The Industrial Rise & Catastrophic Fall of Newcastle’s West End 

This is tv documentary worthy !

I'm an old Welshman, but I remember Geordie coal miners in South Wales, because of the closure of local mines. Same as it ever was, the working class get the short end of the stick.

Makes you realise that today’s problems aren’t all recent… very much needed to understand this. Thanks for the video!

Im 56 and lived in high rise flat in Benwell with my parents in the 70s, left home at 17 after my dad died and got a flat in the Beeches Cruddas Park, lived with my fiance in a flat in Buddle Street, walked along Scotswood Road to College and back, I remember all the terraces and the pubs. Drank in the Robin Adair, the Villa Victoria and the Chieftain on the shopping centre. Walked to Newcastle to work when the Benwell riots happened and the buses refused to go to the area. This video has made me very sad and nostalgic. The people were the best and I have fond memories. Best video I have seen on the area. Keep them coming!

Great video, I’m from Spain and went to Newcastle College in 2003. I lived for 2 years in one of those student accommodation flats in Crudas Park! didn’t know then anything about the history of the area. Great content! Geordie forever

Born in the general hospital , first 3 houses were in Elswick then Scotswood , moved to Blakelaw when I was 16 until I left home at 21 and got my first flat in Benwell until I was 29 . I could see the writing was on the wall and there was no way I was bringing my kids up in my beloved west end . Moved to Cramlington and love it here but the west end still tugs on my heartstrings , I still drive through it at least once a week varying my routes and I find it hard to believe the state of it . We all know who and what's to blame , no it's not what you think !! It's the likes of the government and local councils who have allowed this decimation of the area , they only care for themselves and don't have to live among it . Don't get me on or I'll be here all week . Brilliant video as usual Eddie .

My grandad still lives on ladykirk road and I lived most of my early life off the west road on Baldwin avenue. I left Newcastle 10 years ago but always return to see my grandad it just feels like the west road and areas go from bad to increasingly worse. The rubbish on the old remaining terrace streets is absolutely shocking, you mention poverty but poverty was always there. Some horrible people moved into the area and have really dragged the place down.

Excellent video Eddie, I was born in Arthurs Hill in 1958 and I went to Rutherford school, I remember one day a Tank from Vickers came rumbling down the West road, the whole school was shaking. It was a bit sad when you highlighted the demise of the heavy industry that kept people so many people employed, If Vickers were still going the West end would be a different place today .

My grandad was a works Policeman (security ) for Vickers after the 2nd War and he told us some hilarious stories about the blokes who tried to smuggle stuff out. Like the winter of 48 a bloke in a ex army greatcoat fell over by the gate the security lads and his mates could not lift him up he was that heavy with the amount of brass offcuts stuffed in his coat. Another one with an army great coat and a flat cap was a tall thin bloke held up by two of his mates when checked it was a oxygen gas bottle with a coat hanger attached to bulk it out. My grandad loved that job and strangely he was always well liked even thogh he did a security role. The lads gave him a great send off when he retired we went to pick him up from the pub and he was well pickled. Happy days different times.

Great video! I was a design engineer at Vickers, on the tanks for ten years. I lived in the West End but the crime and violence got too much and so I packed my bags in the nineties. I hated seeing the old pubs being torched. It all seemed to implode. I'm settled now in Singapore but I still feel sad that so much was thrown away - for nowt.

Another great video Eddie lad, Im Born and Bred west end, Sctchy and Benwell have lost their identities and the west rd has been lost to other cultures, lack of investment and employment and moving out of families has destroyed the communities we had.

Newcastle has changed so much, I remember when my dad used to take me to watch the motorbikes pulling wheelies etc on Westgate Road, the crowds of people used to line the streets, there's nothing like that now!

I'm from Hexham (a town 20 miles West of Elswick) but I once worked with someone who told me that Benwell was actually a nice area in days-gone-by. But the council moved a load of "wrong un's" into the area in the 70's and it went down hill quicky?

My late mother in law worked in Vickers during the war , she inspected the shells , she wrote an article for a booklet called Voices from Vickers . My husband previously worked there on the big horizontal borers.

Superb video Eddie, being born and raised in Scotswood I loved the area. Growing up there in the 80’s and 90’s was fantastic we were all one big community then the council decided again to take it all away and disperse friends and families

I lived in Northbourne Street (Elswick) from the '70s till the '90s, which brought back a lot of memories, Vickers used to test their tanks up & down the street, as it was that steep. I used to knock around Noble Street, till it got pulled down, very bad place to live in. not much left of the old West end now.

Great video, Eddie. I did my uni dissertation on the war effort and heavy industry of Tyneside during WWII. I was able to handle original Vickers-Armstrong production plans stored in the Tyne & Wear Archives. The strong smell of smoke on them was amazing after all the years gone by. It really connected you to the past, making it very real.

IT MADE ME SAD AS AN 82-YEAR-OLD MAN, Born and bred in Elswick we had a good life.😪Thanks for your video although sad I had some nice memories.👍👍

As a born and bred Southerner I have tenuous links to this area but my old man was born in Wallsend and came down to East London in the 1920s! He only went back for weddings, funerals etc. but for some reason these nostalgic videos tug at my heart strings. On a humorous note he used to sing the cockney interpretation of the Blaydon Races, the cockneys not knowing Blaydon thought they were singing " Ganning along the Scotswood road to see the bleedin rices.

I’ve lived in the west end for 30 years & watched it changing over the years it’s definitely not the same, but it’s still my home & I have loved every minute of it !

They're running East to West because people like evening sunlight. Eddie, I love that you've done this. Top quality research, great footage from back in the day. Perhaps you could look for some modern-day positives. We're a resilient bunch; some interviews with West-End residents might have added some perspective, and an element of hope.

i never knew any of this Eddie..i'm a geordie....you are doin gods work mate....a likeable geordie taking pride in his region....and once its on the internet its here forever...cheers for this mate....could watch stuff like this all day. HWTL

Fascinating history. I grew up in Scotswood Benwell and Elswick. I remember seing a car on fire and the post office being robbed at gun point in the 90s. It was a interesting childhood. 😂

When I lived in Elswick it was rough AF and Paddy ran the pub around from my house on Northbourne Street. Not been back in years.

Well done Eddie, great video and some excellent archive footage that I've never seen before. I was born on Gerald St in 1951, the extended family occupied three homes within 50yards or each other, Gerald St, Armstrong Rd and Joan St. The two most abiding memories I have of those days were my chronic respiratory problems involving many prolonged stays in Newcastle General. This was cured by moving to Fenham when I was 9 years old. The water running down the walls, the freezing draughty rooms and chronic air pollution undoubtedly the main cause of my health problems. Some days the air itself was an orangy yellow colour, from the factory chimneys and open coal fires in all the houses. The other memory was learning that not ALL the local women were my Aunties, I was in my early teens before this fact dawned on me :) Happy days??? (but it could have been a short life).

worked at Vickers Armstrong's in 1965 after leaving school for a couple of years. Bit of a hike for a 15 yr old from Cramlington.

Thanks for the video and research, I only knew a little bit about it, thanks again

Thanks for that Eddy A brilliant video as always. Keep them coming.

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

Nice one, Eddie, this was great. More please

Amazing video Eddy, your back to your best. The information and videography are combined to perfection.

Fascinating video, Eddy, very well done. You were born to do this.

Great stuff, loved it.

I was living in Fenham back in 1991. I remember it well.

Excellent content! So glad you’re back! 👍

Yes Eddie, this is the content I love. Great video and well made, LOVE the history.

Yes. Keep going, Eddy. You're going to blow up. Love it. Your channel keeps getting better and better.

A superb piece of work

Thoroughly enjoyed that mate, absolutely great job! 👍

Great video Eddie, thanks for all your hard work and a trip down memory lane. 👍👍👍

Great watch thanks

Thanks for sharing Eddy. I grew up in Gateshead and then Fenham from 1972 to 1981 before joining the Army so it was nice to relive some memories 😊

Another great informative video Eddie ,keep up your great work,keep posting !

Im 18 years old now and I remember when my grandma used to live up Scotswood way in one of the remaining houses, I used to play out with some of the local kids there. We used to sneak through the fenced off areas where the new builds are being developed on Atkinson Road. It was a weird feeling knowing how rich the history was where we stood and played compared to what remains. Brilliant documentary mate.

Absolutely love it when you delve into the history of our beloved region, warts and all. I'm a child of the 50's and luckily grew up when we were still the heartbeat of the nation, I'm from N. Shields but this story applies right along the river. When I left school just about every lad found a job, there was 50,000 apprenticships every year and the future was clear, however the bubble burst, I was lucky enough, good education, joined the merch and then flew the coup for Canada but my heart is still there on the streets of canny Shields. The river Tyne and Newcastle touched every corner of the planet then the boot was put in and the fall was fast, I hope someday prosperity returns and todays youth can feel the resurgence. Giant thumbs up for this one Eddie.

Absolutely excellent video. I remember the riots on the 80’s in Meadowell and elswick. I’m a Wallsend lad born in the early 70’s so although not from the west end, I have fond memories of Newcastle in the late 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Such a shame what happened to the area.

Great video Eddie! Love these retrospective looks back blending into the modern, especially now as an ex-pat living in NZ. I was born in the General in '71, Nan lived in Sutton Dwellings (gone now) just over Barrack Road from the stadium, and our last house in Newcastle was just off Elswick Road, loved the place. I look at your match day videos outside the stadium and I'm blown away by the changes, even from the mid-90's. Going back further to my childhood stomping grounds, it is a strange thing to only see the bare bones of what used to be, unsettling and encouraging at the same time. Progress I guess.

Hi Eddy I was born at home in Ramshaw Street , Elswick in1948, which was between St. Michael's RC Church and North/South Westmorland Road and Scotswood Road . Leaving there to go to the new estate in Longbenton when `I was 7. I remember my granda Bob taking me to Vickers Armstrongs where he worked on the Chieftain Tank. I sat on the turret above the main gun. A long long time ago to me now. A great video, you brought it all back to me. Thanks

Very interesting to me, although I was raised in Manchester, a massive part of my family was from in a around the Jarrow area, and most of them worked in the ship yards and mines. The family history goes back a long way, even having 2 of the family being on the Jarrow march. So thanks for this, I can pass this family history, on to my children and 15 grandchildren.

This was a grim reminder. Basically a video about why I and so many others left Tyneside for an new life. The loss of heavy industry caused a sizable Geordie diaspora.

Great work Eddy thanks for all your research and graft in making this so interesting

Fantastic video Eddy, brilliant editing! Love your historical content

Great video mate !!

Mitchells bearings is no longer on scotchy road either. Dont care what anyone says labour let the whole of the westend of newcastle down and i can't stand labour for that. Community's that were together for a very long time all dispersed. Thanks for doing this eddie

Great video Eddie as a lad from the west end you've told the story of our area well. 👍

My Uncle & Aunt & cousins lived in James St. Elswick in the 50s/60s, I used to visit a lot and had some very happy childhood times there, everyone knew their neighbours an all looked out for each others kids. It was a very friendly close community.

Really well made interesting video. Thanks Eddy, food for thought.

This is the best video you have put out yet for me. Well done Eddie💪🏼👏🏻

Brilliant presentation and fascinating information cheers mate

Great video, I always learn a lot from your videos! 👍🏻

Great video Eddie! Keep up the good work 👍

Fantastic video Eddie, thoroughly researched and professionally presented. Our city has been through some bad times but the Geordie spirit and pride will always be there.

Loved the video Eddy, well done and looking forward to seeing more 🍉👍🍉

Mate, class….loved this

Excellent video . Amazing how so much information can be given in 15 mins .

Great one Eddy. Interesting new info for me on the Swing Bridge with the original Georgian bridge stone arches. Aww the little laddies eyeing up the toffee cakes in the Newsagents.

Great vid, sir. More of this please.

Great video Eddie, I subcontracted for Vickers in the Eighties and worked for few years for an engineering design agency who were all ex Vickers Engineers, all brilliant engineers, I learned a lot from these guys, it could rise again one day, the talent is still there.

Great video Eddie very well researched you stay safe mate,

Alot of people moved out to the newer estates like Newbiggin Hall Kenton Bar which was new estates on the 1960s. Great video. Always have been interested in the West End.

Fantastic! Love the way the channel has pivoted!

Great video mate.

New houses for doctors and engineers...Great 👍

Brought back floods of memories this vid….also why I joined the RAF as soon as I could to get away from all that…another good video thanks Eddy… it’s triggered me to watch our friends from the north again….keep them coming Eddy ❤

amazingly informative, thank you great vid

Great video Eddie

Intresting eddy!

Love the videos on history of Newcastle

Top journalist Eddy. Allways interesting and factual. Keep it up Ed

Great video. Thanks

Enjoyed that Eddy. I grew up in Benwell in the late 80s and early 90s. Moved away completely but I'm back in Denton now for a couple of years. Hopefully they keep making more and more new builds as the contrast is stark. Long way to go.

Great video. Lived in Newcastle for 3 years and am familiar with almost all of it other than the west end.

Great video Eddy, never knew them swing bridge facts. Keep up the good work mate 👊

This was fantastic you should definitely do more of these 🙏

Great video Eddie, love how you give care to detail of Newcastle upon Tyne and Newcastle United. I’m a west end lad living in Fenham, Newbiggin Hall and now West Denton. Area needs investment, care and community initiatives created

Nice one Eddie, really love this new direction you’ve taken. For someone living abroad like me it’s even more informative. I’ll be walking the full length of Hadrian’s wall in 4 days again in May and the final days walk along the banks of the Tyne still gives me shivers only a Geordie would understand. Keep them coming mate

Really good, Eddie. Thanks.

I can still remember the smell of the Tyne as we drove down towards it .That was 60's- 70's

1 minute in Eddy and I’m hooked….👍👍👍

Superb, no nonsense, love it.

Eddy A fascinating look into another area of my favourite English City. I’m a new subscriber and look forward to viewing your back catalogue.

Another quality video Eddy, you really do provide some excellent content. Also just realised I was not yet subbed, which I have now rectified.

Great video

Definitely a good move with the documentary style approach. Really enjoyed this video mate

Great watching Eddie. Enjoyed it, remember some of those sites from my early childhood in the early 80's.

Fascinating learning more and more about the very city in which I'm from

Very Well presented and edited. well done.

Great video, you deserve a tv documentary series

I'd describe it as bereft! Generations of both sides of my family lived there and some still do. It breaks my heart to see it now. They pulled down what they described as slums and that's fair enough but the people who once lived in those houses had pride in their homes and the streets they lived in. Sad to see it now...but grateful for the memories I have. Great video. Thank you 👍

Great videos!