Dunston, Tyne and Wear
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Dunston is a western area of the town of Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, North East England (into which it was absorbed in 1974). Dunston had a population of 18,326 at the 2011 Census.


History

It has been speculated that Dunston started its existence as a farm or estate of a man named Dunn. Historically part of County Durham, Dunston was first mentioned in 1328. Salmon fishing and farming were important industries in Dunston from at least the 14th century. Coal mining on a small-scale was also important but by the 17th century, the proximity of the river aided the development of large-scale coal mining in the village. During the Great Tyne Flood of 1771 villagers had to be rescued by boat from the roofs and upper stories of their houses.


Area

Dunston is served by
Dunston railway station Dunston is a railway station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between and via . The station, situated west of Newcastle, serves the suburb of Dunston, Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by North ...
on the Tyne Valley Line. Dunston is split into two areas separated by the A1 dual carriageway. Much of the area south of the A1 is known as Dunston Hill. For electoral purposes, the northern section is grouped along with the Teams area to form Dunston and Teams ward, while the southern section is combined with parts of
Whickham Whickham is a village in Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The village is on high ground overlooking the River Tyne and south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It was formerly governed under the histor ...
, forming Dunston Hill and Whickham East. To the west of Dunston is the site of
Dunston Power Station :''Sometimes confused with the nearby Stella power stations.'' Dunston Power Station refers to a pair of adjacent coal-fired power stations in the North East of England, now demolished. They were built on the south bank of the River Tyne, in ...
, now demolished. The site is now home to
Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation (Trade name, doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only Big-box store, big-box retail stores (warehouse c ...
, with the MetroCentre (at this time the largest shopping and leisure complex in Europe), occupying the former site of the station's ash ponds. The Gateshead-based
Go-Ahead Group The Go-Ahead Group plc is a passenger transport company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Norway and Germany. Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, in 2022 it was purchased ...
has constructed a new bus depot to replace its Sunderland Road and Winlaton depots on the eastern part of the power station site. Another Dunston landmark was the
Derwent Tower Derwent Tower was a 29-storey residential apartment building in Dunston, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom, opened in 1972. Due to its unusual shape it was nicknamed the "Dunston Rocket" during construction (even before its official Derwent Tower ...
(commonly known as the "Dunston Rocket"), a tower block that was once the highest building in Gateshead. It was designed by the Owen Luder Partnership and completed in 1973. A well-known structure that had appeared in two films, it was demolished in 2012. It had always proved unpopular with residents, and fallen into a poor condition: Gateshead Council decided that the renovation costs would be prohibitive. As of 2016, the remainder of the late 1960s Tower Court development was being gradually replaced by new housing and shops. Luder also designed the similarly maligned
Trinity Centre Multi-Storey Car Park Trinity Square is a shopping and leisure centre in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. The new centre was constructed on the site of former multi-storey car park and shopping complex going by the same name, which originally opened in 1967. The f ...
(known for its appearance in the 1971 gangster thriller ''
Get Carter ''Get Carter'' is a 1971 British crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detecti ...
'', and now demolished) in Gateshead town centre. On 6 June 1993 the
IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
attacked a
gas holder A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressu ...
in the nearby area of Low Team. The damage was limited, and no one was injured.


Sports

Dunston has one sports team which is
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club called Dunston UTS who currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North West.


Dunston Staiths and the 1990 Garden Festival


Notable people

Footballers Paul Gascoigne and
Ray Hudson Raymond Wilfred Hudson (born 24 March 1955) is an English former professional football player and manager who currently works as a radio host for SiriusXM FC 157. He started playing professionally at 17, in 1973, with Newcastle United. Fans nic ...
, and the lead singer of AC/DC
Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Rol ...
, all spent their formative years in Dunston. Champion rower and boat-builder
Harry Clasper Harry Clasper (5 July 1812 – 12 July 1870) was a professional rower and boat builder from Tyneside in England. He was an innovative boat designer who pioneered the development of the racing shell and the use of outriggers. He is said to hav ...
was born in Dunston, and
Victoria Hopper Victoria Hopper (24 May 1909 – 22 January 2007) was a Canadian-born British stage and film actress and singer. Biography Victoria Evelyn Hopper was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and brought up in North East England. She studie ...
, the celebrated Canadian-born British stage and film actress and singer, was raised in Dunston. British cyclo-cross and
road cyclist Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...
Thomas Mein Thomas Mein (born 12 January 1999) is a British cyclist who currently rides for Hope Factory Racing in cyclo-cross and mountain biking. His most notable achievements are winning the under-23 men's race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Tábor, ...
was also born in Dunston.


References


External links


Dunston In Pictures, Photo Gallery
{{Authority control Populated places in Tyne and Wear Gateshead