This genteel, mature and generously sized private park, for the residents of Albert Drive, was created in honour of Prince Albert. It was laid out after much of the street had been developed, during 1904-5, and was clearly indicative of elevated aspirations for the development. Private parks for squares and crescents had been a popular feature of Georgian development, but had become less common as public parks emerged. The early part of the drive was planned in 1875, with attractive stone houses (also on the local list) facing west, with the favoured aspect towards the Ravensworth Estate. These were followed by the terrace to the south of the park, so that when the park was established the upper rooms of all the houses (including Myrtle Grove to the north) would have enjoyed an outlook over it. These houses were also constructed with attic rooms, so that the views would be maximised. It is uncertain whether the final layout was the original conception, but since the houses to the south were built so set back it would indicate that the park was planned at least when these were built. It is unusual in having survived all the development pressure over the years to remain a private park – an oasis of peace in a very densely built up area. When constructed, the park had a shelter towards the lower, western end, and the paths were apparently laid out in a geometric pattern with stone edging. The use of stone was continued through the design, with much rockery style planting, interspersed with, and encompassed by trees. The ironwork surrounding the park was presumably removed for the war effort, but 2 gates, with simplified fleur de lys style finials remain. These are apparently original, but now sit between lengths of modern timber palisading. Now the park has a more informal character – the paths have grassed over, and whilst some beds still contain pieces of stone, there are no full ‘rockery’ areas. The enclosing trees are now mature, so give shelter and a restful feeling, and the mature shrubs add a depth to the planting. Species include evergreens that can provide structure to the planting, including laurel, and some traditional privet is also present. The park will give a home to wildlife in the area, and despite its private nature, it offers a large and important contribution to open space, and a natural backdrop to development in the Low Fell Conservation Area.
FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
Further investigation into the original designs for the park could provide valuable insight, and possibly lead to the reinstatement of paths through the park. It could also be positive if consideration could be given to reinstating railings around the edge of the park. USES Private Park MATERIALS Wrought iron, sandstone
SPECIES Various trees and shrubs including Privet and Laurel
DATES 1904-5

Snecked tooled rubble. MATERIALS Sandstone DATES 1898

Substantial stone house with slate roof. This very broad, double fronted building is very simple in design, of roughly dressed stone laid in courses of varying heights, with substantial quoins but virtually no other architectural detailing, The slate roof has narrow water tabling and a partially missing stone ridge. Unfortunately vents have been inserted at the eaves. One chimney has been removed and the other has been rebuilt. Triangular stones top the western gable, in the manner of ‘tumbled-in’ brickwork. The stone lintels are very narrow, and there are no cills pieces at all. The original windows have been unfortunately replaced with plastic ones, and a timber canopy has been recently added over the doorway. A cast iron downpipe with decorative hopper head remains, but the rest of the rainwater goods are plastic.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The building is part of the surviving vernacular stone backbone of Sheriff Hill, evoking the heyday of this lively 19th century village, and expressing its early development, which was significantly based around quarrying. It is of particular group value with the Grade II Listed Field House immediately adjacent. MATERIALS Sandstone, Welsh slate
DATES Building present in 1822
Check local list status

Small C18 house. Sandstone rubble construction which appears to have been cleaned. Roofed with dark double roman clay tiles with swept eaves. Windows all uPVC double-glazed replacements with replaced lintels and sills (standing proud of wall) possibly in original openings. Over-pointed. Solid sandstone moulded door surround with gable. Highly intrusive and unsympathetic modern extensions to both front and rear elevations: that to the front being commercial premises. Substantial stone boundary wall remains to rear, although not to full height.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
This house is of group value with numbers 1 & 2 with which it harmonises in both rhythm and materials, whilst yet retaining unique features. They are some of the oldest buildings in the area, and are evocative of the village at a time of small size but reasonable wealth. The design and materials of the roof are of special interest as they are unusual in the area and create a distinctive and attractive aesthetic. The door surround, too, is individual and of high quality. The extensions are detrimental, however – visually obscuring (though not removing) the character of the building – and their removal would be desirable.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The street was named for a well on the other side of the lane which was traditionally whitewashed. It had been demolished by the end of the 19th century.
MATERIALS Sandstone, clay tile
DATES 18th century

Small C18 house. Sandstone rubble construction. Stone chimney to gable, brick chimney to centre. Welsh slate roof with water table to gable. The building has been extended to the north, originally to accommodate a shop, with quoins visible to front elevation. It is likely that the original doorway has been blocked up. All windows double glazed uPVC replacements, with replaced stone lintels (except for 1 original). Stone boundary wall terminates in elegant curve in advance of the gable.
This originally formed part of the Manor house with no. 2., lived in the 17th century by Robert Surtees, great –grandfather of the historian of Durham.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
This house is of group value with numbers 2 & 3 with which it harmonises in both rhythm and materials, whilst yet retaining unique features. They are some of the oldest buildings in the area, and are evocative of the village at a time of small size but reasonable wealth. The replacement windows are an unfortunate alteration but the modest stone wall is a charming boundary treatment.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The street was named for a well on the other side of the lane which was traditionally whitewashed. It had been demolished by the end of the 19th century.
DATES Probably 17th century

Late C18 stable and carriage shed, with a room for a groom. Later converted into a boiler house.

The present building is the 4th club house to be built for Tyneside Golf Club. It is of 'Golf Pavilion' design and is by Mark Sell of Alnwick Foundry and Engineering Company, who designed executive 'Artistic Homes'. The clubhouse opened on 8th April 1911 and cost £720. The facilities included a smoke room, locker room, vestibule, kitchen, ladies section, cellar and residences above. The present bar was created in the ladies section in 1957. Subsequent changes have included a secretary's office, steps to the west veranda, ladies room and locker room, glazing of the west verandah to form an extension to the lounge, upgrading of the caddy store and the conversion of the smoke room to a mixed lounge in 1994.
DESCRIPTION
A 1 and 2 storey pavilion style clubhouse with Arts and Crafts influences. It is clad with timber weather boarding laid horizontally to the lower portion and painted brown, and laid vertically to the upper portion painted white. The building has a slate roof with a single truncated brick chimney. There are various window styles which are all painted white with green detailing, but the dominant, original, window is a bay with multi-pane lights. There is a simple painted clock in the gable above the bay, with a timber bell turret with deep cornice and brackets along the ridge above. There have been several alterations and additions including a large, flat-roofed extension to the western side. Originally it contained a Smoke Room, Locker Room, Vestibule, Ladies Section (which was made into the bar in 1957), Kitchen, Cellar, and residences above. Central Heating was added to the building in 1930 and 2 flights of steps to the west verandah in 1938.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The clubhouse is elegantly representative of the pavilion style of architecture, which is particularly associated with this type of accommodation and evocative of the Edwardian period. At the time, the buildings produced by this company were described as ‘executive style housing’ and ‘artistic’. The attractive multi-pane bay adds much to the special quality of the building, and the paint colours, though apparently not original, emphasise the design well. Also, because of the weather conditions in this country, the use of timber externally is unusual, and therefore all the more important where it has been retained in good condition. As this was the 4th clubhouse built within a short period of time, it is all the more remarkable that it has survived reasonably intact.
MATERIALS Timber cladding, slate
ARCHITECT Mark Sell, Alnwick Foundry & Engineering Co.
DATES 1911
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The building was opened on 8/4/1911 at a cost of £720. The central heating cost £352.11s.6d to install. In 1903 Tyneside Golf Club agreed to admit ladies to membership. But on no account would they be permitted entrance into the clubhouse!

The bank is in the Edwardian Baroque style, of sandstone ashlar with rusticated ground floor and pilasters extending to the eaves on the corners, surmounted by broken-bed pediments in a deeply-moulded cornice. To the centre Ionic pilasters divide the window openings. There are large round-headed arched window and door surrounds with prominent, carved keystones to the ground floor. The rectangular window openings to the upper floors are embellished in the central part of the first floor by broken-bed pediments. The stone chimneys have cornice detail.
The interior of the Banking Hall survives largely intact and is well-kept with original cornicing and decorative leaf mouldings, ceiling roses to the corners and attractive lights to the top of the doors. The ground floor window frames have interesting and unusual carved detail, with replacement alloy frames to the upper floors.
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The Lloyd’s Bank building enjoys a prominent corner position where its dignified presence can have greatest impact, on a principal street at the centre of Gateshead. The grandiose architectural style befits its function as home to a financial institution as well as clearly differentiating the public ground floor space from the private upper floors. At the time it was built it would have been in a key position, adjacent to the seat of civic power, when there were also many significant buildings on the other side of the road which are now gone. It is, therefore, an important commercial survival.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
There was a branch of Lloyds on this site during the Victorian period, until this rebuilding at cost of £5500. The manager at the time of rebuilding was J W Dick.
MATERIALS Sandstone
ARCHITECT George Reavell Jnr, Alnwick
DATES 1914
The building was formerly on the Gateshead Local List but was listed Grade II in 2023.

This homely, rustic dwelling was originally the southern end of a long terrace of cottages at Portobello. It appears from the historic mapping that these may have been present for some time, as the arrangement is rather informal, and the important use of the wonderful rustic pantiles suggests a relatively early date. However, the frontage under the paint, is of (what appears to be) snecked stonework, which was normally employed later in the 19th century. The rubble-built side of the cottage is so heavily obscured by cement mortar as to give nothing away, save for a slight leaning out of the walls, which indicate that the roofing material is original, as it would have been heavier than, for example, heather thatch. The remains of the adjacent cottage show that the deep rear wall was solidly built of stone, whereas the front was of brick. This could indicate that the houses had been refronted – potentially offering an explanation for the unusual combination of pantiles with snecked stonework. If this was the case, it would also explain why the window openings are so regular and do not show any signs of alteration, as an old cottage could be expected to (it would have normally had smaller, less regular windows). A strange rendered extension, with new pantiles, has been added to the front of the house, incorporating raised gables in imitation of the upper wall left from the adjacent terrace on the main building. Also, what looks a coal house in brick and slate, with adjacent brick round-topped boundary wall, has been added to the front at some time, although it is not depicted on any mapping. It appears to be of around the later 19th or early 20th century, and the necessity of adding it may indicate that the building was relatively early in that it was not built with a coal house. In summary, the building is intriguing, and of some historical importance as well as rustic charm.
FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
It would be positive if more research could be undertaken on the house, for example n terms of historic mapping before the Ordnance Survey, to ascertain a better construction date.
MATERIALS Sandstone (painted), clay pantiles
DATES Early 19th century?