Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition.

Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition.

Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition. The George or George the First, survived until 1951.

Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition.

Shown on Ordnance Survey second edition. Closed in 1919.

Pair of houses. 1974-6 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor Shepherd Construction Limited. Pale modular metric brick on timber frame, with unevenly cut green weatherboarding to rear elevations. Blue metal roofs with plywood box beam purlins. Two storeys. Projecting brown weatherboarded porches to front; plastic door hoods to rear. Vertical struts of white between first-floor windows, which are arranged as a continuous strip across the facade. Windows of timber, in timber surrounds with aluminium opening lights, mainly sliding. Glazed timber dors to no. 1; those to no. 2 renewed. No. 2 has single-storey projecting brick lean-to as part of the composition, with built-in seat. Interiors not inspected but understood not to be of special interest. Brown fences to front and green fences to rear an integral part of the composition, the latter with built-in semi-circular seating and table. St Lawrence Court occupies a prominent position between the perimeter wall, St Lawrence's Church and the children's play ground of Grace Lee.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Tyne and Wear Archives
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60 LISTED GRADE 2*

And No. 6 Old Vicarage Walk. Two terraces. 1976-78 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor Shepherd Construction Limited. Pale modular metric brick on timber frame, with weatherboarding. Stone to nos. 20 and 21. Blue metal monopitch roofs with plywood box beam purlins. Two storeys, nos. 6 Old Vicarage Walk and nos. 4 and 9 Harriet Place set at right angles with projecting single-storey outshuts under cat-slide roofs and entrances to side.

Nos. 1-4 have weatherboarding to both sides. East elevation above high retaining wall. Weatherboarding to nos. 1-3, and to no. 4 above projecting outshut. West elevation overlooking school field has bright green eaves, with green weatherboarding to no. 1 and large green end bird box. Nos. 5-9 Harriet Place and no. 6 Old Vicarage Walk have east elevation with weatherboarding only above outshuts, and reached up steps to side of high retaining wall. Built-in seat and table. Side elevation with big green metal bird box. West elevation with bright green eaves, red metal door hoods and dark blue fences. Ends of the terraces continue as retaining walls to sides. Forms a group with Benson Place.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Tyne and Wear Archives
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60 LISTED GRADE 2*

And Nos. 12-18 Benson Place, No. 3 Old Vicarage Walk and Nos. 20 & 1 Benson Place. Two mirrored terraces forming a square, with two bungalows and pergolas marking end. 1976-78 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor Shepherd Construction Limited. Pale modular metric brick on timber frame, with weatherboarding. Stone to nos. 20 and 21. Blue metal monopitch roofs with plywood box beam purlins. All of two storeys, save for nos. 20 and 21 Benson Place, which are bungalows. All windows of timber in timber subframes with aluminium opening lights. Some doors renewed in hardwood.

Nos. 11-19 (odd) have flat front to square, with brick ends and blue weatherboarding to the central three units (nos. 13-17). Green metal door hoods Bird box at each end. Rear elevation with red eaves weatherboarding, brown weatherboarding around windows forming first-floor strip, and blue weatherboarding to nos. 17 and 19. Nos. 12-18, with no. 3 Old Vicarage Walk have plain brick backs, but are brightly coloured to square, with bright green eaves and blue weatherboarding, save to slightly projecting no. 3 Old Vicarage Walk. Prominent green bird boxes at end. Low walls at each end, and some low fences. Central timber shelter in square, of timber, with blue polygonal metal sheet roof.

Nos. 20 and 21 are a pair of bungalows at end, incorporating wall from building previously on the site as rear elevation. The other three sides of pale modular metric brick, with bright green eaves over, and blue doors and windows. Pergola to front. Wall extends to either side of bungalows, linking them to west with blue fence, fixed seating and tables, and to east with brown shelter with blue pyramidal metal roof, a part of the group, as is the old stone wall with brick opening which bounds this attractively planted square from the parkland to the north. Chirton is one of the most imaginatively detailed, small scale and well-planted neighbourhoods.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Tyne and Wear Archives
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60 LISTED GRADE 2*

Single house. 1976-78 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor Shepherd Construction Limited. Pale modular metric brick on timber frame, with weatherboarding. Blue metal monopitch roofs with plywood box beam purlins. Two storeys.

Side elevation to Old Vicarage Walk has large green bird box. Front elevation of blue weatherboarding, with red metal door hood; rear with dark blue weatherboarding below brown band at first floor forming strip to windows and red eaves. Red fences over low surrounding walls. No. 1 Vicarage Walk continues the line of No. 3 Old Vicarage Walk and adjoining terrace (nos. 12-18 Benson Place). A prominent single dwelling at the end of well-planted grounds between Jubilee Terrace (q.v.) and Benson Place.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Tyne and Wear Archives
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60 Single house. 1976-78 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor Shepherd Construction Limited. Pale modular metric brick on timber frame, with weatherboarding. Blue metal monopitch roofs with plywood box beam purlins. Two storeys.

Side elevation to Old Vicarage Walk has large green bird box. Front elevation of blue weatherboarding, with red metal door hood; rear with dark blue weatherboarding below brown band at first floor forming strip to windows and red eaves. Red fences over low surrounding walls. No. 1 Vicarage Walk continues the line of No. 3 Old Vicarage Walk and adjoining terrace (nos. 12-18 Benson Place). A prominent single dwelling at the end of well-planted grounds between Jubilee Terrace (q.v.) and Benson Place.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Tyne and Wear Archives
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60 LISTED GRADE 2*

And No. 4 Old Vicarage Walk. Two mirrored terraces, each of five houses, forming formal square with end pergola. 1976-78 by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor; site architect Vernon Gracie; structural engineer, White, Young and Partners; main contractor Shepherd Construction Limited. Pale modular metric brick on timber frame, with weatherboarding. Blue metal monopitch roofs with plywood box beam purlins. Two storeys, the end houses at right angles and entered from doors at side.

Nos. 1-9 (odd) Benson Place and no. 4 Old Vicarage Walk form the west side of the square. Book-ended composition to square, with brick end houses and weatherboarding to nos. 3-9 (odd), with green metal door hoods. Red metal door hoods to end units entered to side. Red weatherboarded eaves to rear (no. 9 brown), which continue through two-storey projections to nos. 1 Benson Place and 4 Old Vicarage Walk, . Nos. 2-10 (even) Benson Square and no. 2 Old Vicarage Walks have projecting single-storey catslide roofs at each end on outward sides away from square. Front to square with bright green eaves, soft blue weatherboarding to lower parts of nos. 2-10; green metal door hoods. All windows of timber in timber sub-frames with aluminium opening lights (mainly sliding). Red and blue doors, some renewed in hardwood. Interiors not inspected but understood not to be of special interest.

Attached fences to rear of houses, with spur walls at either end. Walls also round square. Outside nos. 1 and 2 Benson Place a square brown timber pergola or shelter, with brown timber pyramidal roof. At entrance to square a small timber pergola forms arch, with built-in seating.

Benson Place, with its fine planting and seats, is a key feature of the Chirton neighbourhood.

The Byker area, first extensively developed in the 1890s, was earmarked for redevelopment from the late 1950s, with a new motorway to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed the building of a barrier block to shelter the area, and this idea was supported by Ralph Erskine, who was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood, and to rehouse the residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40% of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing. In achieving these goals Erskine sought to exploit the south-facing sloping site, to develop a system of pedestrian routes through the estate and to provide a `specific "local" individuality to each group of houses.' The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time, to try to maintain the community's infrastructure. The idea was a sheltering perimeter block, which protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a micro climate, with low-rise housing in its lee. The modular metric facing brick of 290mm x 90mm x 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham, in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12" by 4" by 3" unit. The inventiveness of the decoration, developed following the relatively muted `pilot scheme' at Janet Square, marks Byker out from other post-war housing for bringing the humane concepts of `romantic pragmatism' with its neo-vernacular details and materials to public housing in a unique way. It is probably also the greatest achievement of this important and idiosyncratic international architect. `If there is something marvellously lighthearted about the design, this I would say is the topographical keynote of the new Byker' (Architectural Design, June 1975, p.333).

Sources
Tyne and Wear Archives
Architectural Review, December 1974, pp.346-62
Mats Egelius, Ralph Erskine, Architect, Stockholm 1990, pp.148-60 LISTED GRADE 2*