Kenton Bar
Encyclopedia
Kenton Bar is a housing estate, that is part of Kenton Ward http://kenton.newcastle.gov.uk/ in Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. It is situated immediately west of North Kenton and to the north of Cragston Park and Cowgate.
The estate was designed by the Ryder and Yates
architectural practice. All buildings have a distinctive flat roof design. Many have white or cream walls, which in many cases owe their colour to crushed sea-shells attached to the rendering while it was still wet. Construction of the estate began shortly after 1966 and comprises terraced houses, bungalows, and flats.
The estate is roughly crescent-shaped and surrounds the western and northern sides of Kenton Comprehensive School
's playing fields.
Hazeldene Avenue runs around the outer perimeter of the estate and, at both ends, provides the estate's only vehicular access and egress. Ryal Walk, Studdon Walk and Hartburn Walk are the main pedestrian thoroughfares, running along the inner side of the "crescent".
The estate was designed in such a way that almost every pair of dwellings on the estate, apart from the single terrace of town-houses on the southern side of Hazeldene Avenue near its junction with Kenton Lane, is linked by a pedestrian route, without the need to cross any road.
The Newcastle Western Bypass, part of the A1, runs along the north-western edge of the estate and is separated from Hazeldene Avenue by a fence and earth embankment.
In previous years there existed a doctor's surgery (destroyed by fire) adjacent to the shops, and in the late 1980s and early 1990s a community centre
existed in a portable building
next to the shops.
The estate has never had a public house
. The nearest pub to the southern end of the estate was called The Kenton Bar, but was renamed to The Crofter's Lodge in the late 1980s and was demolished in 2011.
or, less formally, the "Pyrry", which was located in the estate's shopping centre at Mallowburn Crescent. The pyramid was about 7 metres tall, constructed of reinforced concrete, in classic Egyptian proportions, and faced with ceramic mosaic tiles. Next to the pyramid was a water channel. The water feature was designed to pump water from underneath the pyramid and along the channel, to a waterfall.
The council had intended to build a second parade of shops underneath the Reestones Place flats, the two sets of shops being linked by a ramp and a flight of steps either side of the pyramid. The Reestones Place shops were never built, as a result of which the block of flats has no ground floor (other than access stairwells) and is supported only by pillars and load-bearing walls.
The Pyramid's water feature was prone to blockages, causing failure of the pumping mechanism. By the early 1970s the local authority had ceased repairing it. Local children and teenagers quickly discovered that they could climb the pyramid by rubbing tar onto the soles of their shoes. Tar was readily available because the council, as the main (and initially the only) landlord, had a rolling programme of repairing the estate's flat roofs.
In the early 1990s, the Pyramid, together with the ramp and the adjacent concreted areas and walls opposite the shops and the Reestones Place flats, were demolished, and replaced by a gently-sloping landscaped area.
The estate was provided with a garage for every property http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/cab2000.nsf/57dc6634edbc20fa80256ddd005cb069/cf169004298da0e480256a37004d2a94/$FILE/BLAKELAW%20PROFILE%20text%20only.doc, including flats and bungalows. From 1991 onward, a number of garages were demolished, because many garages, located up to 200 metres from the flats or houses to which they were linked, had become derelict and vandalised. These circumstances arose because many residents did not own cars and therefore had no need of a garage. As a consequence, the council demolished a number of contiguous blocks of garages and landscaped these areas, reallocating the remaining garages only to tenants who expressed an intention to use them.
Hazeldene Avenue;
Fawlee Green;
Ryal Walk;
Apperley Avenue;
Beal Green;
Byrness Close;
Mallowburn Crescent;
Studdon Walk;
Hartburn Walk;
Reestones Place;
Hazeley Grove;
Hazeley Way;
Thirston Way;
Laverock Place;
Fourstones Close;
Dunnykirk Avenue;
Eland Close;
Gunnerston Grove.
Studdon Walk was originally named Broomlee Walk but was renamed because of confusion with an existing street, Broomley Walk, in the nearby district of Gosforth
.
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...
. It is situated immediately west of North Kenton and to the north of Cragston Park and Cowgate.
The estate was designed by the Ryder and Yates
Peter Yates (architect)
Peter Yates was a British born artist and architect. Yates was best known for his partnership with Gordon Ryder in the North of England architectural firm, Ryder and Yates.-Early life and education:...
architectural practice. All buildings have a distinctive flat roof design. Many have white or cream walls, which in many cases owe their colour to crushed sea-shells attached to the rendering while it was still wet. Construction of the estate began shortly after 1966 and comprises terraced houses, bungalows, and flats.
The estate is roughly crescent-shaped and surrounds the western and northern sides of Kenton Comprehensive School
Kenton comprehensive school
Kenton Comprehensive School is a secondary school situated in Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England.The school is situated near Kenton Lane in Kenton and is one of the largest schools in the United Kingdom, educating in excess of 2,000 pupils across Key Stage 3 to 5.The school is a...
's playing fields.
Hazeldene Avenue runs around the outer perimeter of the estate and, at both ends, provides the estate's only vehicular access and egress. Ryal Walk, Studdon Walk and Hartburn Walk are the main pedestrian thoroughfares, running along the inner side of the "crescent".
The estate was designed in such a way that almost every pair of dwellings on the estate, apart from the single terrace of town-houses on the southern side of Hazeldene Avenue near its junction with Kenton Lane, is linked by a pedestrian route, without the need to cross any road.
The Newcastle Western Bypass, part of the A1, runs along the north-western edge of the estate and is separated from Hazeldene Avenue by a fence and earth embankment.
Facilities and amenities
The estate is home to Kenton Bar Primary School. There is also a small shopping centre which over the years has included an off licence, news agent, general store, hairdresser's salon and fish-and-chip shop.In previous years there existed a doctor's surgery (destroyed by fire) adjacent to the shops, and in the late 1980s and early 1990s a community centre
Community centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
existed in a portable building
Portable building
A portable building, or demountable building , is a building designed and built to be movable rather than permanently located. A common modern design is sometimes called a modular building, but portable buildings can be different in that they are more often used temporarily and taken away later....
next to the shops.
The estate has never had a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. The nearest pub to the southern end of the estate was called The Kenton Bar, but was renamed to The Crofter's Lodge in the late 1980s and was demolished in 2011.
History
The estate was constructed between 1966 and 1968. It had one famous landmark called the Kenton Bar PyramidPyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
or, less formally, the "Pyrry", which was located in the estate's shopping centre at Mallowburn Crescent. The pyramid was about 7 metres tall, constructed of reinforced concrete, in classic Egyptian proportions, and faced with ceramic mosaic tiles. Next to the pyramid was a water channel. The water feature was designed to pump water from underneath the pyramid and along the channel, to a waterfall.
The council had intended to build a second parade of shops underneath the Reestones Place flats, the two sets of shops being linked by a ramp and a flight of steps either side of the pyramid. The Reestones Place shops were never built, as a result of which the block of flats has no ground floor (other than access stairwells) and is supported only by pillars and load-bearing walls.
The Pyramid's water feature was prone to blockages, causing failure of the pumping mechanism. By the early 1970s the local authority had ceased repairing it. Local children and teenagers quickly discovered that they could climb the pyramid by rubbing tar onto the soles of their shoes. Tar was readily available because the council, as the main (and initially the only) landlord, had a rolling programme of repairing the estate's flat roofs.
In the early 1990s, the Pyramid, together with the ramp and the adjacent concreted areas and walls opposite the shops and the Reestones Place flats, were demolished, and replaced by a gently-sloping landscaped area.
The estate was provided with a garage for every property http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/cab2000.nsf/57dc6634edbc20fa80256ddd005cb069/cf169004298da0e480256a37004d2a94/$FILE/BLAKELAW%20PROFILE%20text%20only.doc, including flats and bungalows. From 1991 onward, a number of garages were demolished, because many garages, located up to 200 metres from the flats or houses to which they were linked, had become derelict and vandalised. These circumstances arose because many residents did not own cars and therefore had no need of a garage. As a consequence, the council demolished a number of contiguous blocks of garages and landscaped these areas, reallocating the remaining garages only to tenants who expressed an intention to use them.
Streets and walks
Kenton Bar Estate has 18 street names in total, as follows:Hazeldene Avenue;
Fawlee Green;
Ryal Walk;
Apperley Avenue;
Beal Green;
Byrness Close;
Mallowburn Crescent;
Studdon Walk;
Hartburn Walk;
Reestones Place;
Hazeley Grove;
Hazeley Way;
Thirston Way;
Laverock Place;
Fourstones Close;
Dunnykirk Avenue;
Eland Close;
Gunnerston Grove.
Studdon Walk was originally named Broomlee Walk but was renamed because of confusion with an existing street, Broomley Walk, in the nearby district of 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...
.
External links
- Kenton Bar Primary School
- http://kentonbar.blogspot.com/ - A blog containing many recollections of life on the Kenton Bar Estate.