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. Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...

, North East England.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

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 ...

, it is now part of the

Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newc ...

Metropolitan county. 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 Estate – a name occasionally used 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 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 Benwell and Scotswood is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. The ward encompasses the Benwell and Scotswood housing areas, as well as the Newcastle Business Park, which is located on the banks of the River Tyne and h ...

, and Elswick in Newcastle upon Tyne, and

Pennywell Pennywell is one of the UK's largest post-war social housing schemes, and is situated in the central-west area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Pennywell is the largest local authority housing estate in the City of Sunderland. ...

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

Transport

Meadow Well Metro station Meadow Well is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburbs of Chirton and Meadow Well, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network as ''Smith's Park'' on 14 November 1982, following the opening of the fourth phase of ...

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 network opened in ...

. 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 Royal Quays is an area of North Shields, North Tyneside, England, beside the River Tyne. Built on the site of former docks, and containing the pre-existing North Shields International Ferry Terminal, the area was renamed Royal Quays in 1990 and r ...

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

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