High Spen
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Discover High Spen

High Spen is an old mining village in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, historically part of County Durham, England. First recorded in 1379 as a small hamlet called ‘Spen’, the settlement grew in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries with the growth of coal mining in the region. In a modern post-industrial North East England, High Spen functions as a commuter village in the Tyneside greenbelt with 1,935 people calling the village home

County

Tyne and Wear

Known for

Village in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead

A Journey Through Time

The story of High Spen — from the archive to today.

I

History

With the name ‘Spen’ first appearing in record in 1379, it has been hard to discern its true origins, although the best guess is that it means ‘hedge’ or ‘fence’ and it was used as a boundary between the Manors of…

II

Transport

High Spen used to have a bus depot (located off Strothers Road) that was home to the Venture Bus Company. Venture used to run services around Derwent Valley, mainly between Shotley Bridge and Newcastle. Venture, and the…

III

Notable people

During the First World War, two soldiers from High Spen were awarded the Victoria Cross: Lance Corporal Frederick William Dobson of the Coldstream Guards, and Private Thomas Young of the Durham Light Infantry. Other…

Local flavour

Education

High Spen currently has High Spen Primary School for children 3-11 but High Spen also used to have a coeducational comprehensive school, Hookergate School, located in the village. The school was…

External links

Media related to High Spen at Wikimedia Commons HIGH SPEN A HUNDRED YEARS High Spen Traditional Rapper Sword Dancers

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High Spen · 54.9312, -1.7831

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