Rowlands Gill

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Coordinates: 54°55′15″N 1°44′39″W / 54.920926°N 1.744103°W / 54.920926; -1.744103

Rowlands Gill
Rowlands Gill  Rowlands Gill shown within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference	NZ165585
Metropolitan borough	Gateshead
Metropolitan county	Tyne and Wear
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROWLANDS GILL
Postcode district	NE39
Dialling code	01207
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Tyne and Wear
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	Blaydon
List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear

Rowlands Gill formerly a coal mining village is situated around the A684, between Winlaton Mill and Blackhall Mill, on the north bank of the River Derwent, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally an independent village within Blaydon Urban District Council, in County Durham, it became incorporated into Tyne and Wear in 1974 and then the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in 1986.

It is located in the greenbelt of Gateshead. The village has a picturesque setting with much open space and views across the valley to Gibside, the estate now owned by the National Trust. During the early part of the twentieth century, with the coming of the Derwent Valley Railway, Rowlands Gill became a dormitory suburb of Newcastle.

Local politics

In local government Rowlands Gill is located mainly within the ward of 'Chopwell and Rowlands Gill. It is served by three councillors, all of whom are Labour councillors, except for the north end at Lockhaugh, which falls within the ward of Winlaton and High Spen, which is served by three Liberal Democrat councillors. Gateshead council is Labour controlled.

Rowlands Gill is also located within the parliamentary constituency of Blaydon. Its current MP is Labour's Dave Anderson.

Retail and facilities

An outstanding feature of the village is the lack of a pub. The original land owners stipulated no pubs to be built within the village. The longstanding Towneley Arms was demolished in 2002 to make way for apartments. The adjoining hamlet of Winlaton Mill has two pubs, nearby Winlaton has ten, over the river at Burnopfield are six. There is a social club, however. The village is served by a Tesco Metro supermarket, a Lloyds TSB Bank, a GP surgery, a dentist, two hairdressers, two florists, and three estate agents. Other shops include Londis (containing the newsagent and post office), Boots Chemist, a barber, and several smaller shops.

The Library and two small churches are situated near the village centre. These are Strathmore Road Methodist Church [1] and St. Barnabas Church of England.

There is a selection of restaurants and take-aways, including award winning fish and chip shop Maguires.

Recreation and education

The Derwent Park provides access to the river where permit holders can fish as well as tennis courts, sanity putting, recreational fields and playground facilities. The park also has a caravan park. The Derwent Country Walk runs through the village along the route of the old rail tracks.

The village's 'In Bloom Committee' is very active and has entered the Britain in Bloom competition over the past 3 or 4 years in the 'Large Village' category. The participation is boasted by signs marking the village.

Formerly connected to the railway, the village is still busy with transport with a heavily used road running through. There are frequent bus services (Services 45/46 and 47 provided by Go North East) to Newcastle City Centre, the MetroCentre and, in the other direction, Blackhall Mill or Consett wia Ebchester and Shotley Bridge. Other minor bus routes also operate such as the local circle buses serving areas such as Sherburn Towers, and the UCall bus service.

Rowlands Gill has a very successful primary school. The Infant and Junior schools have recently amalgamated but were originally based on two sites. This primary school is the feeder school for Hookergate School, just over 2 miles away, near High Spen.

Rowlands Gill, and the surrounding Derwent Valley, was chosen by the Northern Kites Project as the location for the re-introduction of Red Kites in semi-rural areas. This scheme has proven to be a big success, with birds being spotted across the west of the borough, from Crawcrook to Rowlands Gill itself.^[1][2]

References

External links

• Hookergate School
• Friends of Red Kites - Details about the reintroduced kites in the Derwent Valley, Gateshead
• Who was Rowland? [2]