Ryton Woodside is first depicted on Armstrong's map of County Durham, published by Thomas Jeffreys in 1768, as Woodside. In the Armstrong map, it is shown as a possible hamlet or small village off of the main road between Ryton and Greenside. By contrast, the Greenwood map of County Durham, surveyed between 1818 and 1819, marks Woodside as a township with a substantial common at its centre. The subsequent Hobson map of 1840 does not depict common land but identifies Woodside as a township of relatively few houses.

Similarly the Ordnance Survey First Edition of 1862, surveyed in 1857 shows the village as a relatively sparse dispersed settlement known as Ryton Woodside. The centre of the village features Woodside Common (HER 11622), containing a small body of water called 'Low Well'. The village itself comprised a number of farmsteads during this period, although there is evidence of abandoned coal workings by the time of the first Ordnance Survey.

Originally identified as 'Bar Moor', the village is first depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition of 1862, surveyed in 1857. The village comprises several houses between Kepier Pit and Emma Pit. There is very little information regarding the origins and history of the village which appears to have expanded significantly towards Ryton and Crawcrook by the late 19th century.

Shiney Row is first depicted on the Greenwood map of County Durham surveyed between 1818 and 1819. While it doesn't appear on the Hobson map of 1840, the settlement marked on the Ordnance Survey First Edition of 1862, surveyed in 1857.
There is very little information regarding the origins and history of the village which appears to have expanded significantly by the mid-19th century. Shiney Row appears to have developed with the growth of extractive industries in this area during the later 18th century with the quarry, coal and windmill being evident in the early mapping. Inhabitants also worked at the Painshaw Colliery (Whitefield Pit) (HER 3099) to the north where Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet - the mining engineer and businessman - worked from c. 1820 - 1830.

This single field of medieval ridge and furrow aligned N-S survives between several other fields of narrower straighter ridge and furrow of a later date. Nineteenth and twentieth century Ordnance Survey maps show the fields as plantations.

These three contiguous fields of medieval ridge and furrow are aligned approximately E-W, and are visible to the east of Warden Law village (HER260) on Environment Agency 1m LIDAR dated 2024. They respect the line of the B1404 road to the north, and are truncated to the south by the earthwork of the C19 Rainton and Seaham Railway (HER2976) running from northwest to southeast.

The coach house to Jesmond Dene House (HER5706) is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map as a small building oriented east-west. On later editions it appears to have been enlarged. It is built of stone.

These 1920s offices appear to have replaced a building shown on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey map, but may in fact have incorporated it.

The Directors House is shown on the Third Edition Ordnance Survey map. It is a detached 3 bedroom cottage style house typical of the period, built in brick with render to the second storey and stone lintels and cills to the windows.

Nursery Cottage is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map as a linear range of buildings oriented east-west on the south side of Castles Farm Road. Later editions show glasshouses attached to the buildings to the south and east. The cottage is built of stone with render to the second storey and has had numerous alterations.