Jesmond Vale is an area in the Ouseburn Valley

Ouseburn Valley

The Ouseburn Valley was a heavily industrialised valley in the East end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Since then the lower part of the valley has developed into a cultural oasis...

, 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...

 that has a rich history with industrial archaeology

Industrial archaeology

Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times to the most recent...

, mature trees, and a variety of wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

. It is a popular open space for recreation and for walkers.

Geography

The area includes Armstrong Park, Heaton Park and Ouseburn Park

Ouseburn

The Ouseburn is a river which flows through Newcastle upon Tyne into the River Tyne. The river gives its name to the Ouseburn electoral ward....

. It has other recreational green areas, housing, allotment gardens and a pub. It also includes a street named ‘Jesmond Vale’. The locality is a mainly wooded and grassed area between The Cradlewell

Cradlewell

Cradlewell is an area within Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is most noted for its spired church and its public house, 'The Cradlewell'...

 and Armstrong Bridge to the north and Stratford Grove to the south. The River Ouse Burn flows through it and eventually into the River Tyne. It is mostly administered by the city council ward of South Jesmond. Ouse Burn flows from the north, through 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....

then underneath the historic Armstrong Bridge where it enters Jesmond Vale. It then flows in between some allotment gardens alongside the lower edges of Armstrong Park and Heaton Park, flowing over a weir at the white bridge near Geenwater Pool. It then flows under an old stone bridge near The Bluebell pub and on through Ouseburn Park, past the Newcastle music resource centre. It goes under another stone bridge then it enters a culvert in Ouseburn Park where Jesmond Vale ends and the Lower Ouseburn Valley starts.

History

The use of Jesmond Vale changed from farming to industry to leisure and housing with an extensive slum demolition in the 1960s. The vale is now mostly given over to parks, allotments and routes used by recreational walkers.

Lost Village

The old village of Jesmond Vale used to sit amongst fields in the bottom of the Ouseburn Valley, a tranquil haven away from the bustle of the city. The village had three pubs, a farm and a mill beside the river. The remains of the mill can still be seen, and the leat which fed it can be traced back to the mill dam at Greenwater Pool. Originally a corn mill, it was later adapted to grind flint for use as glaze in the pottery industry. Flint was brought into the Tyne as ballast on cargo ships and was then carted up to the mills on the Ouseburn. The bulk of the old village was demolished in the 1960’s when the Vale was earmarked for redevelopment. Of the three pubs only the Bluebell Inn survives. Much of the housing was replaced in the 1960s by a residential tower block of 28 storeys.

Cradlewell Bypass

In the 1990s an ambitious road project bypassed the Cradlewell area of Jesmond replacing the steep gradients of Benton Bank and joining Jesmond Road with the Coast Road. In order to build it several ancient trees were cut down at the northern end of Jesmond Vale. Environmentalist protesters were drawn from all over the country and they delayed construction by constructing tree houses and camping in the tree-tops.
Prior to construction a large concrete pillar was built at Benton Bank as a test pillar. Even though it was no longer needed it remained there for some 20 years before it was finally removed.