The Hermitage is shown on the Ordnance Survey second edition map. William Clarke (1831-1890), industrialist and co-founder of Clarke Chapman in 1864, lived in this house, which apparently had 20 rooms. By 1903 Clarke Chapman was the second largest employer in Gateshead.

William Shield (1748-1829) was born in Swalwell and lived near the spot now marked by a blue plaque on a stone plinth in his early years. Shield was a violinist, violist and composer of operas and other works. In 1769 he composed the anthem for the consecration of St. John's Church in Sunderland. In 1782 we was appointed house composer to Covent Garden. His opera Rosina premiered. He published the Op.3 string quartets. In 1817 he was appointed Master of the Musicians - in Ordinary to the King. He is reputedly the composer of Auld Lang Syne. He died in London in 1829 and is buried in Westminster Abbey. There is a monument to William Shield in Whickham churchyard and another in Brightling Church in East Sussex by Peter Rouw. It has long been assumed that Robbie Burns wrote the tune of Auld Lang Syne. However the tune features in Shield's opera Rosina of 1782. Shields never claimed to have written the tune, and the music to Rosina was 'written and selected' by William Shield. So there are some who believe that Shield wrote it and there are others who believe that the tune is an old Scottish folk tune (dating back to 1687) and that Shield re-used.

Daniel Defoe, author of 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'Moll Flanders', lived in Gateshead from around 1706 to 1710. His lodgings with bookseller Joseph Button are thought to have been located in Hillgate. Daniel Foe (he added the 'De' later) was born in London around 1660. He was educated in Dorking, Surrey. He was a Presbyterian. He began his working life as a merchant of hosiery, woollen goods and wine. In 1684 he married Mary Tuffley, daughter of a London merchant. They had 8 children. In 1685 Defoe joined the Monmouth Rebellion. After 1688 Defoe became a close ally of William III and a spy. In 1692 he was arrested for debts of £700 and was declared bankrupt. By 1695 he was working as a commissioner of the glass duty, collecting taxes on bottles. In 1696 he ran a tile and brick factory in Essex and lived in Chadwell St. Mary. In 1697 he published 'An Essay upon Projects'. In 1701 he wrote his poem 'The True-Born Englishman'. In 1702 William III died. In 1703 he was arrested and placed in a pillory for 3 days for writing a satrical pamphlet. He was then sent to Newgate Prison. He was released in exchange for becoming an intelligence agent for the Tories. In 1704 he wrote 'The Storm' describing the Great Storm of 1703. In 1709 he published 'The History of the Union of Great Britain'. Defoe was an adviser to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. 'Robinson Crusoe' was published in 1719. He wrote 8 more novels by 1724. 'Moll Flanders' was published in 1722. His final novel was Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress (1724). In the last decade of his life, Defoe wrote various books on personal conduct, the supernatural and travel. 'A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain' was written between 1724 and 1727. Daniel Defore died in 1731 and is buried in Islington, London.

Rectory shown on OS second edition. [Sarah] Emily Davies (1830 - 1921) lived here in her early life. He father was the rector. She was a feminist, suffragist and a campaigner for women's rights to university education. She co-founded Girton College in Cambridge, the first college in England to educate women. She was born in Carlton Crescent in Southampton. She wrote the article 'Female Physicians' in 1861 and 'Medicine as a Profession for Women' in 1862. In 1862 she moved to London where she edited the English Woman's Journal. She campaigned for a woman's right to education. She was instrumental in girls being admitted to secondary school examinations. She campaigned for the admission of women to London, Oxford and Cambridge universities. As part of the suffrage movement, Davies was involved in the 1866 petition to Parliament for votes for women. She wrote the book 'The Higher Education of Women'. Girton College was founded in 1869. From 1873 - 1875 Davies was mistress of the college. She was secretary until 1904. In June 1901 she received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Glasgow University. In 1906 she headed a delegation to Parliament. In 1910 she published 'Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women'. lWomen over 30 were given the vote in 1918 and in 1921 this was extended to those over 1921].

Home of Edward Lawson, who was awarded the Victoria Cross. The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration ‘for valour in the face of the enemy’.

Edward Lawson was born at 87 Blandford Street, near the centre of Newcastle on 11 April 1873. His father, Thomas, is described in the 1881 census as a ‘cattle drover’.
As a young man of 17, Edward joined the Gordon Highlanders. In the 1890s the regiment was called into active service on the North-West Frontier province of what was then known as British India.

24 year old Edward Lawson carried a badly injured officer, a Lieutenant Dingwall, to safety. He then returned to rescue a Private McMillan, despite being wounded twice himself. He, along with a colleague, Piper George Findlater, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery. The award was presented to him personally by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 25 June 1898.

Lawson returned to his regiment and served until 31 October 1902 and was posted in South Africa during the Second Anglo-Boer War. He received further military medals and clasps for this period of service. On 14 March 1908, Edward married Robina Ursula Scott. At this time, he was living at 128 Malcolm Street and working as an electrical wiremen. The Lawsons soon moved to 14 Matthew Street, South Heaton just north of Shields Road, where they brought up their six children. Matthew Street was their home until c1924 (when Edward was 51 years old) at which time they relocated to Walker where they were to live for the remainder of their lives.

Prior to and during the First World War, Edward served as a Company Sergeant with the Northern Cyclist Battalion, which was employed to protect the coastline. The battalion was based at Alnwick Castle during World War One.
Edward Lawson VC died on 2 July 1955. He is buried in Heaton and Byker Cemetery, where in 1999 a new headstone was erected on his grave. His Victoria Cross is held by the Gordon Highlanders Musuem in Aberdeen.

The home of the man who created the FA Cup, Alcock was an influential English sportsman and administrator. He was also responsible for the first ever international soccer match (and subsequent early international games) with Scotland. The first two of these took place in 1870, with later matches in 1871 and 1872. In 2015 the building is the office of Julie Elliott MP. Two storey terraced house, rendered and painted pale pink. Inserted shop window on ground floor, sash windows on first floor with stone lintels and cills. Slate roof, brick chimney. Blue plaque on façade.

Arthur Henderson was the first Labour cabinet minister, and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of the Labour Party in three different decades.

Born in Scotland, he moved to Newcastle with his family after his father died and his mother re-married and began in his working life in the city aged 12 at the Stephenson Locomotive Works.

In later life he worked with the World League of Peace and chaired the Geneva Disarmament Conference and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934.

The home of both Charles Merz and William McLellan until 1913. Charles Hesterman Merz was born in Gateshead in 1874. He was brought up in Benwell. He studied at Quaker Bootham School in York, later Newcastle University. He was taken on as apprentice by the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company at Pandon Dene Power Station. In 1897 Merz was Manager and Engineer for Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company. Here he met William McLellan and they formed the company Merx and McLellan in 1909. William McLellan CBE was born in Palnackie, Kirkcudbrightshire in 1874. He attended Birkenhead College and Liverpool University. In 1896 he became an assistant at Siemens. McLellan started work for Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company in 1898. Merz and McLellan went to work for the North-Eastern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) and were members of the Literary and Philosophical Society. McLellan died in 1934. Merx and his twin children were killed in an air raid in London in 1940. A plaque was unveiled at 54 High Street on 23 April 2013.

1974 - 1986 TYNE AND WEAR COUNTY COUNCIL. From this building the Councillors and staff of Tyne and Wear County Council loyally served the people of
Tyneside and Wearside, and were their constant advocates for prosperity, safety and a better life.

1 SUMMERHILL TERRACE MO MOWLAM 1949-2005 Respected politician, MP for Redcar 1987-2001, Northern Ireland secretary 1997-1999, led talks that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Lived in this house from 1979-1983. "It takes courage to push things forward" {Placemark ID 41}.