Meadow Well, also known as Meadowell or the Ridges, is a district of

North Shields North Shields ( ) is a town in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. The population of North Shields at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom cens ...

North East England North East England, commonly referred to simply as the North East within England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of County DurhamNorthumberland, , Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and part of northern North Yorkshire. ...

Historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, it is now part of the

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The county is ...

Metropolitan county Metropolitan counties are a Subdivisions of England, subdivision of England which were originally used for Local government in England, local government. There are six metropolitan counties: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyn ...

. The population in 2016 was approximately 11,000.

History

Construction

The council estate was constructed in the 1930s to house residents that were displaced by the clearance of the Dockwray Square and Low Town slum areas. These flats were replaced with better quality homes in the 1960s and 70s. Meadow Well was formerly known as the Ridges – a name still used by people today – since it was built on the site of the Ridges Farm. The name ''Meadow Well'' is derived from a well situated meadow upon which the estate was built.

Riots

On Monday, 9 September 1991, Meadow Well was featured heavily in the news across the UK as

riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

broke out following the death of two youths. The riots resulted in large parts of the Meadow Well estate being burned down, including residences, shops, electricity sub-stations, a community centre and a health centre. Today the area has been regenerated, with much of the original Meadow Well estate having been demolished and redeveloped. The riots spread to Benwell, Scotswood, and Elswick in Newcastle upon Tyne, and Pennywell in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

on 12 September. Today the stigma still remains over the Meadow Well estate, even after redevelopment and regeneration.

Transport

Meadow Well Metro station is on the yellow line of the

Tyne and Wear Metro The Tyne and Wear Metro is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland (together forming Tyne and Wear). The owners Nexus have ...

. It was originally named ''Smith's Park''. The station was purpose built for the Metro and opened on 14 November 1982. After the redevelopment of the Meadow Well and Royal Quays areas, the station was reopened on 10 October 1994 with the name Meadow Well Metro Station.

Education

There are three Primary Schools which service the area. These include St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Riverside Community Primary School and Nursery and Waterville Primary School. Norham High School, providing secondary education, is located to the north west.

Geography

The estate is around a mile west of the centre of North Shields. Percy Main borders Meadow Well to the south. The hamlet of East Howdon is to the south west. The Royal Quays Outlet Centre and Northumbrian Water's treatment works lie between the village and the River Tyne.

References

{{authority control Populated places in Tyne and Wear North Shields