Throckley is a village in the Newcastle upon Tyne district, in the county of Tyne and Wear, England, approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of Newcastle city centre. Hadrian's Wall passed through the village, its course traced by the village's main road, Hexham Road.[1] Throckley lies within the historic county of Northumberland.

Throckley
Top Left:Throckley St. Mary the Virgin Church
Top Right: Dandy Cart of Throckley Colliery
Bottom: Throckley Hall
Throckley is located in Tyne and Wear
Throckley
Throckley
Location within Tyne and Wear
OS grid referenceNZ158668
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Postcode districtNE15
Dialling code0191
PoliceNorthumbria
FireTyne and Wear
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear
54°59′46″N 1°45′14″W / 54.996°N 1.754°W / 54.996; -1.754

Throckley was a colliery village, being adjacent to Throckley Colliery, but with the decline in the coal-mining industry the village has become more urbanised.

The English industrialist, philanthropist and historical Lord Mayor of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sir William Haswell Stephenson was born in Throckley[2] and lived in the manor house Throckley Hall[3] with his wife and two children, located in the South West of the village. Stephenson owned much of the land surrounding Throckley and the coal pits.[4] He was Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1875, 1884, and 1894 and Lord Mayor in 1902, 1909, 1910, and 1911.[5]

Other notable residents include William Brown, a consulting engineer in the 18th century, and part owner of Throckley Colliery, who was responsible for the construction of many colliery waggonways throughout the North East of England. As a youngster, George Stephenson worked on Dewley farm which lies to the north of the A69.

Throckley neighbours the villages of Newburn, Walbottle, Blucher, and across the border in Northumberland, Heddon-on-the-Wall. The village expanded with a number of new housing estates having been developed since the mid-2000s.

Amenities include a supermarket, car parts shop, a number of hair salons, social clubs and a working men's club, three care homes for the elderly, two churches, a solarium, funeral parlour, an optometrist, medical surgery,[6] a range of newsagents, a chemist, a Masonic hall,[7] and a primary school (Throckley Primary School).

Throckley's economy is also boosted by the presence of an industrial estate, home to Throckley Brickworks and Warmseal Windows.

Throckley Hall edit

Throckley Hall is the original Manor House of Throckley and remains to this day. Throckley Hall was constructed in c. 1820 and expanded in c. 1850.[8] Former Lord Mayor of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sir William Haswell Stephenson was born in Throckley Hall, [3] then known as Throckley House, prior to its expansion in c. 1850 and renaming to Throckley Hall, as it continues to stand to this day.[9]

Sir William lived for many years in Throckley Hall with his wife Eliza Mary Bond and two children, Charlotte and Kate.[10]

 
Throckley Hall c. 1900 (top) & current photographs

The Stephenson family continued to reside in Throckley Hall following the death of Sir William. Other notable residents included Major William Ernest Stephenson,[11] who held the rank of Major in the Northumberland Fusiliers of the British Army.[12]

Throckley Hall has been preserved and remains a private residence along with the associated land,[9][13] which includes formal gardens surrounding the house as well as several acres of protected woodland and meadows.[14] Throckley Hall retains many original and antique features, with original plaster mouldings in the hallways as well as the formal state rooms: drawing room and dining room. Throckley Hall was featured on Antiques Roadshow in 1987.[15]

Sightseeing and scenery edit

Throckley itself, especially the Bank Top area, offers views over the Tyne Valley, and looking west, to the distant Pennines. The Guardian featured Throckley in the top fifty walks guide for 2007.[16]

Throckley Dene is a stretch of semi-natural ancient woodland in a steep-sided valley with Dewley Burn running through. National cycle route 72 passes through South Throckley, along the edge of the River Tyne before continuing West towards Wylam Village.[17] The South West region of Throckley contains other areas of ancient woodland, particularly around Throckley Hall and the tree-lined roads.[14] The South West and Western regions of Throckley are designated Green Belt areas.[18]

Throckley Pond lies south west of the village and is surrounded by woodland and meadows, several fishing platforms line the Northern shore of the pond and public footpaths extend South to the River Tyne and West towards Heddon-on-the-Wall.[19]

Civil parish edit

Throckley was formerly a township in the parish of Newburn,[20] from 1866 Throckley was a civil parish in its own right, on 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Newburn.[21] In 1931 the parish had a population of 2332.[22]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Hadrian's Wall and vallum from Throckley to East Town House, Heddon-on-the-Wall in wall mile 11, Non Civil Parish - 1010616 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Stephenson, Sir William Haswell, DL, DCL". A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland.
  3. ^ a b "FreeCEN -General Register Office: 1861 Census Returns database". FreeCEN. Free UK Genealogy.
  4. ^ "William Haswell Stephenson (1836-1918), Businessman and Civic Leader". Philanthropy North East.
  5. ^ "Mayors and Sheriffs 1216 to date" (PDF). Newcastle City Council.
  6. ^ "Throckley Primary Care".
  7. ^ "Throckley Masonic Hall". Northumberlandmasons.org. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  8. ^ "View map: Ordnance Survey, Northumberland XCVI - Ordnance Survey Six-inch England and Wales, 1842-1952". National Library of Scotland. 1864. 1864.
  9. ^ a b "Throckley Hall - View Land and Property Information". HM Land Registry, GOV.UK.
  10. ^ Archives, UK National Archives Newcastle City Library (1851), English: Page 19 of UK Census 1851. Throckley Village Area., retrieved 27 June 2023
  11. ^ Chronicle, Newcastle Evening (1912), English: Microfiche from Newcastle City Library archives. Newcastle Chronicle. Article depicting Major Stephenson of Throckley Hall., retrieved 2 July 2023
  12. ^ "Medal card of Stephenson, William Ernest | Corps: Northumberland Fusiliers". The National Archives.
  13. ^ "Land Associated with Throckley Hall - View Land and Property Information". HM Land registry, GOV.UK.
  14. ^ a b "Tree Preservation - Throckley Hall, TPO Ref: 1995/010". Newcastle.gov.uk, TPO Register.
  15. ^ "BBC TV Guide, Antiques Roadshow Season 9 Episodes". Tvguide.com.
  16. ^ "Throckley - Newcastle, City of Newcastle". The Guardian. 2 June 2007. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  17. ^ "OpenCycleMap.org - the OpenStreetMap Cycle Map". www.opencyclemap.org. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Section 3 Strategic Policies - Policy CSUCP CS1, CS19 Green Belt" (PDF). Newcastle City Council.
  19. ^ "FootPathMap.co.uk - Throckley, South West". Map | FootPathMap.co.uk.
  20. ^ "History of Throckley, in Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Relationships and changes Throckley Tn/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Population statistics Throckley Tn/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 6 April 2023.

Bibliography edit

  • Dunham, A. C. & V. E. H. Strasser-King (1981) Petrology of the Great Whin Sill in the Throckley Borehole, Northumberland, Inst. Geol. Sci. Rep. 81–4; 32 pp.
  • "Throckley Colliery". Durham Mining Museum. Retrieved 4 February 2005.

Further reading edit

  • Walton, George Bygone Throckley. [Newcastle upon Tyne]: Newcastle City Libraries & Arts, 1994.