Windy Nook is an area in Tyne and Wear, England, bordered by Carr Hill to the west, Whitehills Estate and Leam Lane Estate to the east, Felling to the north and Sheriff Hill to the south. It lies on steep, sloping land south of Gateshead, south of Newcastle upon Tyne and north of Durham. In 2011, the Windy Nook and Whitehills ward had a population of 9,781. Formerly part of Heworth, it was incorporated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead on 1 April 1974.
Windy Nook has a long industrial history, with evidence of milling and pottery in the area. The principal industry, however, was stone quarrying, and the initial settlement grew as this industry flourished. By the turn of the 19th century, several quarries operated in Windy Nook and the largest, Kell's Quarry, provided the sandstone and grindstone used to build St Alban's Church, a Grade II listed building and principal landmark in the village, which was consecrated on 25 August 1842.
The decline in industry in the 20th century saw the population fall to pre-industrial levels. Though today an urban suburb, there are no large commercial areas and the new Tesco store is the largest employer. There remains large areas of green space, however, and it is a popular and high-demand place to live. Residents compare favourably with others in the borough in terms of income, employment levels and educational qualifications.
Windy Nook Nature Reserve is a protected wildlife area, as well as one of the largest environmental sculptures in Europe. Mary Elizabeth Wilson, a serial killer, was known as The Merry Widow of Windy Nook. Joseph Hopper, founder of the aged mineworkers scheme, and John Oxberry, a prominent historian, also hailed from the village.
History
The name Windy Nook derives from "the lofty and exposed nature of the situation it occupies".MacKenzie and Ross, 1983: 26 In 1784, Richard Kell began quarrying at Heworth Shore. His business expanded quickly and, by the turn of the 19th century, Kell and his family had established a second quarry at Windy Nook which was known as Kell's Quarry. This, along with a number of pre-existing, smaller quarries, provided work for the early settlers and by 1820 there existed a "modern but populous village".Surtees, 1820: 66 The quarries of Windy Nook became renowned, described as equally important to the more vaunted quarries of Yorkshire and producing sandstone and 'Newcastle grindstone' of sufficient quality that stones from Kell's Quarry were used to build St Alban's Church and other local buildings.Watson, 1911: 135
As the quarries prospered, the village continued to grow. In 1834 an account described Windy Nook as "a populous hamlet ... chiefly inhabited by workmen employed in the adjoining quarries. Here are three public houses, one farmstead, a corn-mill and several mechanics".MacKenzie & Ross, 1834: 26 In 1842, a National school was built by subscription, and within six years the building of two more mills and a pottery saw the population increase to around 2,009 inhabitants.Lewis, 1848: 613 The quarries continued to produce high quality grindstone; in 1860 stone from Kell's Quarry was used to build the Exchange Building in Newcastle upon Tyne.
In spite of this industrialisation, residents were still able to enjoy "wildly romantic scenery". Ordnance survey maps of 1862 show that Windy Nook remained isolated from the neighbouring villages at Carr Hill and Sheriff Hill. The principal road, Windy Nook Road, had been established and at the junction between this road and Carr Hill Road, the church of St Alban and the national school are evidenced among a cluster of residential dwellings but there was little else save the quarries which dominated during those formative years.'England - Durham: 007', Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 - Epoch 1 (1862) By 1870 there were 430 houses for 2,653 inhabitantsJ.M. Wilson, 1870–72: 522 which by 1887 had increased again to 3,554.Bartholomew, 1887 available at A Vision of Britain through time website (retrieved 29 June 2012)
However, by the turn of the 20th century, the quarries slowly fell into disuse and by the 1960s all of the remaining industrial areas had closed and the quarries infilled, though the sandstone properties at St Alban's Place and Co-Operative Terrace stand as a reminder to Windy Nook's industrial history.GE13, 2008: 2 The decrease in employment opportunities led to a steady decline in population and although some housing developed along Stone Street and Coldwell Lane, the urban sprawl that enveloped most of the outlying settlements of Gateshead during the early 20th century never reached Windy Nook, so that in 1945 it remained largely unchanged in location and size.Ordnance Survey of Great Britain New Popular Edition, Sheet 78 - Newcastle upon Tyne, 1945 Despite some terraced housing being built in at Crossfield Park and Coltsfoot Gardens in the 1970–80s, the character of the suburb today remains suburban; the land is split 50/50 between residential properties and open green space and only 11.3% of the residential properties today are council housing.GE13, 2008: 1ESTH, 2008: 57 The result is that Windy Nook is a high-demand area for privately owned and social housing.NPE, 2008: 8
Economy
The decline of heavy industry in the 20th century left Windy Nook with no major employer and there was little in terms of economic activity.Manders, 1973: 315 There is no major commercial area and residents usually travel to neighbouring Felling town centre to shopNPE, 2008: 8 at para.4 or use the small shopping area at the junction of Windy Nook Road and Carr Hill Road/Albion Street.WFS, 2012: 1 However, in November 2011, planning permission was approved for conversion of the Black House Inn at the junction of Carr Hill Road and Coldwell lane into a Tesco Express store.Application No: DC/11/00996/FUL. Dowling, 2001: 63–68 The approval was granted in spite of complaints and concerns as to noise and traffic being raised by local residents.Davies, 2011 at paras 8–12 This store is now the largest employer in Windy Nook, employing around 20 staff.Davies, 2011 at para.5
Overall, Windy Nook is wholly outside the lowest 20% of residents in terms of income in Gateshead.ESHT, 2008: 48 The unemployment rate in the Windy Nook and Whitehills Ward measured by those who claim Jobseeker's Allowance is 5%, which is the same as the overall Gateshead average, whilst youth unemployment is 10%. The average income of residents in the ward is £23,000 per annum.These figures includes the nearby Whitehills estate; a large council estate to the east. Independent figures for Windy Nook are not available. Figures taken from WFS, 2012: 2–3 Some 4.4% of residents are self-employed, which compares with a 4.5% borough average.EHST, 2008: 49
Geography and topography
At latitude 54.938° N and longitude 1.5703° W, Windy Nook lies south-east of GatesheadWhellan, 1846: 804 and from London. It sits on a bed of coal, freestone and sandstone known locally as the "Grindstone Post"Watson, 1911: 134–5 and occupies an elevated position with a steep slope running from north to south to a maximum natural height of above sea-level. This distinctive, steep topography provides residents with "fantastic" views; especially to the northGE13, 2008: 3 and in some places panoramic views across the Team Valley in the west and towards the North Sea in the east. Around 50% of the land is green space; a combination of urban green space, natural fields, wildlife corridors and a nature reserve. These combine to improve the quality and feel of the area.
Official documents indicate that the boundaries of Windy Nook are Albion Road in the north, Windy Nook Road to the west, Stone Street and the adjoining streets to the south and the Fiddler's Three public house to the east.NPE, 2008: 5 Windy Nook was part of County Durham until it was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972.Manders, 1973, 306 It is now bordered by settlements which are also part of the metropolitan borough. These are Sheriff Hill to the south, Carr Hill to the west, Felling to the north, Whitehills Estate and Leam Lane Estate to the east.
Demography +Windy Nook compared (2001) Windy NookNPE, 2008GatesheadAuthor unknown "Neighbourhood Statistics, Area Gateshead, Key figures for 2001" , Office for National Statistics, UK Census 2001 (Retrieved 14 April 2012).EnglandTotal population2,628Figure is cumulative total of Lower Layer Super Output Areas Gateshead 018A and 018B per the 2001 UK Census. Gateshead Council records the combined population of Windy Nook and Staneway to be 5,576 (at NPE, 2008: 8) but does not provide separate population figures for the two areas. All other data is, however, provided separately and is specific to Windy Nook.191,15149,138,831White99.1%98.4%90.9%BME0.9%1.6%4.6%Aged 0–1923.9%24.2%26.32%Aged 65+13.8%17.3%15.9%Male48%48.3%48.7%Female52%51.7%51.3%
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, Windy Nook has a population of 2,628 – 52% of the population are female, slightly above the national average, whilst 48% are male. Less than 1% of the population are from a black or other minority ethnic group (BME), as opposed to 9.1% of the national population.NPE, 2008:13
Windy Nook has a low proportion of lone parent households at some 7.2% of all households. This is one of the lowest figures in Gateshead and compares with a borough average of 11.5%.NPE: 2008, 14 Some 31.1% of households have dependent children, as opposed to 29.5% nationally and 28.4% in Gateshead.NPE, 2008: 15 The Index of Multiple Deprivation, which divides England into 32,482 areas and measures quality of life to indicate deprivation, splits Windy Nook into halves and lists the eastern half in the top 20% of all deprived areas in England in 2011. The western half is not considered deprived.Ward & Shimmin, 2011: 8
In 2011, Windy Nook had a population of 3,165, compared with 9,781 for the Windy Nook and Whitehills.
Windy Nook compared 2011 Windy Nook Windy Nook (with Whitehills and Staneway) White British 96.2% 97.1% Asian 1.5% 0.9% Black 0.3% 0.2%
In 2011, only 3.8% of Windy Nook's population were non-white British, compared with 2.9% for the ward of Windy Nook and Whitehills and 8.0% for the town of Gateshead. The amount of Ethnic Minorities resident in Windy Nook is low compared with other Gateshead districts like Felling, Deckham and Saltwell.
Population change
The population of Windy Nook rose steadily through the 19th century but decreased as industry declined and is now at the lowest level since 1842.
+Population change in Windy Nook 1842–2001Bartholomew, 1887 available at A vision of Britain through time website (retrieved 29 June 2012)Lower Layer Super Output Areas Gateshead 018A and 018B, 2001 UK Census Year 1842 1870 1887 2001 Population 2,009 2,653 3,554 2,628
Governance
+Gateshead Council, Windy Nook & Whitehills2012 local electionsAuthor unknown, "Local Elections 2012- Windy Nook & Whitehills" , Gateshead MBC (Accessed 30 June 2012)Candidate namePolitical partyNumber of votes% of votes castPat RonanLabour1,96382.8%Kyle MurrayConservative2289.6%Lisa Angela Marie BradburyLiberal Democrats1797.56%
Windy Nook was initially an ecclesiastical district in the parish of Jarrow, but after the Local Government Act 1972, it is today wholly within the council ward of Windy Nook and Whitehills in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead and is approximately in area. It is represented by three councillors. In June 2012, they were Jim Turnbull, Tom Graham and Rachel Hart.Author unknown, "Ward Information–Windy Nook & Whitehills", Gateshead MBC (retrieved 30 June 2012)