Sheriff Hill

Sheriff Hill is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. It lies on the B1296 road 2 miles south of Gateshead, 2.5 miles south of Newcastle upon Tyne and 12 miles north of the historic city of Durham.

Historically part of Gateshead Fell in County Durham, Sheriff Hill was the site of a battle between William the Conqueror and Malcolm III of Scotland in 1068. A road was built through Gateshead Fell in the early 13th century, attracting some settlers. A procession of bishops, sheriffs and noblemen known as the Sheriff’s March took place on the road in 1282 and continued biannual until the 1830s. By then, Gateshead Fell had been enclosed and a village had grown around the road, largely populated by an influx of tinkers, coal miners working at Sheriff Hill Colliery and workers at the local pottery, mill and sandstone quarry. By the turn of the 20th century these industries were in steep decline. The local authority built a large council estate at Sheriff Hill to alleviate dangerous overcrowding in Gateshead, effectively turning the area into a residential suburb. It ceased to be an independent village on 1 April 1974 when it was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972.

Now part of the local council ward of High Fell, the suburb is economically disadvantaged compared with other areas of the borough and nationally, with high levels of unemployment. Sheriff Hill was the site of one of Gateshead’s largest boarding schools but as of 2012, the only remaining educational establishment is Glynwood Primary School. The suburb also contains the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – the largest hospital in Gateshead, a small dene and a small park. The principal landmark is St John the Evangelist Church, one of three Grade II listed buildings in the area and one of two remaining churches. The southern end of Sheriff’s Highway – the main road through the suburb, is more than 500 feet (150 m) above sea level, making it the highest point in Gateshead.

Recently a couple from sheriff hill made the front page of the local paper after digging up a safe in there back garden, unluckily for them it was empty.

Transport

Sheriff Hill is situated on the B1296 Old Durham Road,a wide and busy route that was formerly an alignment of the Great North Road, which was diverted through Low Fell. The section of Old Durham Road that traverses the suburb is called Sheriff’s Highway.

The journey time to Gateshead town centre by car or bus is approximately ten minutes, and approximately fifteen minutes to the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. −The No.28 stops at Sheriff’s Highway.

The nearest mainline railway station is Newcastle Central Station, 3 miles (4.8 km) away.

The nearest airport is Newcastle International Airport, 7.9 miles (12.7 km) away.

Sheriff Hill is served by several bus services, including Waggonway 28, the Fab 56 which continues into Sunderland and the Fab 57, which terminates at the Ellen Wilkinson Estate and is part of the 93/94 Loop network. All buses serving Sheriff Hill are operated by Go North East under the administration of Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, known as “Nexus”.

Public services

Home Office policing in Sheriff Hill is provided by Northumbria Police, the nearest police station is at High West Street, Gateshead.Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Sheriff Hill is served by the Gateshead East station on Dryden Road in Low Fell. Health provision is provided by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is a National Health Service (NHS) hospital administered by the Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust The area is served by an ambulance station adjacent to the hospital on Old Durham Road and ambulance services are provided by the North East Ambulance Service.

Public transport services are co-ordinated by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. Waste management is co-ordinated by the local authority, Gateshead Council, which provides refuse collections, which became fortnightly in March 2012. Sheriff Hill’s Distribution Network Operator for electricity is Northern Powergrid. Northumbrian Water supplies drinking water, which is sourced from Kielder Reservoir, and also has responsibility for waste water services.