Benwell village

The earliest reference is to Bynnewalle c.1050. Later it was a member of the barony of Bolbec, and in the mid-15th century Robert Rodes gave the manor to Tynemouth Priory. At the Dissolution it passed to the Crown who leased it to Sir Thos. Hilton. In 1628 it was divided into four, two parts being bought by Robert Shafto and one by Sir Peter Riddell of Newcastle. From the 16th century the fields of Benwell were mined for coal and in the 19th century it was for a time an area where Newcastle businessmen built grand houses. It was originally a 2-row village, the rows being separated by a wide street (or possibly a green) running west from the manor house. Though the general street pattern survives, there are no buildings earlier than the 19th century, and most of the south side has been rebuilt very recently. The original streets are represented by Benwell Village, Benwell Lane, Ferguson's Lane and Fox and Hounds Lane.