Deckham

Deckham is a residential suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. It is bordered by Gateshead town centre to the north, Sheriff Hill to the south, Felling and Carr Hill to the east and Shipcote to the west. It lies on the B1296, the route of the old Great North Road, south of Gateshead town centre, south of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and north of the city of Durham. In 2011, Deckham had a population of 9,938.

Deckham's history is sparsely documented but suggests that the settlement was established at the junction of Carr Hill Road and the Old Durham Road in the early 19th century alongside the estate of Deckham Hall, built several centuries earlier and inhabited at one time by Thomas Deckham. The village grew, and at the turn of the 20th century was enveloped by urban spawl when neighbouring Gateshead absorbed its outlying villages and settlements. Deckham is largely distinguished from other areas by a commercial area on Old Durham Road which is the principal route through the suburb. Historically, Deckham was a village in County Durham and was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972.

Deckham has steep topography which has shaped the character of the suburb. Residents can enjoy striking views towards Newcastle upon Tyne and across the Team Valley. The settlement is governed locally by a Parliamentary Labour council and elects a Labour MP.

Deckham is an area of social and economic deprivation, in the top ten per cent of such areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Housing stock is predominantly council housing and is, in many places, outdated and in need of modernisation. Whilst once the site of a coal mine, there is today no major employer in Deckham, which is considered a residential suburb of Gateshead. The main economic activity is in a commercial development on Old Durham Road. Deckham has a number of public houses, one of which, the Plough Inn, is more than 150 years old. The only education provision is at South Street primary school, which is a good school according to OFSTED. There are two churches, one of which, the Church of St George, is a Grade II listed building, and community facilities are provided by Gateshead Older People's Assembly and the Elgin Centre in Carr Hill.

History

Unlike Sheriff Hill, Carr Hill and Low Fell, Deckham's history is sparsely recorded. It indicates that, by the middle of the 19th century, there was a small settlementManders, 1973: 312 which was part of Gateshead Fell; a wild and treacherous area of common land notable for the criminality of the tinkers and hawkers who lived there. Ordnance survey mapping illustrates the sparsity of buildings in 1860; the area contained little except Deckham Hall, a few other dwellings and two public houses"England - Durham: 007", Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 - Epoch 1 (1862). An online version may be availabl
here
courtesy of British History Online (accessed 17 June 2012) at the point where the old turnpike roadNow Old Durham Road. The route of the B1296 Old Durham Road is exactly the same as the old turnpike road which ran through Gateshead Fell and which linked Durham to Newcastle-upon-Tyne (see Manders, 1973: 308) branched off towards Carr's Hill. The two public houses were the 'Speed the Plough' and 'The Ship'.

The Deckham Hall estate was on the east side of Old Durham Road, 1.25 miles from the Tyne Bridge.Carlton, 1974: 26MacKenzie and Ross, 1834: 106 It is evidenced in 1614 and belonged to Thomas Deckham, who died the same year and bequeathed it to his granddaughter with "three pounds for the bringing home of water" to the poor people of the area. It changed hands regularly between the families Wooler, James and Bowker, in the centuries after Deckham's death and varied in size whilst doing so. Alderman Benjamin Biggar, Mayor of Gateshead 1861–2, is thought to have lived at Deckham Hall.

By the turn of the 20th century Deckham's rural aspect had changed. Whilst there remained large areas of grass and woodland between Deckham and Gateshead, there was a period of extensive building; several dozen dwellings were erected by 1895 in the Mount Pleasant area as Gateshead expanded southwards. A public house was built at the junction of Taylor Terrace and Split Crow Road. Two years later, a tract of Tyneside flats was built on the west side of the Old Durham Road and many streets in the area, such as Chandos Street, Shipcote Terrace, Raby Street and Northborne Street, are evidenced, along with an unnamed school. By 1919, some rural scenes could still be enjoyedManders, 1973: 314 but the fields were "rapidly encroached upon" in the 1920s and 1930s and replaced with more terraced housing at Caris Street, Fullerton Place and Methuen Street and large tracts of council houses. By this time, Deckham Hall was in a state of disrepair and was notable to residents for its resemblance to a haunted house "because of its air of gloom and the strange echoes to be heard on windy nights". The hall was demolished in 1930 and more council houses were erected on the site.

Since the intensive period of house building, little has changed. At the west end of the suburb, the Tyneside flats at Northborne Street and surrounding streets remain ''in situ'' and here there is "housing and little else". Much of this housing is in poor condition, some is in "crumbling disrepair" and requires substantial investment. Old Durham Road has developed into the focal point of the neighbourhood and is the sole commercial area, with small, independent shops running along the western end of the road backing onto the streets from Inskip Terrace and Shipcote Terrace. Whilst many retail units are in a state of deterioration, and despite a report describing recent housing development on the east side of Old Durham Road as "poorly handled and unsightly", the area remains "interesting and lively".GC09– East Deckham: 1 By contrast, the central and eastern areas of Deckham are affected by a more marked decline. At the western edge there are stone remnants of an old, rural settlement, but the remainder, grouped around Edgeware and Kingston Roads, consists of bland, repetitive social housing arranged on long, curved streets which combine to create an environment which is anonymous, claustrophobic and disorientating. One source describes the environment as one where "eyesores become landmarks (lock–up workshops on Kingston Road), any slight change in materials becomes significant (system–built housing on Kingston Road), and any attempt to do something different becomes a relief (a corner garden on Mayfair Gardens)".

The net result is that, in Deckham today:

There is something of a sense of isolation in parts of Deckham, especially further up the hill as development densities drop, commercial and social facilities disappear and activity levels on the street fall away. Around the Old Durham Road the surviving mix of small shops and meeting places generate some impression of communal spirit, but the poor condition of
many properties and the dominance of the public realm by traffic serve to stunt it.

Economy

Unlike Sheriff Hill, Deckham was not founded on heavy industry. It developed primarily for its ease of access to the turnpike road, the principle route between Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne which ran through it. There is evidence of coal mining; the Durham Mining Museum has a record for 'Deckham Hall Colliery'.Author unknown
''Deckham Hall Colliery'', Durham Mining Museum
(retrieved 19 June 2012). Few records of the colliery survive, and it is difficult to ascertain when it opened, but the colliery was located 1.5 miles south from Newcastle and was in the hands of Hopper, Hughes and Company in 1886. By December 1893 the colliery had been abandoned as being "not workable to a profit".

In common with most suburbs of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, its economy is dominated by the economies of Newcastle–upon–Tyne and Gateshead town centre. This is reflected in terms of independent commercial space; retail floor space in the suburb totals 1% of that available in the whole metropolitan borough. There are 33 retail units concentrated on Old Durham Road, which provide some employment, though these are at the lower end of the spectrum and provide little choice. There is a good provision of hardware stores, fast–food outlets and hairdressers, a butcher's shop, a greengrocer and a supermarket, but there is no bakery, bank nor building society and the Post Office has closed. The retail units were domestic properties, so many are too small for retail purposes and around 20% are vacant.

Deckham suffers from high levels of unemployment; in 2011 the mean percentage of the population claiming Jobseekers Allowance was 7%. This compares to Gateshead's 5% average over the same period. Youth unemployment is 10%, compared to Gateshead's 9%.

Geography and topography

Deckham, at latitude 54.95° N and longitude 1.59 ° W, lies less than south and east of Gateshead town centre between two main transport corridors; Sunderland Road to the east and Old Durham Road to the west.NLP, 2006: 1 The distance from Deckham to London is . Deckham occupies an elevated position, especially at its north end which sits on a ridge, and some parts are steeply sloped– notably those which border Sheriff Hill to the south.

In the urban expansion of Gateshead, Deckham was enveloped so that its exact boundaries are difficult to define. The estate had boundaries at Split Crow Road, Old Durham Road, Hendon Road and Carr Hill Road but documents indicate that Deckham stretches to Durham Road in the west and the streets adjoining Hendon Road as far north as the Bankies open space at Mount Pleasant. In 1974 Deckham was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead by the Local Government Act 1972. Until its implementation, Deckham was part of County Durham. It is now bordered by settlements which are part of the metropolitan borough. These are Sheriff Hill to the south, Low Fell and Shipcote to the west, Gateshead to the north and Felling and Carr Hill to the east.

Deckham has distinctive, steep topography which "shapes the character" of the suburb. Though the urbanisation of Gateshead has detracted from panoramic views that were once enjoyed by residents, the topography ensures that residents continue to have excellent views towards Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the Team Valley.

Governance

Deckham is a council ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. It is approximately in area and has a population of 9,228.Author unknown, "Deckham–Ward Factsheet", Gateshead MBC, 2012 (Accessed 17 June 2012) It is represented by three councillors. In June 2012, they were Brian Coates, Martin Gannon and Bernadette Oliphant.

Deckham is part of the Westminster parliamentary constituency of Gateshead. It was previously in the Gateshead East and Washington West constituency which was abolished by boundary changes before the 2010 UK General Election. For many years the MP was Joyce Quin, who retired on 11 April 2005 and was awarded a life peerage into the House of Lords on 13 June 2006 and is now Baroness Quin.

The present MP Ian Mearns, is a member of the Labour party and his office is in Gateshead. He replaced Sharon Hodgson who successfully campaigned in the newly formed constituency of Washington and Sunderland West. In the 2010 UK General Election, Mearns was elected with a majority of 12,549 over Frank Hindle. The swing from Labour to the Liberal Democrats was 3.9%.

Deckham is in a safe Labour seat. Mearns' success in 2010 followed of Sharon Hodgson, who in the 2005 UK General Election polled over 60% of the votes cast whilst in 2001, Joyce Quin was returned with a majority of 53.3%.

Demography

According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, Deckham has a population of 9,228– 51.5% of the population are female, slightly above the national average, whilst 48.5% are male.Deckham Ward Factsheet, 2012: 1 Only 2% of the population are from a black or other minority ethnic group (BME), as opposed to 9.1% of the national population. Of the BME group, 35% are from the Asian or Asian–British ethnic group. Deckham has a high proportion of lone parent households at some 15% of all households.Author Unknown, Census 2001 Ward Factsheet – Deckham, 2004: 15 This is the third highest figure in Gateshead and compares with a borough average of 11.5%. Some 31% of households have dependent children, as opposed to 29.5% nationally and 28.4% in Gateshead. The Index of Multiple Deprivation, which divides England into 32,482 areas and measures quality of life to indicate deprivation, splits Deckham into halves and lists the western half, along with Carr Hill and Sheriff Hill, in the top 10% of all deprived areas in England in 2012. The eastern half is in the top 5% of deprived areas.

In 2011 however, the ethnic minority population increased rapidly. In 2001, 96.8% of Deckham's population were white British, this figure reduced to 92.3% white British in 2011. Also, the population increased massively too, from 7,886 in 2001 to 9,938 in 2011. 88.8% of adults in lone parent households with independent children were women.

In 2011, 7.7% of Deckham's population were non-white British. This is above average for the Metropolitan borough of Gateshead, but below average for the town of Gateshead which Deckham forms a part of.

Deckham is situated to the east of Gateshead town centre. It is also split into three sub districts, Central Deckham, Mount Pleasant and Carr Hill.

Culture

Notable buildings

Deckham has three buildings listed by English Heritage. They are 33 and 35 Fife Street and the Church of St George.

The flats at 33 and 35 Fife Street, in Mount Pleasant, are Grade II Listed buildings. Described by English Heritage as "perhaps the last surviving example of an unspoilt, 2–flat dwelling of high quality but modest size", they were built in the latter part of the 19th century from sandstone ashlar and slate. The Church of St George is an Anglican church at the corner of Inskip Terrace and Durham Road built in 1896 by Stephen Piper of Newcastle.Pevsner, 1983: 284 This "bold and remarkably simple" church consists of a nave, vestry, bell tower and porch, is built in sandstone and remains in very good condition. Access to the bell tower is by spiral staircase and the staircase and bells are in good order. Of particular note is the church organ; a Father Willis built organ which has been described as "an utter gem" and "exceptional".

Deckham's other church is the Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, a plain, stone building located in a prominent position on the corner of Caris Street and Old Durham Road.Oxborough, 2008: 1 Little is documented regarding this church, and the date of building is difficult to ascertain, though the Pentecostal movement in Britain dates to 1907 and the church was certified for the solomnising of marriages as recently as 21 October 1959. The Church is a member of the Assembly of God denomination of Pentecostalism and hold weekly Sunday worship, a prayer service on Mondays and a children's group on Wednesdays.

Two more buildings were locally listed as places of special interest by Gateshead Council. These are Carr Hill Clinic at Carr Hill Road/Ilford Place and St Mark's Methodist Church at Shipcote Terrace.

Venues

Deckham has several public houses. The Plough Inn on Old Durham Road and is evidenced on the ordnance survey map in 1862 where it is shown as 'Speed the Plough'. The Shakespeare Inn is on Split Crow Road and Mount Pleasant Working Mans Club is described by one official document as "intrusive" though it hosts several local housing discussion groups. The Deckham Inn at the junction of Split Crow Road and Old Durham Road, was closed in the early 21st century and an application to demolish it to make way for residential flats was approved in 2004. After objections were raised planning approval was rescinded but it was demolished in 2011.

Community facilities

There are no libraries in Deckham, though Gateshead Central Library, the largest library in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, is nearby. Gateshead Leisure Centre in Shipcote and Saltwell Park are close by.

The Elgin Centre

The Elgin Centre is on Elgin Road at the south–east boundary between Deckham and Carr Hill. Whilst geographically outside Deckham, the centre provides "the key cluster" of community provisions for its residents. These facilities contribute to the regeneration of the suburb.

The facilities are utilized by the Route 26 Community Project; a registered charity based at the centre which aims to work towards the betterment of lives in Deckham and neighbouring wards. The project works with Gateshead Council and the Gateshead Housing Company to provide a community cafe promoting healthy eating (the 'T–Junction'), a gymnasium, indoor sports hall, outdoor Five-a-side football pitches and a meeting place for resident groups. The project has education provision for young children as a registered day–care provider and it also offers adult education and training. The project hosts the 'Carnival on the Hill/Deckham Festival'; a collaborative enterprise between Route 26, Gateshead Council and Home Group which offers free activities, such as go-karting and children's soft play, against the backdrop of a steel band. The second Deckham Festival was held on 3 September 2011 and attracted over one thousand visitors, including Mayor of Gateshead and BBC
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