A place with its own character and its own rich history

It may be just a couple of miles south of Gateshead town centre, but Low Fell stands apart - a place with its own rhythm, its own character, and its own rich history.

- By DAVID MORTON

Cars battle their way through flash floods in Low Fell after torrential rain, 1977 A train passing at the recently-closed Low Fell railway station, 1956 Durham Road, Low Fell, 1920

Once part of the wild expanse known as Gateshead Fell, the area began its transformation in 1809 when an Act of Parliament enclosed the land. New roads, including Church Road and Kells Lane, were later carved through the landscape, and a new suburb began to take shape “down the hill”.

By the mid-19th century, Low Fell was becoming a bustling village, its fortunes tied to the newly laid Durham Road turnpike. This gradually replaced the older, steeper route through Wrekenton and Sheriff Hill, the more rugged, exposed High Fell - part of the old Great North Road - as the main road into Newcastle.