Greenside

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Greenside
latitude= 54.954
longitude= -1.783
population =
metropolitan_borough= Gateshead
metropolitan_county= Tyne and Wear
region= North East England
constituency_westminster= Blaydon
post_town = RYTON
postcode_district = NE40
postcode_area= NE
dial_code= 0191
os_grid_reference= NZ139622

Greenside is a village located in the extreme west of the Metropolitan County of Tyne and Wear, England. Once an independent village in County Durham it became incorporated into Tyne and Wear in 1974 and then the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in 1986.

Location

Greenside is located in the outer west of Gateshead, between the villages of Crawcrook and High Spen and not far from the small town of Ryton.

It also lies near the old lead route that ran from the north Pennines to Tyneside.

History

Largely rural in nature, Greenside was built upon coal mining and agriculture. However, it was not until the creation of Greenside colliery, along with nearby collieries of Emma, Clara and Stargate, that Greenside and the surrounding area truly grew in importance and its coal industry became extensive. By the early 20th century Greenside had the largest colliery in the district.

The old wagonways used to transport coal, present in both Greenside and Crawcrook, provide a reminder of the area's importance in the coal trade. Although these wagonways and routes are not used to transport coal anymore, they are maintained as public footpaths, taking walkers around the surrounding countryside.

Local politics

In local government, Greenside is located in the 'Crawcrook, Greenside and Clara Vale ward'. The ward is at the far west of Gateshead and borders part of the Tynedale district of Northumberland. The Crawcrook and Greenside ward is served by three councillors, all Liberal Democrats. Gateshead Council is Labour controlled.

Greenside is located within the parliamentary constituency of Blaydon. Its current MP is Labour's Dave Anderson.

Greenside also has a popular youth council, who lobbies for better facilities for young people in the area.

Economy

After the decline of the coal-industry Greenside has not suffered the great deprivation that many other former mining areas have. One of the least deprived of Gateshead's wards, it is used increasingly as a commuter village for professionals travelling into the more urban areas of Tyneside. Employment is usually in manufacturing and retail industry, although the Crawcrook and Greenside ward as a whole includes a significant number of Gateshead's managerial-level employees.

Although it is a village that has not suffered the decline that many provincial villages have nationally in terms of local services, Greenside offers only a small selection of shops and business. These are enough to meet basic local need on a daily basis. For further groceries and high value white goods residents can travel to the MetroCentre, Europe's largest shopping centre around four miles further into Gateshead, as well as the well developed shopping areas of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Again, unlike a number of villages, there is an adequate public transport service to meet the basic needs of residents. Bus services operate to Crawcrook, Ryton, Blaydon, the MetroCentre and Newcastle. Residents wishing to travel west, passed the county border into Northumberland and its towns such as Prudhoe, Stocksfield, Corbridge and Hexham can do so on one of a number of Arriva buses that depart from Crawcrook.

port and Recreation

Greenside has a cricket team which includes a number of youngsters, the club also has a range of teams including an U13, U15, U18, 1st team and 2nd team. Greenside Cricket Club is currently part of the Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League.

As a result of council funding and community fundraising, Greenside park was redeveloped throughout much of 2006. The tennis court was resurfaced and a new skate park was built. The skatepark has proven to be very popular, both within the village and with people from other areas of Tyneside.

External links

* [http://www.greensidecommunity.co.uk A community website, giving information on the village's history, local transport and activities.]
* [http://www.durhamweb.org.uk/ryton/gree1.htm A website that provides a history of coal mining in the former pit villages of County Durham, including Greenside.]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Greenside&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=28.749334,81.738281&layer=&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&z=15&ll=54.95416,-1.779356&spn=0.010153,0.053988 An aerial view of the village, provided by Google Maps.]