The Beginning

No-one knows when The Green came into existence, or why. The probable explanation is that when the Romans abandoned the fort of Segedunum in AD 454 the river bank was no longer a safe place for the local population to live, so they moved up the side of the valley to the present location of The Green and founded a new village there. This must have been established, at the absolute latest, by the time that the Church of The Holy Cross was built c. AD 1150, in what is now the Burn Closes, to serve the needs of the inhabitants. It is probably much older.

The Village of Wallsend

Until the middle of the 19th century the village of Wallsend consisted of a number of houses and farms clustered around and facing onto the village green itself. This basic arrangement survives today, although it has been compromised by the creation of wide side streets leading away from the village green at Grange Villas and Grange Close and the cul-de-sacs at Whitehouse Mews and Hunter’s Lodge.

During the second half of the 19th century Wallsend became transformed into a sizeable town, the former fields between The Green and the river to the south filling with dense terraced streets and those to the north with mainly semi-detached housing. Richardson Dees Park and further terraced housing was created to the west. The village green survived, although reduced in size by the enclosure of land in front of The Red House (now forming the “private green” in front of Park Villas and Hawthorn Villas).

The Green remains a closely-knit and very stable residential community. Many residents have lived there for the whole or a substantial part of their lives. Houses on The Green rarely come onto the market and are usually quickly sold, either to local people who have always wanted to live there or to discerning newcomers who recognise and appreciate the unique character of the area. As Lady Hale remarked in a recent decision of The Supreme Court concerning village greens:

“….. many people are attracted to properties near a village green because of the recreational opportunities it offers and the community spirit which these engender – anyone who grew up with a traditional village green can understand the focus it brings to village life which would not be there if the green were not there.”

Statutory Protection

The Wallsend VillageGreen Bye-Laws 1908 are believed to remain extant.

The Green is also registered as a village green under the Commons Registration Act 1965. This prevents any development of the land comprising the village green itself, which must be preserved as being “land on which the inhabitants of [the] locality have a customary right to indulge in lawful sports and pastimes”.

At the time of registration ownership of The Green was obscure. Wallsend Borough Council claimed ownership but failed to attend or to produce any evidence at a hearing before the Commons Commissioner, who concluded that no-one had demonstrated ownership. Ironically, the effect of the legislation was that ownership then vested by default in Wallsend Borough Council as the local authority, to be held on statutory trust for the local inhabitants. Click here to see the full decision.

The Green is also the central feature of The Green, Wallsend Conservation Area designated on 1 November 1974. As such, North Tyneside Council is obliged in making planning decisions to have special regard to the need to preserve and enhance the character of the area, which is the subject of a Character Appraisal adopted by the Council on 11 April 2007.

Neighbourhood Agreement

The Green is also the subject of a Neighbourhood Agreement made in March 2009 between the Association, the Council, Southern Electric Company (the street lighting provider), Northumbria Police and North Tyneside Primary Care Trust (now succeeded by Northumbria Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).

To see a presentation on The Green given on behalf of the Association to the Wallsend Area Forum click here and open the first image in the gallery. You will then be able to click through the images in Lightbox to see the presentation as delivered. It distills much of the information on this website and contains many images old and new of The Green. Many more are to be found in the Galleries.