The dredging of Kings Meadows in the River Tyne in the 19th century

Kings Meadow Island (alternatively King's Meadow Island, or Kingsmeadow Island) was a flat

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, between Elswick on the north bank and Dunston on the south, near

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, England. A smaller island, Little Annie lay nearby to the southwest whilst the two Clarenee Islands lay to the north of the east end of Kings Meadow. The islands were removed by

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

between 1862 and 1887 by the

Tyne Improvement Commission The Port of Tyne comprises the commercial docks on and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear in the northeast of England. History There has been a port on the Tyne at least since the Romans used their settlement of Arbeia to supply the g ...

, to make it easier for river traffic to pass. During the

siege of Newcastle The siege of Newcastle (3 February 1644 – 27 October 1644) occurred during the First English Civil War, when a Covenanter army under the command of Lord General Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven besieged the Royalist garrison under ...

, in 1644, Scottish sentries were posted on Kings Meadow, shooting dead at least one man who attempted to sail past. In the 18th century, a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the 'Countess of Coventry', operated on Kings Meadow. A

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

and

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

were held on Kings Meadow, annually until 1850. It was also used for

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...

Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form based in Dunston, Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. It was opened in 1990 on the site of Dunston Comprehensive School, combining the existing Salt ...

, nearby, is named for the island.

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{{authority control River Tyne River islands of England Former islands of England 1887 disestablishments in England

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