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Whickham is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, North East England, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. Whickham lies within historic County Durham. The town is on high ground overlooking the River Tyne. The 2011 Census recorded its population as 16,652.^{[citation needed]}

Whickham
Whickham Location within Tyne and Wear
Population	16,652 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	NZ205605
Metropolitan borough	Gateshead
Metropolitan county	Tyne and Wear
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Newcastle upon Tyne
Postcode district	NE16
Dialling code	0191
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Tyne and Wear
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Blaydon
List of places UK England Tyne and Wear 54.9456°N 1.6726°W / 54.9456; -1.6726

Whickham is a semi-rural, middle class suburban town and former civil parish. Built on a large hill, it overlooks a large part of the northern and western horizon, including the MetroCentre, and contains a mixture of large suburban housing estates and private streets for the local residents. The main street that goes through the town contains some shops and retailers, a few pubs and restaurants, and St Mary's parish church, the oldest building in Whickham.[1]

History

Whickham underwent some expansion in the 1950s when the Lakes Estate was built just off Whickham Highway. Then later in the decade the Oakfield Estate just off Whaggs Lane was built. However, house building in the early 1960s transformed the then village into a small town. Grange Estate began the long-term development by JT Bell, (Bellway), the builder, who went on into Clavering Park, Clavering Grange, the Cedars and then Fellside Park. Even after this expansion, there is some debate that the old spirit of the village was finally lost when the main street of Whickham was redeveloped.

Southwest of Whickham, above the River Derwent, are the ruins of Old Hollinside, a fortified manor house[2] once owned by the Bowes-Lyon family.

Awards

Whickham has been a national finalist in the RHS 'Britain In Bloom' competition over fifteen times, and, as of 2012, has twice been awarded 'Outright National Winner' in its category.

Schools

Whickham has six primary schools, and one secondary school. The Gibside School for special educational needs and disabilities moved to a new location away from Whickham in Spring 2021.

Primary schools:

• Clover Hill Primary School
• Fellside Primary School
• Front Street Primary School
• St Mary's R C Primary School
• Washingwell Primary School
• Whickham Parochial C of E Primary School

Secondary schools:

• Whickham School and Sports College

See also

• Washing Wells Roman Fort

References

• Whickham Football Club
• Whickham U21s and Junior Teams

External links

Media related to Whickham at Wikimedia Commons

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