History of Wallsend
Wallsend is a town situated on the north bank of the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear. Wallsend literally means “end of wall”, as it is located at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall , which was built by the Romans. As well as Hadrian's Wall Wallsend is also famous for Segedunum Roman Fort.
So as we can tell from the famous historical buildings in Wallsend, the Romans definitely left their trace. Segedunum Roman fort was constructed in the year 125A.D. and was in use up until the end of the Roman period, which was the late 4 th century. The fort is now displayed as the focal point of a museum and interpretation centre.
Another famous historical building is Hadrian's Wall, and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the UK . The construction on the Wall started in 122 and was completed within 10 years. Spanning nearly 2000 years of history so it's no wonder the wall has been ranked alongside the Taj Mahal and other famous treasures of the world. In 1987 Hadrian's Wall was designated as a World Heritage Site. The Wall Starts from Wallsend right to Solway Firth and is approximately 84 miles long.
Over the years there has been lots of evidence to show that the Romans were at Wallsend such as coins, metalwork, alters, querns, animal bones, Roman Pottery and a possible Roman pottery kiln.
The start of Wallsend industry like all towns in Tyne and Wear was the development of coal mines. In the early 20th century the tradition of coal mining was kept on by the opening of the Neptune Bank Power Station and Carville Power Station.
However shipbuilding was the most important industry at Wallsend, and was the home of the Wigham Richardson shipyard, which later turned into Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. The shipyard is probably best known for building the RMS Mauretania, which held the blue riband, for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic . Other industries that Wallsend was involved in were brick and tile works, iron works, a cement works, lime works and roperies.
The development of housing came, because of the increasing numbers of industrial workers in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Gradually an infrastructure of services started to appear such as transport systems, churches, chapels, a library and schools.
As well as is history Wallsend is also well known for its culture. The Buddle Arts Centre is located in Wallsend. It has a combination of workshop activities, performing, visual and media arts and an amazing children's theatre. As well as its gallery Wallsend is also famous for its Silver Link Complex., which includes a Pizza Hut, UCI Cinema, a variety of shops with some of the largest brand names, electrical goods shops and much more. Wallsend is also famous for producing many famous football players such as Alan Shearer, Lee Clark and Peter Beardsley.
