regions

Tyne and Wear

Open on map More regions Spin a random place Ask WorldAI

Overview

Wikivoyage guide · 20 sections

▸Introduction334 chars

Tyne and Wear is a county and metropolis in the North East of England, created in 1974 from towns that had been in Northumberland or County Durham, plus Newcastle upon Tyne. The area is industrial but has a rich heritage, some surprisingly attractive cityscapes, and a lively entertainment scene. In 2019 the population was 1,136,371.

▸Cities and towns458 chars

1 Newcastle upon Tyne is the buzzing city hub.

2 Gateshead south bank of the Tyne is a separate city.

3 South Tyneside consists of South Shields, Jarrow, Boldon and Hebburn

4 Sunderland was home to the Venerable Bede and made glass even in his day.

5 Washington has the ancestral home of George Washington's family.

6 Wallsend is where Hadrian's Wall began.

7 Tynemouth has a ruined priory and castle, and beach strip.

8 Whitley Bay is a small beach resort.

▸Other destinations196 chars

1 Hadrian's Wall is obliterated beneath Newcastle but re-emerges to the west at Heddon. It's mostly just a ditch until Hexham further west, then the best parts march over the hills to Haltwhistle.

Facts

Rank

—

Coordinates

—

Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia3,245 words

Introduction

County of England "T&W" redirects here. For the unitary authority in Shropshire, see Telford and Wrekin. Metropolitan and ceremonial county in EnglandTyne and WearMetropolitan and ceremonial countyThe Angel of the North, Souter Lighthouse in Whitburn, and the River Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle.Tyne and Wear within EnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomConstituent countryEnglandRegionNorth EastEstablished1974Established byLocal Government Act 1972Preceded by Parts of County Durham Parts of Northumberland Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT) • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)UK Parliament11 MPsPoliceNorthumbria PoliceLargest cityNewcastle upon TyneCeremonial countyLord LieutenantLucy WinskellHigh SheriffAmmar Yusuf MirzaArea540 km2 (210 sq mi) • Rank44th of 48Population (2024)1,178,389 • Rank16th of 48 • Density2,182/km2 (5,650/sq mi)Metropolitan countyGSS codeE11000007ITLTLC22/23DistrictsDistricts of Tyne and Wear  Metropolitan districts Districts Gateshead Newcastle upon Tyne North Tyneside South Tyneside Sunderland Tyne and Wear (/ˌtaɪn  ...  ˈwɪər/) is a ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The county is largely urbanised, with an area of 540 square kilometres (210 sq mi) and an estimated population of 1,178,389 in 2024. Newcastle is on the north bank of the River Tyne in the centre of the county, and Gateshead opposite on the south bank. South Shields lies in the east at the river's mouth, and the city of Sunderland in the south-east at the mouth of the River Wear. Nearly all of the county's settlements belong to the Tyneside or Wearside conurbations, the latter of which extends into County Durham. For local government purposes Tyne and Wear comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside. The borough councils collaborate through the North East Combined Authority, which also includes Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council. The county was created in 1974 from south-east Northumberland and north-east County Durham. The most notable geographic features of the county are the River Tyne and River Wear, after which it is named and along which its major settlements developed. The county is also notable for its coastline to the North Sea in the east, which is characterised by tall limestone cliffs and wide beaches.

More in regions0

This area was industrial even in the 13th century, through coal-mining, salt-panning, glass-blowing and quarrying. Newcastle grabbed a monopoly on coal and became a county in its own right in 1400, while the other settlements were villages or small towns each around their own coal pits and wharves on the rivers Tyne or Wear. North of the Tyne (except Newcastle) was the county of Northumberland, and south was County Durham. The population grew rapidly from the 19th century when deep mining reached lucrative seams, railways and steam power arrived, and the riverbanks rang with the hammers of shipbuilders. The towns grew into a single sprawling conurbation, with a mix of urban squalour and confident Georgian and Victorian civic architecture.

The historic counties became unbalanced between their metal-bashing towns at one end and farms and hills at the other. In 1974 the metropolis of Tyne and Wear was created, with Newcastle at its core, North Tyneside taken from Northumberland, and Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Washington taken from County Durham. The new entity has stood the test of time and is approaching its 50th birthday. The towns are commuter-belt for Newcastle but have retained their own industry, transport hubs and identity.

Many visitors flash through Durham and Northumberland to reach Scotland, and the only reason they linger here is through being stuck in traffic on the A1 near Metrocentre. They could do worse than turn off and explore: it's not pretty-pretty scenic but is rich in industrial heritage, and in the cultural wealth built on that foundation.

▸By metro1,270 chars

Tyne & Wear Metro is quick and inexpensive, and is the best option between the area's towns. There are two lines, mostly overground: Green Line runs from Newcastle Airport to South Gosforth, Newcastle city centre, Gateshead, Heworth, Sunderland and South Hylton. Yellow Line makes a great loop north from St James in Newcastle city centre to Wallsend, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay then South Gosforth, back through city centre (crossing itself at Monument) then Gateshead, Heworth, Jarrow and North Shields. So for the north bank of Tyne always take the anti-clockwise loop, but for Whitley Bay you could go either way.

Trains run between 06:00 and 23:00, normally every 6-10 min but in 2021 / 22 this is scaled back to 12-15 min. There are three fare zones: a single for one is £2.10, two zones £3, all zones (eg from the airport) £3.70. A day-ticket for one zone is £3.30, for two is £4.40 and for all is £5.40. Plusbus tickets are not valid on the Metro.

Ticket machines take cards or cash. Main stations have ticket barriers. Outlying stations may have no gates or leave them open at quiet times, but ticket inspectors patrol and are wearily familiar with lame excuses by fare dodgers. Smoking is banned on the entire system, including open-air stations.

▸By bus1,885 chars

Tyne and Wear has an extensive network, and for some areas such as Washington it's the only public transport. Fares are the same as the Metro but bus is slower, eg Newcastle to Tynemouth is an hour by bus and 30 min by Metro.

Most routes across the region are by Go North East:

Bus 1 every 20 min from Gateshead to Newcastle, Wallsend, North Shields, Tynemouth and Whitley Bay.

X1 every 15 min from Newcastle to Gateshead, Washington and Peterlee.

Bus 2 and 8 every 30 min between Sunderland and Washington.

Bus 9 every 30 min between Jarrow and Sunderland.

Bus 20 every 15 min from Durham to Sunderland and South Shields.

Bus 21 every 7 min from Chester-le-Street to Birtley, Angel of the North, Gateshead and Newcastle (some journeys extend south to Durham). The N21 provides overnight service on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bus 27 every 15 min from Newcastle to Gateshead, Heworth, Jarrow and South Shields.

Bus 50 every 30 min from South Shields to Washington, Chester-le-Street and Durham.

Routes to the north are by Arriva:

X8 every 30 min from Newcastle to Gosforth, Cramlington and Blyth.

X12 hourly from Durham to Newcastle.

Bus 43 hourly from Newcastle to Gosforth, Cramlington and Morpeth.

Bus 51 hourly from Newcastle to Wallsend and Whitley Bay.

Stagecoach have short town routes, but also:

X24 every 30 min between Sunderland, Gateshead, and Newcastle.

X34 every 30 min between the southern suburbs of South Shields (including the coast at Marsden), Gateshead, and Newcastle.

E1, E2, and E6 - these take different routes but each run every 30 mins (so every 10 mins combined) between Sunderland and South Shields via Whitburn and the coast.

Some day tickets are only valid for individual operators, but in 2024 the **TNE Day Saver** was launched; this allows travel on any bus or metro in Tyne and Wear county for £6.80, or into Northumberland and Durham for £7.50.

▸See1,633 chars

The Angel of the North spreads their massive wings by the A1(M) as you approach from the south.

Newcastle has an elegant late-Georgian city centre around Grey St and Grainger Town.

Gateshead: the south bank of the Tyne facing Newcastle is a separate city. Walk across the Millennium or "Blinking" Bridge for the Baltic Art Gallery. You might detour to come back via the High Level Bridge or the Swing Bridge.

Roman Britain: South Tyneside has the depot fort of Arbeia, and Wallsend has the fort of Segedunum at Mile Zero of Hadrian's Wall. The Great North Museum in Newcastle shows artefacts from that era, but the wall route is obliterated beneath the city. You have to go 20 or more miles west into Northumberland to reach the scenic and better-preserved stretches.

Old churches: Jarrow has Bede's monastery, and Tynemouth has a medieval priory by the castle. Others are Victorian or later to serve the growing cities, but the 13th century Black Friars in Newcastle is now a restaurant.

Lighthouses: St Mary's is on a tidal islet north of Whitley Bay, Souter is on the breezy headland south of South Shields. Others are simple navigation lights, but look out for those of Fish Quay in North Shields, and the spooky Herd Groyne in South Shields. Or else! - you'll be on the rocks otherwise.

Watch Brigades are a northeast oddity, though they were once nationwide. Founded from the 1860s, they're coastal volunteers: they don't launch lifeboats, but assist the Coastguard with shore-based rescue. Only three brigades remain active, in Sunderland, South Shields and Tynemouth, and their watch-houses display local maritime history.

History

[edit] In the late 600s and into the 700s, St. Bede lived as a monk at the monastery of St. Peter and of St. Paul writing histories of the Early Middle Ages including the Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Roughly 150 years ago, in the village of Marsden in South Shields, Souter Lighthouse was built, the first electric structure of this type. The Local Government Act 1888 constituted Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland as county boroughs (Newcastle had "county corporate" status as the "County and Town of Newcastle upon Tyne" since 1400). Tynemouth joined them in 1904. Between the county boroughs, various other settlements also formed part of the administrative counties of Durham and of Northumberland. The need to reform local government on Tyneside was recognised by the government as early as 1935, when a Royal Commission to Investigate the Conditions of Local Government on Tyneside was appointed. The three commissioners were to: examine the system of local government in the areas of local government north and south of the river Tyne from the sea to the boundary of the Rural District of Castle Ward and Hexham in the County of Northumberland and to the Western boundary of the County of Durham, to consider what changes, if any, should be made in the existing arrangements with a view to securing greater economy and efficiency, and to make recommendations. Population density map The report of the Royal Commission, published in 1937, recommended the establishment of a Regional Council for Northumberland and Tyneside (to be called the "Northumberland Regional Council") to administer services that needed to be exercised over a wide area, with a second tier of smaller units for other local-government purposes. The second-tier units would form by amalgamating the various existing boroughs and districts. The county boroughs in the area would lose their status. Within this area, a single municipality would be formed covering the four county boroughs of Newcastle, Gateshead, Tynemouth, South Shields and other urban districts and boroughs. A minority report proposed amalgamation of Newcastle, Gateshead, Wallsend, Jarrow, Felling, Gosforth, Hebburn and Newburn into a single "county borough of Newcastle-on-Tyneside". The 1937 proposals never came into operation: local authorities could not agree on a scheme and the legislation of the time did not allow central government to compel one. Tyneside (excluding Sunderland) was a special review area under the Local Government Act 1958. The Local Government Commission for England came back with a recommendation to create a new county of Tyneside based on the review area, divided into four separate boroughs. This was not implemented. The Redcliffe-Maud Report proposed a Tyneside unitary authority, again excluding Sunderland, which would have set up a separate East Durham unitary authority. The white paper that led to the Local Government Act 1972 proposed as "area 2" a metropolitan county including Newcastle and Sunderland, extending as far south down the coast as Seaham and Easington, and bordering "area 4" (which would become Tees Valley). The Bill as presented in November 1971 pruned back the southern edge of the area, and gave it the name "Tyneside". The name "Tyneside" proved controversial on Wearside, and a government amendment changed the name to "Tyne and Wear" at the request of Sunderland County Borough Council. Post-1974 Pre-1974 Metropolitan county Metropolitan boroughs County boroughs Non-county boroughs Urban districts Rural districts Tyne and Wear amalgamates 24 former local government districts, including five county boroughs. Gateshead Gateshead — Blaydon • Felling • Ryton • Whickham Chester-le-Street Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne — Gosforth • Newburn Castle Ward North Tyneside Tynemouth Wallsend • Whitley Bay Longbenton • Seaton Valley — South Tyneside South Shields Jarrow Boldon • Hebburn — Sunderland Sunderland — Washington • Houghton-le-Spring • Hetton-le-Hole Easington

Geography

[edit] Climate[edit] Tyne and Wear either has or closely borders two official Met Office stations, neither located in one of the major urban centres. The locations for those are in Tynemouth, where the river Tyne meets the North Sea, east of Newcastle; and inland at Durham, around 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-west of Sunderland. There are some clear differences between the two stations' temperature and precipitation patterns, even though both have a cool-summer and mild-winter oceanic climate. Climate data for Tynemouth 33 m asl, 1981–2010 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.2(45.0) 7.3(45.1) 9.0(48.2) 10.3(50.5) 12.7(54.9) 15.6(60.1) 18.1(64.6) 18.1(64.6) 16.1(61.0) 13.2(55.8) 9.7(49.5) 6.4(43.5) 12.1(53.8) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.2(36.0) 2.2(36.0) 3.3(37.9) 4.8(40.6) 7.2(45.0) 10.0(50.0) 12.3(54.1) 12.3(54.1) 10.4(50.7) 7.7(45.9) 4.9(40.8) 2.5(36.5) 6.7(44.1) Average precipitation mm (inches) 45.5(1.79) 37.8(1.49) 43.9(1.73) 45.4(1.79) 43.2(1.70) 51.9(2.04) 47.6(1.87) 59.6(2.35) 53.0(2.09) 53.6(2.11) 62.8(2.47) 53.9(2.12) 597.2(23.51) Mean monthly sunshine hours 61.1 81.6 117.7 149.9 191.7 183.0 185.7 174.9 174.1 106.2 70.4 51.9 1,515 Source: Met Office vteClimate data for Durham Coordinates 54°46′04″N 1°35′04″W / 54.76786°N 1.58455°W / 54.76786; -1.58455 (Durham University Observatory); elevation: 102 m (335 ft) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1843–2023 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 16.3(61.3) 17.4(63.3) 21.8(71.2) 24.1(75.4) 29.7(85.5) 30.4(86.7) 36.9(98.4) 32.5(90.5) 30.0(86.0) 25.3(77.5) 19.3(66.7) 15.9(60.6) 36.9(98.4) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.9(44.4) 7.8(46.0) 9.9(49.8) 12.5(54.5) 15.4(59.7) 18.0(64.4) 20.2(68.4) 19.9(67.8) 17.4(63.3) 13.5(56.3) 9.7(49.5) 7.1(44.8) 13.2(55.8) Daily mean °C (°F) 4.1(39.4) 4.6(40.3) 6.2(43.2) 8.3(46.9) 10.9(51.6) 13.6(56.5) 15.8(60.4) 15.6(60.1) 13.3(55.9) 10.0(50.0) 6.6(43.9) 4.2(39.6) 9.5(49.1) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.3(34.3) 1.4(34.5) 2.5(36.5) 4.1(39.4) 6.5(43.7) 9.3(48.7) 11.3(52.3) 11.3(52.3) 9.2(48.6) 6.5(43.7) 3.6(38.5) 1.4(34.5) 5.7(42.3) Record low °C (°F) −16.9(1.6) −18.0(−0.4) −15.0(5.0) −11.1(12.0) −4.8(23.4) −0.8(30.6) 1.4(34.5) 0.0(32.0) −1.7(28.9) −5.3(22.5) −12.0(10.4) −16.4(2.5) −18.0(−0.4) Average precipitation mm (inches) 51.8(2.04) 44.6(1.76) 41.1(1.62) 51.2(2.02) 44.4(1.75) 61.0(2.40) 60.9(2.40) 66.5(2.62) 56.9(2.24) 63.4(2.50) 73.0(2.87) 61.0(2.40) 675.7(26.60) Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 11.8 9.9 8.6 9.1 8.6 9.9 10.7 10.3 9.4 11.8 12.0 12.0 124.1 Mean monthly sunshine hours 60.9 84.4 121.7 160.8 187.1 167.1 174.3 167.3 135.3 98.9 64.6 57.6 1,480 Source 1: Met Office Source 2: Durham Weather Green belt[edit] Further information: North East Green Belt Tyne and Wear contains green belt interspersed throughout the county, mainly on the fringes of the Tyneside/Wearside conurbation. There is also an inter-urban line of belt helping to keep the districts of South Tyneside, Gateshead, and Sunderland separated. It was first drawn up from the 1950s. All the county's districts contain some portion of belt.

Governance

[edit] Local government[edit] Since 1986, Tyne and Wear has been governed principally by the councils of its five metropolitan boroughs, namely Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, South Tyneside Council, and Sunderland City Council. Regional government[edit] The North East Combined Authority is a strategic authority established in 2024. It provides a forum for Tyne and Wear's five metropolitan borough councils to collaborate with each other, Northumberland County Council, and Durham County Council. The authority has eight voting and two non-voting members. The voting members are a directly elected mayor and one councillor appointed by each of the member councils, and the non-voting members are appointed by the combined authority to represent the interests of the business sector and the voluntary sector respectively. Since the 2024 North East mayoral election the mayor has been Kim McGuinness of the Labour Party. Nexus, the passenger transport executive for Tyne and Wear, is an executive body of the combined authority. It is responsible for many aspects of public transport within the county, for example the Tyne and Wear Metro. History[edit] The Local Government Act 1888 reformed English local government. Northumberland and County Durham were reconstituted as administrative counties, with elected county councils. Newcastle-upon-Tyne was considered to be within Northumberland and Gateshead, South Shields, and Sunderland within County Durham, but the four were made county boroughs and therefore had independent local government. Tynemouth became a county borough in 1904. The Local Government Act 1972 reformed English local government again, and in 1974 the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear was created from north-east County Durham and south-east Northumberland, including the five county boroughs within this area. The provision of local government services was divided between Tyne and Wear County Council and five metropolitan borough councils. In 1986 the county council was abolished, with the metropolitan borough councils assuming many of its responsibilities. Parliametary constituencies[edit] See also: Parliamentary constituencies in Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear is divided into 12 parliamentary constituencies. Historically, the area has been a Labour stronghold; South Shields is the only Parliamentary constituency that has never returned a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons since the Reform Act of 1832.

Settlements

[edit] See also: List of Tyne and Wear settlements by population Commuter rail services in the region Italics indicate the district centre. For a complete list of all villages, towns and cities see the list of places in Tyne and Wear. Borough/City Locality Authority Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead Gateshead Birtley Blaydon Low Fell Rowlands Gill Ryton Sheriff Hill Whickham Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council City of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne – city centre Blakelaw Byker ElswickFenhamGosforth Jesmond Heaton Newburn North Kenton Throckley Walbottle Walker Westerhope West Moor Newcastle upon Tyne City Council Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside Wallsend Annitsford Backworth Benton Cullercoats Dudley Earsdon Fordley Forest Hall Killingworth Longbenton Monkseaton North Shields Preston Tynemouth Whitley Bay Wideopen North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council Metropolitan Borough of South Tyneside South Shields Boldon Cleadon Harton Hebburn Jarrow Westoe Whitburn South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council City of Sunderland Sunderland Castletown Fulwell Hendon Herrington Hetton-le-Hole Houghton-le-Spring Hylton Red House Newbottle Penshaw Rainton Ryhope Seaburn Shiney Row Silksworth South Hylton Southwick Springwell Village Warden Law Washington Sunderland City Council

Places of interest

[edit] Sunderland MarinaGateshead Millennium Bridge and BALTIC Art CentreCullercoats Bay Key Abbey/Priory/Cathedral Accessible open space Amusement/Theme Park Castle Country Park English Heritage Forestry Commission Heritage railway Historic House Places of Worship Museum (free/not free) National Trust Theatre Zoo Gateshead Angel of the North BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Dunston Staiths Gateshead International Stadium Gibside – MetroCentre Saltwell Park – Shipley Art Gallery The Sage Gateshead Joint Gateshead and other Beamish Museum (with County Durham) – Tanfield Railway, Sunniside (with County Durham) – Tyne Bridge (with Newcastle) Gateshead Millennium Bridge (with Newcastle) Newcastle Discovery Museum – Hadrian's Wall – Great North Museum: Hancock – Jesmond Dene – Newcastle Castle Keep – St James' Park – Leazes Park – Centre for Life Town Moor – Tyneside cinema Chinatown, Newcastle Quayside Utilita Arena Newcastle Newcastle Cathedral – Laing Art Gallery Theatre Royal – Northumberland Street Grey Street Grey's Monument The Biscuit Factory North Tyneside Rising Sun Country Park – Segedunum Roman Fort & Museum, Wallsend – Spanish City, Whitley Bay St Mary's Island bird reserve Tynemouth Castle and Priory – South Tyneside Arbeia Roman Fort & Museum, South Shields – Marsden Rock bird reserve Souter Point Lighthouse – Bede's World, Jarrow Sunderland The Museum and Winter Gardens – Mowbray Park – Seaburn and Roker Beaches Barnes Park – The National Glass Hylton Castle – Penshaw Monument – St. Peter's Church – Sunderland Minster – Stadium of Light Washington Old Hall – The Empire Theatre – Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art Gallery[edit] Tynemouth Priory Arbeia Museum Newcastle Keep

Businesses

[edit] See also: List of companies based in Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle Brown Ale – the yen an anny (which means "the one and only" in Tyneside dialect.) Offshore Group Newcastle make oil platforms. Sage Group, who produce accounting software, are based at Hazlerigg at the northern end of the Newcastle bypass. Northern Rock, which became a bank in 1997 and was taken over by Virgin Money in November 2011, and the Newcastle Building Society are based in Gosforth. The Gosforth-based bakery Greggs now has over 1,500 shops. The Balliol Business Park in Longbenton contains Procter & Gamble research and global business centres and a tax credits call centre for HMRC, and is the former home of Findus UK. The Government National Insurance Contributions Office in Longbenton, demolished and replaced in 2000, had a 1 mile (1.6 km) long corridor.[citation needed] Be-Ro and the Go-Ahead Group bus company are in central Newcastle. Nestlé use the former Rowntrees chocolate factory on the east of the A1. BAE Systems Land & Armaments in Scotswood, formerly Vickers-Armstrongs, is the main producer of British Army tanks such as the Challenger 2. A Rolls-Royce apprentice training site is next door. Siemens Energy Service Fossil make steam turbines at the CA Parsons Works in South Heaton. Sir Charles Parsons invented the steam turbine in 1884, and developed an important local company. Domestos, a product whose main ingredient is sodium hypochlorite, was originated in Newcastle in 1929 by William Handley, and was distributed from the area for many years. Clarke Chapman is next to the A167 in Gateshead. The MetroCentre, the largest shopping centre in Europe, is in Dunston. Scottish & Newcastle was the largest UK-owned brewery until it was bought by Heineken and Carlsberg in April 2008, and produced Newcastle Brown Ale at the Newcastle Federation Brewery in Dunston until production moved to Tadcaster in September 2010. At Team Valley are De La Rue, with their largest banknote printing facility, and Myson Radiators, the second largest in the UK market. Petards make surveillance equipment including ANPR cameras, and its Joyce-Loebl division makes electronic warfare systems and countermeasure dispensing systems such as the AN/ALE-47. Sevcon, an international company formed from a part of Smith Electric, is a world leader in electric vehicle controls. AEI Cables and Komatsu UK construction equipment at Birtley. J. Barbour & Sons make outdoor clothing in Simonside, Jarrow. SAFT Batteries make primary lithium batteries on the Tyne in South Shields. Bellway plc houses is in Seaton Burn in North Tyneside. Cobalt Business Park, the largest office park in the UK, is at Wallsend, on the former site of Atmel, and is the home of North Tyneside Council. Swan Hunter until 2006 made ships in Wallsend, and still designs ships. Soil Machine Dynamics in Wallsend on the Tyne makes Remotely operated underwater vehicles, and its Ultra Trencher 1 is the world's largest submersible robot.[citation needed] Nissan UK off the A19 near Sunderland The car dealership Evans Halshaw is in Sunderland. The car factory owned by Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK between North Hylton and Washington is the largest in the UK. Grundfos, the world's leading pump manufacturer, builds pumps in Sunderland. Calsonic Kansei UK, formerly Magna, make automotive instrument panels and car trim at the Pennywell Industrial Estate. Gestamp UK make automotive components. Smith Electric Vehicles originated in Washington. The LG Electronics microwave oven factory opened in 1989, closed in May 2004, and later became the site of the Tanfield Group. Goodyear Dunlop had their only UK car tyre factory next to the Tanfield site until its 2006 closure. BAE Systems Global Combat Systems moved to a new £75 million factory at the former Goodyear site in 2011, where they make large calibre ammunition for tanks and artillery. The government's child benefit office is in Washington. Liebherr build cranes next to the Wear at Deptford. The outdoor clothing company Berghaus is in Castletown. Vaux Breweries, who owned Swallow Hotels, closed in 1999. ScS Sofas are on Borough Road. There are many call centres in Sunderland, notably EDF Energy at the Doxford International Business Park, which is also the home of the headquarters of the large international transport company Arriva and Nike UK. Rolls-Royce planned to move their production of fan and turbine discs to BAE Systems' new site in 2016.[needs update]

Demography

[edit] Population of Tyne and Wear by district (2024) District Land area Population Density(/km2) (km2) (%) People (%) Gateshead 142 26% 202,760 17% 1,424 Newcastle upon Tyne 113 21% 320,605 27% 2,826 North Tyneside 82 15% 215,025 18% 2,613 South Tyneside 64 12% 151,393 13% 2,350 Sunderland 137 25% 288,606 24% 2,100 Tyne and Wear 540 100% 1,178,389 100% 2,182 Ethnicity[edit] Ethnic Group Year 1971 estimations 1981 estimates 1991 census Number % Number % Number % White: Total – 99.6% 1,140,786 98.8% 1,109,420 98.1% White: British – – – – – – White: Irish – – – – – – White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller – – – – – – White: Roma – – – – – – White: Other – – – – – – Asian or Asian British: Total – – 10,591 0.9% 16,048 1.4% Asian or Asian British: Indian – – 3,311 4,477 Asian or Asian British: Pakistani – – 2,914 4,029 Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi – – 1,313 2,959 Asian or Asian British: Chinese – – 1,995 2,867 Asian or Asian British: Other Asian – – 1,058 1,716 Black or Black British: Total – – 1,769 2,253 Black or Black British: African – – 711 899 Black or Black British: Caribbean – – 379 478 Black or Black British: Other Black – – 679 876 Mixed or British Mixed: Total – – – – – – Mixed: White and Black Caribbean – – – – – – Mixed: White and Black African – – – – – – Mixed: White and Asian – – – – – – Mixed: Other Mixed – – – – – – Other: Total – – 1,956 2,679 Other: Arab – – – – – – Other: Any other ethnic group – – – – Non-White: Total – 0.4% 14,314 1.2% 20,980 1.9% Total – 100% 1,155,100 100% 1,130,400 100%