In 1878 Elswick Hall (SMR 1864) was purchased by the Corporation to display sculpture by John Graham Lough and Matthew Noble. Mr. A.M. Fowler laid out an ornamental lake, croquet lawn, walks, lodges and other features. In 1981 a swimming pool was built in the park {1}. Tomlinson said that this park had much larger and older trees than Leazes Park. It had a lake, bowling green, rockery, a terrace in front of the aviaries, with a fine granite drinking fountain erected by subscription in 1881, in recognition of Joseph Cowen, Thomas Forster, Thomas Gray, T. Hodgkin, William Smith and William H. Stephenson, who had been instrumental in procuring the park for the people of Newcastle.

In May 1923 the park was opened on land given by Alderman Readhead as a War Memorial in thanksgiving for peace {1}. The park was opened on 18th May 1923 by Alderman Robert Readhead. In the south-west corner of the park there is a concrete memorial 3 feet high with a copper scroll-like plaque "COUNTY BOROUGH OF SOUTH SHIELDS ROBERT REDHEAD PARK. THIS PARK WAS PRESENTED BY ALDERMAN ROBERT REDHEAD J.P. TO THE TOWN COUNCIL OF SOUTH SHIELDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC PLEASURE GROUNDS BY DEED OF GIFT DATED 20TH APRIL 1923. OPENED TO THE PUBLIC ON THE 3RD MAY 1923 BY ROBERT READHEAD ESQ M.A. (OXON) (SON OF THE DONOR), EDWARD SMITH, MAYOR, JOHN LAWSON, CHAIRMAN OF PARKS AND CEMETERIES COMMITTEE". A condition of the gift was that unemployed ex-servicemen were given work on the adjoining roadworks.

Opened August 6th 1909, the name was taken from the Barnes Burn which runs along the valley in the park to the lake with surplus water forming a small waterfall. The 33 acres of land were purchased in 1904 for £8,500. During the depression of trade the park provided work for the unemployed. Many of the trees originally planted are now maturing. The lake and bandstand (which is listed grade 2) survive. The area of Low Barnes House and gardens were added in 1921.The park retains much of its original layout and features.

Opened in July 1910, wrapping around the impressive Felling Town Hall which was built in 1902. There are spectacular displays of bedding plants on the slope which rises from Sunderland Road. Above this is an informal grass area, fringed by trees with an open bandstand at the centre. A tennis court and bowling green lie on either side of the core of the park. Above the bowling green is a small rockery with rustic stonework. The original park was later extended to the west {1}.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
This modestly sized park, also referred to as the Pleasure Ground, was formed in 1910 on a site interestingly shaped by the development pattern that had always been an open space known as Holly Hill but where there had also been a quarry. It was established not long after the adjacent Council Offices were built, and therefore has always provided an important setting for this imposing Listed Building, as well as an amenity for the workers of the time. It is likely that the Byelaws were eminently enforceable, also, as the Police Station was just across the road! A very pleasant open space, it makes a wonderfully green contribution to a heavily built up area, which at the time of its establishment would have been a welcome refuge from the sprawling unhealthy industrial sites nearby. The topography of the site makes an important contribution to its character, as it undulates in gentle slopes following the contours falling to Sunderland Road, creating views over the Tyne Gorge, which may have been obscured by pollution in earlier years but are now revealed. It is a park of two halves – the lower portion, abutting Sunderland Road, is a profusion of multi-coloured flowerbeds; the other, on the higher ground of Holly Hill, is predominantly lawned with a solitary flowerbed and some shrubs. The lower portion, then, is formal and highly ornamental, suiting tastes for garden-type spaces, whereas the upper one is more in a park style, providing functional space useable for events and gatherings. This purpose was clear in the Byelaws for the Park, which allowed for a great variety of games and activities (as long as they were authorised!), in particular bowls and tennis, which were provided for through a green and courts to each side of the main space, and open air concerts, facilitated by a bandstand (unfortunately the latter is no longer present). Other activities included football, quoits, hockey and cricket, intended as healthy, respectable distractions for the increasing amount of leisure time, and hoped to reduce the problem of drunkenness in the town. A stately border of mature trees parades around the perimeter of each section, alongside encircling paths, which offer pleasant walkways for maximum enjoyment of the space. The Byelaws also emphasise this as a public leisure space, so that laundry drying, carpet beating and driving or pasturing of animals was prohibited. Care was also taken to safeguard the wildlife, and it was expressly forbidden to disturb birds and their nests, and there must have been some kind of water feature originally, as fish were also protected. Unfortunately parts of the lawn in the upper park are currently damaged, where the bandstand has been removed, and a brick plinth has been installed further up which is rather incongruous. Also, the furniture in this part of the park is erratic and generally of low quality – a scheme to rationalise this would be most welcome. A boundary treatment of hedging and railings encloses the whole.
FEATURES Trees, Lawns, flower beds, tennis courts, bowling green
DATES 27th July 1910 (opened)

Percy gardens was created by the residents of the crescent which stood to the rear because the houses had not been provided with gardens. The park had an elegant simplicity, built in an elliptical shape. The eastern outer edge had a bank to provide shelter from the sea. Paths from the houses follow serpentine routes to a circular path in the centre. In 1872 a gardener's cottage and lodge were added at the southern end {1}.

During the recession of the 1880s, a Tynemouth alderman, John Foster-Spence approached the Duke of Northumberland for a piece of land suitable for a park. His idea was to provide work for unemployed shipbuilders and create a facility for the town. The land donated was at Spital Dene and work began on the landscaping of the area by December 1884. The park was opened by the Duke of Northumberland in August 1885 and he planted a Turkey Oak, which still survives. The park was designed by Mr. Gomozinski, the Borough Surveyor. A brochure produced by the Tynemouth and North Shields Corporation in 1923 described the park as "a perfect paradise" {1}.
The townspeople were very proud of their park and showed this in the contributions that were made. Donations included an owl, a silver pheasant and a collection of parrots to be housed in one of a number of aviaries in the park. In 1897, a local Councillor offered an alligator for the lake.
Good example of a Victorian park. During 2011 an evaluation excavation project was carried out by The Archaeological Practice Ltd. In conjunction with the local community following documentary research and a geophysical investigation. The possible remains of St. Leonard's Hospital (HER 131) or a later ancillary building were excavated along with the remains of Park Cottage and several post-medieval burials.

Opened on 16 August 1862. The Church of England and non-conformist chapels survive as does the superintendent's large house (bearing the Gateshead crest and the date 1862) and a lodge. The cemetery is divided into two by a path. Simple grid plan of paths with central circular circle on each side. The most prominent monument is to Mr. Brockett, Mayor of Gateshead 1839-40 and a major local political force of his day. There is also a monument to 222 cholera victims from an outbreak which lasted from December 1821 to November 1823. There is a small recreation ground to the north of the cemetery and the remains of Victorian drinking fountains can be seen here by Sunderland Road and Old Durham Road {1}.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Gateshead East Cemetery was established in 1862 in response to the growing demand for burial space outside town centres, as there was great concern over the health risks involving proximity to areas of dense population. The site chosen was to the south of the town, adjacent to a churchyard that had been in use as an extension of the central graveyard at St Mary’s Parish Church since 1811. 3 fields were bought from the Rector of Gateshead as the Master of King James Hospital, to the south east of their chapel of St Edmund’s. The committee minutes record that the cemetery was laid out by John Dobson, but unfortunately no plans have been found showing his original design concept. What was developed, however, involved a main entrance to the centre of the north side, with the buildings clustered here, and balanced consecrated (west) and unconsecrated (east) sections divided by a walled central public foot road. Each side was a rough cartwheel, with a central raised circular plot and both ‘spoke’ and perimeter pathways. These may have been designed to be serpentine, but most are now straight. The whole cemetery was enclosed by either high stone boundary walls or plinth walls with ‘palisading’, featuring simple but attractive fleur-de-lys finials and quatrefoil detail. The walls are coped in chamfered stones and the substantial gate piers are crowned with large and solid tiered pyramid capstones – all adding to the sombre magnificence of the place. The layout of cemeteries was often strongly influenced by the views of J C Loudon, with weeping and fastigiate (erect and tapering) trees, as well as the traditional yews and dark foliaged evergreens planted along paths, providing a framework (although this was usually on a grid pattern not favoured here). In this cemetery, clusters of trees are situated centrally adjacent to the footpaths, but unusually there are now few evergreens – save for a few scattered mature holly to the north. It is likely that this is due to the old trees dying and not being replaced. The largest and most numerous deciduous species present are ash, lime and sycamore. Smaller species present in lesser numbers include alder, rowan, laburnum, hawthorn and birch. In the St Edmund’s part of the cemetery there is significant tree cover, and some weeping and fastigiate trees can be seen in the form of poplar and a mature willow, whilst they are not visible elsewhere. There is a very prominent linear group of trees running adjacent to the southern boundary, along the line of the original boundary to the fields, so it is possible that this is a remnant of an earlier landscape rather than part of the design of the cemetery. There are areas, however, where there is a notable lack of tree cover – to the east of the site, and in particular to the south, where the character is strangely open. The age of the trees is almost uniformly mature with very few young trees being present.
Originally St. Edmund’s Chapel was used for Anglican services by the cemetery, so that the only chapel on the site when it opened was non-conformist. Adjacent to this was the substantial Superintendent's House, now called Fairhaven Lodge, which provided offices for the board as well as accommodation. This area had been the site of Low Bath Well, so that a new fountain had to be provided as part of the scheme, in order to maintain the water supply to the local residents. This was situated at the main entrance, but as the Superintendent, Mr Usher, wanted a better view, in 1867 this was moved, and a bay window added to the house! The Rector of Gateshead also provided a fountain, on the Old Durham Road. Later, in 1870, it became necessary to provide an Anglican chapel also, as the relationship with King James Hospital deteriorated so that St Edmund’s could no longer be used, but the design closely matched that of the existing chapel. A gardener’s house was also included in the specification – situated in the southwest corner to the east of St Edmund’s graveyard – but this is no longer present. There were also glasshouses, providing propagating space for new plants. Attention was often paid to the location of the planting, with variation introduced in different parts of the cemeteries, although flowering trees and shrubs were only really introduced from around 1875. The grass from the cemetery was seen as an opportunity and it was sold for hay.
Many cemeteries were extended in the latter part of the 19th century, as demand for space increased in advance of the general acceptance of cremation, and this one was no exception. It was extended in about 1895, and the new plots were laid out in a grid pattern in keeping with the more utilitarian fashions emerging at this time.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
There is a reference in the committee minutes of 25th February 1861 to Dobson demanding payment for plans, surveys and preliminary arrangements for laying out the ground he had prepared. It is possible that Dobson’s designs were prepared many years earlier but only taken up later on, as there is a reference in the Newcastle Courant in 1834 to his plans for the Gateshead Cemetery. Local architects often provided the design for both the layout and the buildings on the site, but sometimes boards sought architects with a national reputation for the buildings. Here, the same architect fulfilled both criteria. They could be selected by open competition or by invitations to tender, but it appears that Dobson was specifically invited, as there is no mention of any other tenders.
When the new Anglican chapel was built, the ‘porch’ (for receiving coffins), which had been built onto St Edmund’s Chapel at the time the cemetery opened, had to be removed and reconstructed at the new site. This may be the second gabled section to the north side of the chapel, which is distinguishes the design from the other chapel.
The extension to the south was part of the original parcel bought by the committee, and which was intended to be sold for housing. It appears, however, that this plan was never carried out, and therefore when more space was required, the cemetery expanded into this space, as well as the area fronting Sunderland Road. Presumably the land of Claxton’s Farm was bought as a whole, spare land sold for the housing and Church on Wordsworth Street, and the Recreation Ground laid out.
A comment in the Gateshead Observer in 1866 deplored the state of the cemetery, sparking off an argument that raged for years between the Council and the newspaper, involving ratepayers associations, investigations into the management of the cemetery and more fundamental questions about democratic freedom and responsibilities of local government.
Often in Victorian cemeteries the costs of plots varied, with the most expensive plots being along the pathways and adjacent to the buildings. This was a cunning device to encourage the enhancement of the original design by the best quality memorials over time. This does not appear to have happened at Gateshead, however, as all the graves seem to be a standard price of £3 15s with vaults at £7 5s in the earliest register of fees.
The research assistance of Caroline Harrop is gratefully acknowledged.
MATERIALS Sandstone walls, iron railings, stone (variety) memorials
SPECIES Holly, ash, lime, sycamore, alder, rowan, laburnum, hawthorn, birch, poplar, willow
DESIGNER John Dobson
DATES 1862 (Extended c1895)

An extensive cemetery opened in 1856. The gate piers, wrought iron gates and railings are retained at the entrance where there is also a large lodge. There are many large trees among the graves and laurel hedges along the main drives giving a dark and heavy atmosphere {1}. In 1850 the threatened closure of the parish burial ground led the council to buy land outside North Shields. The cemetery had Anglican and nonconformist chapels. The Anglican chapel was adapted into a crematorium in 1959.

The Hedworth, Monkton and Jarrow Burial Board was formed in 1864. Two mortuary chapels were built in brick, one for members of the Church of England and the other for Roman Catholics. The cemetery was consecrated in 1869 by the Bishop of Durham. Six acres of the site was allocated for CofE and nine for the Roman Catholics and dissenters. The planting in the cemetery has survived well including hollies, elms, oaks, maples, willow, birch and a variegated elm {1}.

Memorial to the memory of 204 miners who lost their lives on 16 January 1862 in the New Hartley Pit at Seaton Delaval when the 42 ton cast-iron pumping engine beam fell down, striking, as it fell, the ascending cage containing 8 men. The miners working in the galleries below were trapped underground as the explosion blocked the shaft. By the time the shaft had been cleared it was too late. The miners had suffocated. 60,000 people watched the funeral procession. An inquest was held on 3 February at a local chapel. Coroner Stephen Reed was assisted by Kenyon Blackwell, ex-industrialist Inspector. The disaster was instrumental in the passing of legislation requiring mines to have at least two means of escape. The Coroner's inquest also recommended that colliery engine beams should be made of "malleable [wrought] iron instead of cast metal". The disaster happened at Hester Pit of Hartley Colliery, the site of which is marked in the village of New Hartley in Northumberland (NZ 301 771). The memorial is a tall corniced pedestal of sandstone ashlar with egg-and-dart cornice and cord moulding, supporting a tall obelisk. Inscription on east side: ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF THE 204 MINERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN HARTLEY PIT, BY THE FATAL CATASTROPHE OF THE ENGINE BEAM BREAKING 16TH JANUARY, 1862. On the other sides are biblical quotes and the names of the dead. The youngest was William Davidson aged 11. Round-coped dwarf wall surrounds step to monument. Graves for the deceased were dug on land donated by the Duke of Northumberland next to Earsdon churchyard and became part of the extended cemetery.