A run down and almost completely deserted estate in Benwell which is being readied for demolition.
1st March 2007
25th April 2007
1st July 2008
11th January 2011
Only a handful of houses remain and one shop is still open on Benwell Lane but round the back, where the terraces were, is the familiar sight of another set of ghost streets here in Newcastle.
18th June 2013
.jpg)
.jpg)
See my other photos around Benwell:
Aww don't let them knock it down! I don't know what it is, but there's something almost cheery looking about that estate, even being in rough shape.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of the place now with nature starting to take over but it has to go if no-one will live there.
ReplyDeleteI just hope they build something nice there in it's place not more trendy and overpriced apartments or something like that.
How does a whole estate become deserted like that?
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question. Where did they go ?
DeleteBecause a handful of scumbags make life hell for everyone else and eventually the good people move away and nobody else wants to live there.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few parts of Newcastle like that and the current policy is to knock it all down and start again but I'm sure everyone could tell the council that it's not the houses that are the problem it's the idiots they give them to.
Exactly true I was born on that estate and it wasn't a good place to be guns drugs gangs we had to move
DeleteThat's a shame.
ReplyDeleteThis is what New Labour really stands for after 11 years of useless platitudes.
ReplyDeleteThese houses were built to last. new Labour has not built any new council houses for 20 years, because they were more interested in forcing up the private house prices which has now left them with egg on their dirty faces. But what about the local people? Does New Labour care? Hell as like.
ReplyDeleteCould'nt agree more mate but it goes furhter back than New Labour. Back in the early 80's when the council started selling their houses to anyone and everyone possible none of the money that came in was re-invested which has left Newcastle with a massive shortage of council houses.
ReplyDeleteAll the more strange that they are knocking these streets down when a bit of investment in them a few years back would have worked well.
I have just looked at the photos and I cried when I saw what has happened I used to visit Delaval Road & gardens to visit my relatives, when I lived in Elswick, I also went to see where I was born in Mill Lane when I came up home a couple of months ago and couldnt believe it wasnt there. Lets hope any new houses they build will give people a sense of pride in where they live. We can only hope.
ReplyDeleteAye, it's a real shame.
ReplyDeleteMany parts of Newcastle are currently being knocked down and cleared when a bit of investment might help instead.
always thought this was scotswood
ReplyDeletemust check post-code
Aye, I thought it was Scotswood too, but being an east end lad who is'nt totally sure about where Benwell ends and Scotswood begins, I went with the A-Z book and the Evening Chronicle who both called the area old Benwell.
ReplyDeleteFantastic pics, it's like a ghost-town. I'll have to head over there at some point, it looks pretty cool
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Benwell Dene Terrace and as a previous poster mentioned, once the scum bags took over it was finished. It took 8 years to turn from a beautiful Victorian street, overlooking a Victorian park, into a run down slum clearance disaster. The council didn't do anything to help and for the police it was a no go area. I moved out in 1999 and the council still haven't cleared the area.
ReplyDeleteOfficially the area was known as West Benwell.
aww if they were to knock it down then they shud build houses exactly the same and let em out at low low prices
ReplyDeleteI think they may now be gone.
ReplyDeletedemolition work has started on some of the streets as we speak
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'll see if I can get up there some time soon to get a few more photos, maybe tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteanother street that has recently seen the bulldozers are around the james street and northbourne street but a think thats closer to elswick than benwell....i live in hartlepool and campaigning our street to be saved from demolition as well...yes another sleazy regeneration scheme now coming to a street near you soon... soon weel no longer have terraced streets if theyre pulled down
ReplyDeleteThanks and good luck with your battle.
ReplyDeleteThanx...doin petition now....not that there are many people left in our street :(
ReplyDeletei have lost my battle...the council are goin to seek to buy our houses... and as alot of people have moved out our street there is nothing i can really do and today another 3 houses got the orbis shutters put on em so i have well in truly lost
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for you but as we know very little can stand in the way of councils and developers. They usually get what they want.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Aye...a couple ov years ago our house was worth £60k now £10k
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that, my commiserations go out to you.
ReplyDeletethanks very much =D but that isnt gonna save our street from the bulldozers....lets put it this way, i will make sure that i will be the last house in street to be occupied ...lets see what the sleazy council thinks of that
ReplyDeleteI have just found out aboutn this place and seen a picture of what was! How can these people allow demolition of such amazing buildings. It is part of all our history and heritage and nobody should be allowed to knock places like this down! The houses were in good condition and although they undoubtably had social problems it seems to me that the council was pandering to the whims of the property developers who will simply build some cheap flats that will be knocked down in ten years time! Its scandalous. i urge everyone to write to newcastle council and tell them never to allow this criminal demolition to take place anywhere else!
ReplyDeleteI live on Betts avenue if you look on the map its basically the same street these pics are took on, when people used to live in them houses, about 1995 it was hell, every weekend fights couldn't get the kids to sleep for the noise, now i know a lot of the people around their so for me the stealing wasn't a problem, but for a few people cars got stolen, sheds robbed weekly. The houses have been empty for at least 10 years now and they only just started to get knocked down about early 2010. Everyones saying its a shame knocking them down on this site, you try living on a nice street with a house you've worked all your life to pay for, then as soon as you walk out its like the bronx, good riddens to be fair. Also the only reason they all arn't knocked down yet is because the shop owner refuses to move.
ReplyDeleteYou have my sympathies having had to live amongst all that trouble.
ReplyDeleteMy point was, as you said, the houses were fine it was just some of the people that spoil it for the good folk.
I'm surprised that the shopkeeper has any punters.
FYI, shop at the top is now coming down and the rest of the half broke down houses, should be gone by summer
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'll try and pay another visit some time this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm originally from Strathmore Crecent, just up the road and we used to hang around those streets as kids, seems like a lifetime away!
ReplyDeleteAlright, we were no angels, but at least we had the decency to recognise everyone elses respect, dignity and in a lot of cases poverty!
Good, well built houses going to waste!
The streets may be empty,cold,lonely and baron?,but they will always be full of fun,carefree,happy memories of my childhood,So do what? they may to the area? what i have in my head and my heart is something no one can ever erase,bull doze or take away!because precious memory's are built to last forever and forever has no end !!!!
ReplyDeleteI used to live there when my dad is doing his Degree at University of New Castle Upon Tyne. I went to Canning Street Primary School at that time. It was around 1991-1992. Now, seeing Benwell like this made me feel sad. I would love to visit my old place again. I am now back in my country, Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Len and I lived in Benwell most of my life, and it was a great place to grow up. I lived in Denton Gardens for 7 years from 97 till 2004 when the council basically levered us out, through their willfull ignorance and decietful politics. I was part of the residents association and let me tell you, there were many caring considerate people who lived in those streets, and the council could have done something,,, if they had wanted to,,,but there was a secret agenda, behind the scenes, and it was all about land and money.
ReplyDeletethe council didn't care about the people who lived there. It's allways the same, little people getting screwed!!! by the rich.
I grew up here in the 50's before moving to South Africa. it was poor but respectable with decent hardworking people and tons of community spirit. I also went to canning street and have loads of happy memories... so sad to see it like this.
ReplyDeleteis this still the same or has it all been nocked down now
ReplyDeleteJust heartbreaking to see what has become of the area. We left in 1966 but have fond memories of the place
ReplyDeleteBenwell is fine ... no im am not a ruffian , was there last week and new asda and iceland in the complex you get your odd daftie but its fine
ReplyDeleteThey where lovely old Victorian buildings and remember the coal fire in the living room warming bath water in a tin tub even in the early 70s happy memories! we Nora and Teddy Tennant family lived in a street called littleway benwell and later canning st mid 70s and riddell ave benwell late 70s shame to see solid homes go to rack and ruin! i would retain the shell and refurbish them if i was the council keep the character and attract the right characters back to the area and live how we used to be social happy community spirit
ReplyDeletebenwell was a great place in the 70 and 80s and before that.everybody knew everybody.great social clubs and 2 great pubs hawthorn and the green tree.the council ruined a great place with the crap they moved in.old benwell had history what has it got now.i was born in 1959 in benwell lane.i just feel sick when i see it now.what a total waste of lovely houses.somebody should have been sacked and jailed for that.
ReplyDeleteI was born in be well lane in the 50s I have great memories of community life we were poor but it was a great place to grow up all kids played out and everyone knew each other.i have HAPPY memories that will stay with me.
DeleteI was also born in benwell lane in the 1950s,we were poor but as you say it was a great community,all kids played out in the streets together,I can remember mother's sitting on the steps in the summer chatting,happy times
DeleteI was a student living in the Dene Terrace in 1980-81 and it was a great place to live,it had a great community,the Mitre pub which served real ale and the 33 bus into town.
ReplyDeleteIt should have been modernised not destroyed
It has ALL been knocked down now.
ReplyDeleteA total waste of taxpayers money.
It has been empty for some time due to the 2008 - 2014 recession and there is little building new houses to be seen.
Thanks for enlightening me toward the cottage "The Spinny". The school (Pendower way) went years ago for a new build small estate where houses change hands very regularly. The Pubs went too.
Well done Newcastle City Council - Hitler could not have done a better job.
leslie turner I used to live on clara st in the 50 and 60s it was a good place to live lots of fun but it does not look like its fun now I now live in canada since 1962
ReplyDeleteI lived on north bourn street it was haunted aswell we onley moved beacouse of drug use on the estate and my mam didnt want us picking it up but we moved well before it got demolished
ReplyDeleteAll the houses in delavel rd are now gone :(
ReplyDeleteits questionable at least criminal at worst, all the private houses on armstrong road were compulsory buys ! yet the council houses are still standing haig crescent aldwick muswell hill etc, we lived at 406 armstrong road, private 3 bedroomed semi detached back and front gardens and garage, absolutley nothing atall wrong with those family homes, private well maintained and woukd have stood for another 50 years or more possibly, then we lived in the shops across the road opposite delaval infants school, a great community, some salt of the earth people, ethnic cleansing i call it, some of the families had lived there for generations, so so sad. city planners all about money and land, jacqueline hollis
ReplyDeleteI was born in Buddle rd corner of Clara st in 1931 our back stairs overlooked Dunston Power Station I had an older brother and two sisters Gordon Doris and Lillian Calvert .As youngsters we all loved it there we went to South Benwell school a great school sadly gone now We played on the site when Suttons Dwellings was been built and Pendower estate We were not very well off but we had great friends and neighbours sadly my brother and sisters are all gone now but it is great to look back and remember these times some of the friends and families remembered the Raes the Baxters Gibsons Donaghys Conroys Scorers and many more Stephen Calvert aged 85
ReplyDeleteI was wondering maybe you could help. Back in the 50s my uncle had a brick wall fall on him at the age of 2 and a half years.He lived in lower benwelk does this ring any bells to you
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSad to see it gone. I lived at 47 Westfield Road. Everyone knew me as Eggy. Thanks for the memories. Delaval Rd School was also cool. Mr Tinsley was an amazing teacher
ReplyDeleteI used to go to Pendower school in the 80's. Your house must have been directly behind the caretakers house.. sadly only the markings of the foundations were on the ground.. i always had wondered what had been there.. we new the spinny as the lilia.. used to have our sports day on the grass part directly behind the hawthorn.. has the name Mousey painted on the wall & has been there 35 year plus.. i think in the early 1900's the lilia or spinny was known as the Rookery & i now know there used to be a cottage just behind the wall at the Deleval turminus end.. you can still see the garden gate entrance in the wall.. i like how the odd original wall or pillar has been kept & used.. like the school might be gone but part of the wall is still there.. i will post again soon as i have lots to say about the area
ReplyDeleteI was born in Ellesmere rd in the 40's. Went to canning st school then acky tech. Left the area in The 70's when foreigners moved in. Sad to see the state it's in now
ReplyDeleteMy great grandparents lived here ... wat a dereliction of duty by the Council. These were good houses which should have been cared for #fail
ReplyDeleteDenton gardens
ReplyDeleteMy family used to live in Rushie Avenue, we loved it there. Then like others have said it started going downhill in early 80's. I remember all the shops at top of Deleval road. There was a fruit and veg shop on the corner, a chip shop, sandwich & cake shop,a chemist, wool shop,. It's very sad to see photos of old Benwell falling to bits.
ReplyDelete