Baronet, owned one of the most impressive residential properties in Jesmond. Built in 1876. The Mansion was donated to the city by Sutherland in 1953 and is now the official residence of the Lord Mayor and can be used for private events. The house, situated in the centre of Jesmond previously sat in 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land. One acre of the land including previous stables were sold as a private property, now owned by relatives of Arthur Sutherland.
Along with Leeds and Belfast, Jesmond is experiencing studentification
College town
A college town or university town is a community which is dominated by its university population...
. It is a popular residential area for students attending Newcastle University and Northumbria University
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
.
Newcastle Cricket Club plays its home games at Osborne Avenue
Osborne Avenue
Osborne Avenue is a cricket ground in Jesmond, Northumberland. It was originally known as the Constabulary Ground. The first cricket match was played there in 1887, though the first recorded match was in 1894, when Northumberland played a minor match against FGH Clayton's XI.In 1897, the ground...
, which is also a home venue for Northumberland County Cricket Club
Northumberland County Cricket Club
Northumberland County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northumberland and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. The Jesmond Lawn Tennis club is also popular for socialising.
Jesmond is one of the 24 areas in England to have a real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
club which is used to hold events.
Notable people
Notable Jesmond residents have included the industrialist William ArmstrongWilliam George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong
William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong CB, FRS was an effective Tyneside industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing empire.-Early life:...
, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...
, English Rugby Union player Mathew Tait
Mathew Tait
Mathew Tait is an English rugby union footballer. He is an outside centre, a fullback or wing...
, footballer Shola Ameobi
Shola Ameobi
Foluwashola "Shola" Ameobi is an Nigerian footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United as a forward. Born in Nigeria but raised in Newcastle, he played for England at under-21 level. He is the older brother of fellow footballers Tomi and Sammy...
, journalist and broadcaster Nancy Spain
Nancy Spain
Nancy Brooker Spain was a prominent English broadcaster and journalist.She spent much of her youth in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. Her father was Lieutenant-Colonel Spain, a freeman of the city and a prominent figure in local military and antiquarian affairs...
, concert pianist Denis Matthews
Denis Matthews
Denis Matthews was an English pianist and musicologist.Denis James Matthews was born in Coventry, the son of a motor salesman. He attended Arnold Lodge School, Leamington Spa, from 1927 to 1932 and Warwick School from October 1932 to the summer of 1936, when he left to study at the Royal Academy...
, writer Catherine Cookson
Catherine Cookson
Dame Catherine Cookson DBE was a British author. She became the United Kingdom's most widely read novelist, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers...
, singers Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
and Sting, songwriter and record producer Steve Hillier
Steve Hillier
Steve Hillier from Welling, South London is a British songwriter, DJ and record producer who has worked with rock bands such as Keane, Landon Pigg and Mark Owen. Hillier is chiefly known for his work with the band Dubstar which he formed with Chris Wilkie and Sarah Blackwood in Newcastle Upon Tyne...
, novelist Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her award-winning children's books as well as her novels for adults - several of which have been successfully reissued for the young adult readership in recent years.-Personal life:Eva Ibbotson was born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner...
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin was a Russian author of science fiction and political satire. Despite having been a prominent Old Bolshevik, Zamyatin was deeply disturbed by the policies pursued by the CPSU following the October Revolution...
, Arthur Sutherland
Arthur Sutherland
Sir Arthur Munro Sutherland, 1st Baronet KBE , of Hethpool House, Kirknewton, Northumberland, was an English shipowner and philanthropist....
1st Baron, and Carole Middleton (mother of The Duchess of Cambridge). The only Briton to die in the Killing Fields
The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War ....
of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, John Dewhirst
John Dawson Dewhirst
John Dawson Dewhirst was a British teacher and amateur yachtsman who was one of nine western adventurers that fell victim of the Khmer Rouge during the genocidal rule of Pol Pot. Dewhirst was one of two Britons to die in Pol Pot's Cambodia....
, was born in Jesmond. Chris Donald
Chris Donald
Chris Donald is the founder of, and one of the principal contributors to, the British comic magazine Viz...
and Simon Donald
Simon Donald
Simon Donald is a co-founder and was co-editor of the British comic magazine Viz until 2003.He set up the magazine in 1979 with his brother Chris from a bedroom in Newcastle. His most famous creation for the magazine is probably Sid the Sexist....
, the founders of Viz (comic)
Viz (comic)
Viz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent storylines...
, spent their early lives on Lily Crescent in Jesmond.
Primary schools
- West Jesmond Primary School
- West Jesmond is a 4-11 primary school. The original building was demolished in 2008 and a new school rebuilt on the same site. The new school building opened on 2nd March 2009
Independent schools
- Royal Grammar School, NewcastleRoyal Grammar School, NewcastleRoyal Grammar School Newcastle upon Tyne, known locally and often abbreviated as RGS, is a long-established co-educational, independent school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It gained its Royal Charter under Queen Elizabeth I...
- Central Newcastle High SchoolCentral Newcastle High SchoolCentral Newcastle High School is an independent all-girls school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.-History:Central Newcastle High School was officially opened in 1895 and moved into its current home around 1899 with the foundation stone for the current building being laid by Earl Grey on the 13th of...
(Girls only) - Church High School (Girls only)
- Northern Counties School for the Deaf
- Newcastle Preparatory School
Film
The La Sagesse SchoolLa Sagesse
La Sagesse was a Roman Catholic private school in the suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The school closed in 2008.-History:In 1715, in La Rochelle, France, Marie Louise Trichet co-founded the Filles de la Sagesse which, after a rather rapid expansion, is now 300 years old and...
in Jesmond was used as a set for the Dumping Ground in the popular children's television series Tracy Beaker Returns
Tracy Beaker Returns
Tracy Beaker Returns is a BAFTA winning British children's television series, which premiered on 8 January 2010 on CBBC and BBC HD. Based upon the novels by Jacqueline Wilson, It is the spin-off series to The Story of Tracy Beaker...
, starring Dani Harmer
Dani Harmer
Danielle Jane "Dani" Harmer is an English television actress and singer. Harmer is best known as the title character in the UK television programme The Story of Tracy Beaker/Tracy Beaker Returns, and as Molly Venables in the BBC sitcom After You've Gone...
. The program has so far aired in 2010 and 2011, winning a Children's BAFTA for the 2010 series.
Metro stations
Jesmond is served by the Tyne and Wear MetroTyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
, with stations at Jesmond
Jesmond Metro station
Jesmond Metro station serves Jesmond in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The station opened in August 1980 and was purpose built as part of Tyne and Wear Metro. The station lies off the former North Tyneside Loop just north of the original Jesmond railway station. The station was used by over 1...
, West Jesmond
West Jesmond Metro station
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, which has further increased to over 1 million in...
and Ilford Road
Ilford Road Metro station
Ilford Road Metro station is located mid-way between the Newcastle upon Tyne suburbs of Jesmond and Gosforth. The station opened in August 1980 and is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro service...
. Jesmond station is the point at which Metro trains travelling north emerge from the underground section. Trains travel southbound to Sunderland or South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
via City Centre
Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre
Newcastle City Centre, is the central business district of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.The area may be divided into the areas of Haymarket, Quayside, Central Station, Grainger Town, Monument, Chinatown and Gallowgate.-Haymarket:...
and Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, and northbound to the Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
via Kingston Park
Kingston Park
Kingston Park is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, about north west of the city centre. It is home to several large retailers, the largest being one of Tesco's flagship stores—at 11,055 square metres which is also the largest supermarket in the UK...
or Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
.
Religion
There has been an active Bahá’í community in Jesmond for over 25 years, Jesmond is also home to the only Bahá’í Centre in North East EnglandNorth East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, located on Victoria Square near the Civic Centre.
One of the largest evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Anglican churches in the UK is Jesmond Parish Church
Jesmond Parish Church
Jesmond Parish Church is a parish church in the Church of England situated in the Jesmond suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.- History :...
, which is affiliated with the controversial Christian Institute
Christian Institute
The Christian Institute is a British evangelical Christian pressure group. The CI promotes a Conservative Christian viewpoint, founded on the belief that the Bible is inerrant and should be the authority on all of life...
(based in nearby Gosforth
Gosforth
Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom, to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has a population of 23,620...
), and has attracted several pickets, particularly over its anti-gay stance.