Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
Encyclopedia
Walker is a residential suburb and electoral ward just east of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. Walker's name is a hybrid of Old English and Viking
Norse
, "Wall-kjerr", where "kjerr" is Norse for "marshy woodland". The name therefore means "marshy woodland by the wall", where the wall in question is Hadrian's Wall
.
Generally speaking Walker is an area between Welbeck Road and the banks of the River Tyne
, although the modern city ward of Walker incorporates Pottery Bank and St Anthony's. When most Geordie
s refer to Walker they also incorporate the areas of Daisy Hill
and Eastfield. Walkergate, Walkerdene and Walkerville, which are located between Welbeck Road and the Network rail line are sometimes considered parts of Walker. These two areas, along with Daisy Hill and Eastfield make up the city Ward of Walkergate.
The residents of Walker are type 51 on the ACORN
classification and tend to be low income families, single parents and pensioners.
Walker used to have a large shipbuilding industry, particularly the yard of Armstrong Whitworth
at High Walker, but this has declined over the past 50 years and the area has suffered as a result, with many jobs being taken away from the community.
Newcastle City Council's Walker Riverside regeneration scheme aims to revitalise the area with new houses, schools, jobs and community facilities, environmental improvements, and a new neighbourhood centre to be known as the Heart of Walker. The scheme has its own website and newsletter known as the Walker Eye, which goes to almost 7,000 homes and businesses locally.
Much of the older and run-down housing stock along Walker Road is in the process of being demolished and replaced with new homes which are a mixture of council and private housing.
The area is notable for Walker Park, the Walker Riverside Park, and the Lady Stephenson Library (now known unimaginatively as 'Walker Library') as well as the Lightfoot Sports Centre, which is set to undergo a £2.5m refurbishment.
Walker is the birthplace of Eric Burdon
, lead singer of The Animals
who later recorded with War
at the beginning of that band's career. The Animals recorded
a song
called Gonna Send You Back To Walker, a repurposed version of a song by American R&B singer Timmy Shaw
, "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia (A CIty Slick)."
Another Walkerite, the author, journalist and broadcaster Keith Topping
, titled one of the chapters in his novel The Hollow Men
, The St. Anthony's Chinese Takeaway Massacre.
The Newcastle United
striker Shola Ameobi
grew up in Walker where he played for the famous Walker Central F.C, launched in 1988 by the Wallsend-born former Newcastle United midfielder Lee Clark, and ex-club scout Brian Clark (no relation). Lee Clark has since gone on to manage League One side Huddersfield Town.
Walker is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro
, with a station at Walkergate
, and has a main bus terminus on Walker Road, although this is quite dilapidated and badly serviced.
Most children attend six local primary schools, (St Anthony's CE, St Vincent's RC, Tyneview, Welbeck, West Walker, and Wharrier Street) in Walker before transferring to Benfield School
, a specialist Sports College, or to Walker Technology Collegehttp://www.walker.newcastle.sch.uk, a high performing specialist technology and visual arts school for 11-18 year olds.
As part of the new Heart of Walker development, plans have recently been unveiled to open a new state-of-the-art primary school on a site next door to the redeveloped Lightfoot Centre. The £7m project will merge Wharrier Street and St Anthony's primary schools when it opens in Autumn 2012.
Plans for the area's regeneration were approved by the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
, Ruth Kelly
.
- singer, was born on the Heaton Estateon 30 June 1983, then moved to Cresswell Street in Walker in her early teens and attended Walker Technology College, living there until she was around 20 years old and had found fame with Girls Aloud
.
Eric Burdon
- famous singer was born In Walker, 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...
. Walker's name is a hybrid of Old English and Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
, "Wall-kjerr", where "kjerr" is Norse for "marshy woodland". The name therefore means "marshy woodland by the wall", where the wall in question is Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
.
Generally speaking Walker is an area between Welbeck Road and the banks of the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, although the modern city ward of Walker incorporates Pottery Bank and St Anthony's. When most Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
s refer to Walker they also incorporate the areas of Daisy Hill
Daisy Hill
Daisy Hill can refer to:* Daisy Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Logan City, Queensland, Australia* Daisy Hill F.C., an association football club from Westhoughton, England* Daisy Hill, Victoria, a small locality in Victoria, Australia, near Maryborough...
and Eastfield. Walkergate, Walkerdene and Walkerville, which are located between Welbeck Road and the Network rail line are sometimes considered parts of Walker. These two areas, along with Daisy Hill and Eastfield make up the city Ward of Walkergate.
The residents of Walker are type 51 on the ACORN
ACORN (demographics)
ACORN is a geodemographic information system categorising all United Kingdom postcodes into various types based upon census data and other information such as lifestyle surveys....
classification and tend to be low income families, single parents and pensioners.
Walker used to have a large shipbuilding industry, particularly the yard of Armstrong Whitworth
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
at High Walker, but this has declined over the past 50 years and the area has suffered as a result, with many jobs being taken away from the community.
Newcastle City Council's Walker Riverside regeneration scheme aims to revitalise the area with new houses, schools, jobs and community facilities, environmental improvements, and a new neighbourhood centre to be known as the Heart of Walker. The scheme has its own website and newsletter known as the Walker Eye, which goes to almost 7,000 homes and businesses locally.
Much of the older and run-down housing stock along Walker Road is in the process of being demolished and replaced with new homes which are a mixture of council and private housing.
The area is notable for Walker Park, the Walker Riverside Park, and the Lady Stephenson Library (now known unimaginatively as 'Walker Library') as well as the Lightfoot Sports Centre, which is set to undergo a £2.5m refurbishment.
Walker is the birthplace of Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
, lead singer of The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
who later recorded with War
War (band)
War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
at the beginning of that band's career. The Animals recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
called Gonna Send You Back To Walker, a repurposed version of a song by American R&B singer Timmy Shaw
Timmy Shaw
Timmy Shaw was a 1960s African American R&B singer from the Deep South, who charted just once with "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia " in 1964. The song was covered by The Animals as "Gonna Send You Back to Walker". John Lennon was also known to be an admirer of the Shaw recording...
, "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia (A CIty Slick)."
Another Walkerite, the author, journalist and broadcaster Keith Topping
Keith Topping
Keith Andrew Topping , is an author, journalist and broadcaster most closely associated with his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who and for writing numerous official and unofficial guide books to a wide variety of television and film series, specifically Buffy the Vampire...
, titled one of the chapters in his novel The Hollow Men
The Hollow Men (Doctor Who)
The Hollow Men is a BBC Books original novel written by Martin Day and Keith Topping and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, and Ace and uses elements from the Fifth Doctor serial The Awakening.-Synopsis:Hexen Village,...
, The St. Anthony's Chinese Takeaway Massacre.
The Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
striker 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...
grew up in Walker where he played for the famous Walker Central F.C, launched in 1988 by the Wallsend-born former Newcastle United midfielder Lee Clark, and ex-club scout Brian Clark (no relation). Lee Clark has since gone on to manage League One side Huddersfield Town.
Walker is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne 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 a station at Walkergate
Walkergate
Walkergate is an area and electoral ward in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the east of the city, north of Walker proper, east of the Heaton area and west of Wallsend. Areas within the Walkergate ward include Daisy Hill, Eastfield, Walkerdene and Walkerville...
, and has a main bus terminus on Walker Road, although this is quite dilapidated and badly serviced.
Most children attend six local primary schools, (St Anthony's CE, St Vincent's RC, Tyneview, Welbeck, West Walker, and Wharrier Street) in Walker before transferring to Benfield School
Benfield School
Benfield School is a 11–18 state comprehensive school in Walkergate, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.Its pupils come from a large area of Newcastle's east end including Byker, Heaton, Walker, Walkergate and Walkerville....
, a specialist Sports College, or to Walker Technology Collegehttp://www.walker.newcastle.sch.uk, a high performing specialist technology and visual arts school for 11-18 year olds.
As part of the new Heart of Walker development, plans have recently been unveiled to open a new state-of-the-art primary school on a site next door to the redeveloped Lightfoot Centre. The £7m project will merge Wharrier Street and St Anthony's primary schools when it opens in Autumn 2012.
Plans for the area's regeneration were approved by the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
, Ruth Kelly
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...
.
Notable People
Cheryl ColeCheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
- singer, was born on the Heaton Estateon 30 June 1983, then moved to Cresswell Street in Walker in her early teens and attended Walker Technology College, living there until she was around 20 years old and had found fame with Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
.
Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
- famous singer was born In Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne