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Swalwell Shops
The Co-op
The village's main shopping services were provided by Swalwell and District Industrial and Provident Co-operative Society, (known locally as the Co-op or the store), but was supported by many small shops.
Co-op First Quarterly Report 1864
Co-op Drapers, Butchering and Grocery
The Co-op opened for business in March 1864 at premises in Long Rigg.
In 1889 land was purchased in Market Lane and a butchers and drapers shop opened there in 1890, with greengrocery and grocers departments commencing in 1903 and 1907 respectively, (see map E). Then a shoe shop followed by a chilled meats department, butchers, hardware and a chemist shops, (these last two in Lyndhurst Terrace, see map H) and upstairs in the drapery department was a Co-op bank.
There was also a Co-op grocery shop in Clavering Road, which later became Laws Stores and is now NBA A Stores.
Finally, a branch of Swalwell Co-op opened in Whickham in 1921.
From the 1960's the Co-op faced competition from supermarkets and changing shopping habits because of widespread ownership of refrigerators people no longer did their shopping several times a week in the village, but were able to do one big shop for food in town or, increasingly, out of town. This led to the demise of not only the Co-op but also of many other small shops.
Unlike many local Co-op Societies, Swalwell Co op, was not part of the North Eastern Co-op, and it closed in the early seventies. The old Co-op premises on the south side of Market Lane are now occupied by Denholm Electrical, Pringle design, Paquart, the Cash Register Centre, the Sink the Ink tattoo studio, Foxhill's driving school, and Amco accountants and tax advisor.
Many other shops existed and were to be found in:-
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
Barnes Shop
A street of terraced houses with a shop at the bottom corner called Barnes Supply Stores, a grocery and general dealer which later became Wilson's, a general dealer, then a bakery and it is now Ramsay's Bakery. There was a barbers shop next to Barnes in Crowley Road at one time, where the present Post Office now is.
Once had a butchers, Billy Browns, and at various times also had a barbers, fish and chip shop and now has a grocery convenience store NISA A Stores. The present fish and chip shop is called Carlo's Fish and Chips. Further west there is Parkdale Press Ltd and on Quality Row near Miller's Bridge is Sports Car Supplies for Triumph and MG spares. Along at the other end opposite the Community Centre is Henrys News Fruit and Wine store.
Ramsay's bakery was on the corner with Napier road, and is now Swalwell Barbers (Lawson and Wilson) and was formerly Colley's bakery. Crowley Road also had a cobblers in the 1950's called Ropner's, the premises later becoming a greengrocers (Jack's) in the 1970's.
At the extreme west end near Jubilee Terrace is the firm of Knox and Wilkin, corn merchants and pet food suppliers.
Agar's Shop
Further east a shop once existed near the school back gate called Atkinson's and known as the 'school shop'. Agar's general dealer's shop was at the corner of Crowley Road and Napier Road, this later became Friar's, then Hunters and is now Hussains Grocers.
Shield Bros. the builders once occupied premises opposite the back of the school now occupied by MMF Group, a firm specialising in flues and chimneys.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
Fletcher's the Printers
Here were the Co-op abattoir and Fletcher's the printers. These premises were destroyed in a recent fire although empty by then. Fletchers were also once in the old chapel in Station Road next to Bourgognes, or the Queens Head as it then was, before moving to the Team Valley. At present Star Plas double glazing and Holt's Insulation have premises in the street together with Swalwell Motorists garage, where MOT testing is done.
Swalwell Front Street
looking west 
Swalwell Front Street
from Station Road
looking east
Had several shops, on what was known as Spencers corner at the bottom of Hood Street, was Spencers haberdashery (now Pizza Luciano), then Hawkins hardware then T J Robinson, a butcher (now Ladbrokes betting shop), then R Armstrong, a barbers shop. Spencers shop was occupied at an earlier period by Robson Ryle.
On the next block came Alec McGregor's drapers (with branches at Whickham and Winlaton Mill) on the corner of Brewery Bank, the shop later became a funeral director's until quite recently.
Front Street looking east
from Station Road
towards Three Tuns.
Compare this picture with
the much later one above
Post Office in 1960's
with Highlander to left
and Lumley's Snack Bar to right
Then came the Post Office, once the Angel Inn, Swalwell's oldest surviving building and now the Angel Guest House and Angel Therapy and then Lumley's Café, much frequented by lorry drivers, who parked on the vacant land opposite the Queens Head pub on Station Road. Lumley's is now the Double Dragon, a Chinese take-away.
The vacant land west of Jubilee Terrace once had more shops but these had largely disappeared by the time of the Second World War (1939), and included Topsy Robson's shop which did survive until after the war.
Topsy Robson's shop
These were Logan's, a general dealers which was near to Fowles which was off Railway Street opposite the old Crowley pub.
The present day fish and chip shop, McGuire's, was once Dunford Smith and Moor an industrial chemist and later it became an electrical premises. Prior to all these uses it was the original Crowley pub.
Further east behind where the present War memorial is, there were other shops. Robinson's, a grocery, then came Hutchinson's greengrocers and Jimmy Foster who sold firewood, going around the doors with a horse and cart. At Christmas he sold wreaths, mistletoe and holly and he also kept pigs on the nearby allotments. (now B and Q). Browns the butchers moved next door to Robinson's from Spencer's corner where he had occupied Robinson' butcher's premises, later moving up to Clavering Road.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
On Hexham Road are Style Interiors (soft furnishings) and Nisha's Indian takeaway, next to Bourgones pub's Mamba bar, and McGuires fish and chips etc.
Opposite is the Jet filling station which has a car wash and shop. Just around the corner is Park Drive and Fred Kain roofing and building contractors and near to Blaydon Rugby Club's Crowtree Park ground and clubhouse.
Hawkins of Spencers corner built premises here, which housed a tool hire shop called Second Chance and now is Da Vinci's pizzas. Further up Hood Street the lane in Hood Street is a dental mechanic's called Dental Repairs.
Sammy Brewis's dairy was here, later moving to Napier Road.
Brewis's Dairy
Long Rigg (D)
On Long Rigg was Coxon's fish and chip shop (see Spencer's bank) and also Wendy's, a ladies hairdresser's was here for a time at Dial House, then a sandwich bar then a tanning studio - the Tanning Booth - and Pure Beauty all near to the Sun Inn.
Lyndhurst Terrace on Market Lane (H)
Swalwell's original Post Office was located here and was part of Rutherford's cycle repair shop photo on Market Lane near where the Co-op hardware was, then the Post Office moved to the Angel Inn, then back to the old Co-op hardware premises in Lyndhurst terrace and is now in Crowley Road. (but closed in 2006).
The old Post Office
in Lyndhurst Terrace
In Lyndhurst Terrace at present are the Swalwell Motorist's centre shop which also has the small garage across the road mentioned previously, Peter Pan Upholstery and the Newsmarket on the corner of Napier Road.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
Next to the Co-op (see above) which occupied the whole block from Napier Road to Spencer's Bank were, in the next block, a chemists shop, Blackburns, with large coloured glass bottles in the window which had to be broken up when the premises came down in about 1970. Then came Ken Waite's fruit shop, and at one time a grocers called Spoors. Also an electrical shop at one time, Gilmartins. Arthur Kimber's photo newsagents was on the corner next to the Seven Stars. Later Mrs Goodson also had a sweet shop on the block later on and there was also Ella Wright, a ladies hairdressers. Occupying the first floor above all these premises was the Cosy picture hall (1908 to 1957).
Robert Watson and Selby McGregor builders and undertakers were behind the Co-op.
Stephen Johnson's
newsagent's and tobacconist's
shop with the barber's next door
and Co-op at right
and the Sun Inn
and Three Tuns at left
On the other side of Market Lane were Stephen Johnston's newsagents (formerly P J Brown) and Armstrong's barbers shop.
Further east along Market Lane are the Bike Place and the Stepping Stones Day nursery in the former Methodist Church at the bottom of Colbeck Avenue and further east again is Croft Windows on Beverley Drive.
Further east along Market Lane at the top of the hill is Millers Lane with the new fire station at the top and further
down the lane are H G Block's auto parts and Herdman's, a haulage contractor where you can also buy soil, stone,gravel etc.
Napier road looking north downhill
Gregory's bakers originally sold their goods from their house and they also sold
boiled ham, broth and pease pudding.
Fletcher's the printers had a shop near the top of Napier Road. At the top of the Road .
On the east side was Nellie Fletchers a stationers.
Going down the hill from Crowley Road were Hutchinson's greengrocer's, next door to Hunters, then came Morris's, a general dealer, sometimes known as Edna's after Edna Bell who worked there, and now BUP auto parts.
Williamson's was a grocer's at the corner of Napier Road and Crowley Road. This
was then taken by Olive Hardy and her daughter then it became Gwen's, a ladies
hairdresser and is now Lynda's, still a ladies hairdresser.
There was once a haberdashery at this corner.
Craig Veitch's shop with Anne's
and the newsagents further down
On the other side of Napier road, at the bottom, was Lily Angus later Vevers, now a
newsagents (Newsmarket). Then came George Shields the cobblers, and this was later
Ann's family and ladies wear shop while next door was Craig Veitch, wallpaper, paints
hardware and timber, now Swalwell Taxis. In this block prior to Ann's shop a dentist
called Bowerbank once had a surgery. At the bottom, in the old Presbyterian Church is
Comma Print.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
At the bottom in the back lane was Ralfie's shop, actually Ralph Atkinson's, in an upstairs flat which only opened in the evening and sold everything from candles to chewing gum and washing powder to pop, cigarettes, razor blades, soap, etc. etc. If you ran out of anything Ralfies was the place to go and there would often be a queue on the outside stairs.
Mrs Hepple sweets and general dealer, another 'house' shop, later moving to Fletchers old shop in Napier Road.
Two long established fish and chip shops existed until about 1970 known as the 'top' and 'bottom' fish shops, the top one was Tinnions on Spencers Bank and the bottom one was Annie's (Coxon's) next to the Sun Inn on Long Rigg.
Also on Spencer's Bank were Faldon's fruit shop, a dairy and, at the top an abattoir belonging to Browns the butchers.
Several shops existed here before the War. Shields, a hardware and paraffin dealers was later occupied by Fowlis, who had a similar shop originally on Front Street. Miners from the nearby collieries used this shop to replenish the paraffin in their lamps.
Margaret Dabblers sweet shop was at the bottom of the bank next to the Elephant Inn. These properties were all demolished when the foot of Whickham Bank was widened in the late 1960's.
Further up across the road is Gateshead MBC depot occupying the old railway station approach and further up again is the Whickham Industrial Estate with Michaels Tile Centre, Café Mega, breakfasts and lunches, Factory Direct kitchens, conservatories and bathrooms, the Team Valley Brush Co, Ramsay's Bakers bakery, UK Tyres and Gateshead MBC Local Environmental Services depot. Finally just off Whickham Bank is Thirlwell's Coaches in the former Axwell Colliery buildings.
Just over the Derwent is E & M Motors and MOT motor engineers although strictly speaking this is in Blaydon, being across the river and has a Blaydon phone number.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
At various times both before and after the Second World War there were several carts or vans which made the rounds of Swalwell.
Angus the 'stick man,' who also kept pigs.
Walls ice cream van.
Boyle, a fishmonger with a van.
Billy Brown the butcher with a horse and cart.
The Co-op milkman (horse drawn), and Tommy Watson who sold greengroceries for the Co-op from a horse and cart.
Easton's the coal merchant, of Long Rigg with his lorry.
Gledhill's mineral waters from Gosforth with a lorry.
Gillie (Gilbert) Gray, a greengrocer who came around with a horse and cart and worked from a hut in his back yard at the top of Axwell Terrace, number 95. He was the father of the man shown in the picture of the Henry Pit under Swalwell Collieries.The stables, operated by Billy Wilkin, were in a field over the Hikey Bridge bordered by the railway embankment and the River Derwent.
Hepple was a rag and bone man in the seventies and 80's with a horse and cart.
Eddy Nixon with his horse and cart sold milk.
Oxley's farm at the bottom of Millers Lane sold produce from the farm and hired out horses and carts for removals or haulage.
Nancy Snaith who sold milk.
Ringtons tea were regular callers with their horse and cart and later with a van.
George Ruddick the 'egg man' from Whickham carrying a large wicker basket.
The only survivor being Ringtons.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
Swalwell only ever had two banks the Coop bank which was upstairs in the Coop building and Lloyds on Front Street at Spencer's corner next to Billy Brown's the butchers.
Few people used banks before the war or for some time after. In the fifties teachers at Swalwell School were still being paid cash collected from the bank by a member of staff!
The buildings on the north side of Market Lane were demolished in the seventies, but the others, including those in Lyndhurst Terrace, are occupied by a wide variety of businesses as shown above.
Swalwell Shops Gallery
Co-op female employees circa 1914
Co-op male employees
circa 1914
Co-op boot and shoe repairing,
greengrocery, hardware and
chilled meat departments,
circa 1914
Co-op Jubilee Celebrations
Programme 1914
Another view of Stephen
Johnston's newsagents,
looking east up Market
Lane, with Armstrong's
barbers shop next door
and the Co-op next to that
Stephen Johnston's shop
windows
Stephen Johnston's shop
interior 1
Stephen Johnston's shop
interior 2
Prices
Click here for a list of prices for various foodstuffs etc. recorded by a local resident.
Return to map of Swalwell Shops
Comments
My great great grandfather was Robert Gardiner, a butcher at Swalwell. According to the Census his shop was in Brewery Bank. I recently came to Swalwell looking at my roots and we saw the Ladbrookes at the end of Brewery Bank. Is this the butchers shop of Robinson that you mention on the site?
Posted by: mike gardner at May 9, 2007 5:45 PM
I wonder in which year's Census you found your great great grandfather's shop in Brewery Bank?
Ladbrookes betting shop now occupies both the former Robinson's butchers and the next door former barber's shop on the corner of Front Street and Brewery Bank. (please see our website Photo Galleries, Swalwell, page 6, for picture.)
Brewery Bank had a brewery until sometime in the 19th century and this became the site of the Social Club early in the 20th century. Opposite was housing until the Club relocated there in 1939 when the houses were demolished. We have no record of a Gardiner's butchers or any other shops on Brewery Bank in the 20th C , but if he had the corner shop it could have been entered in the Census as Brewery Bank rather than Front Street. Our website covers only the twentieth century, although we do sometimes refer to earlier events.
Posted by: Whickham Web Wanderers at May 10, 2007 8:29 PM
My 4x great-grandfather, GeorgeForeman appears in the 1851 census for Swalwell, Whickham as innkeeper and Gardener at the New Inn. His next-door neighbours are living at the Rose and Crown. Can you tell me if these pubs still exist?
In 1861 he is innkeeper and gardener at Cross House, and in 1871 he is gardener at Quality Row Brew House. His next-door neighbour lives at Back Straights. Can you tell me if this means anything to you. We will be visiting the area in June and it would be nice to have some background information.
Many thanks,
Elaine Lyell.
Posted by: Elaine Lyell at January 14, 2008 2:51 PM
We will try and answer your query about Swalwell in the near future. Meanwhile, please see
http://www.swalwelluk.co.uk (Buildings 2 page) for Swalwell pubs information.
Posted by: Whickham Web Wanderers at January 15, 2008 9:21 AM
Elaine,
The New Inn and the Rose and Crown were pubs which existed in the 19th century and are no longer there. We have no information about them, unfortunately, and a look at the 6 inch Ordnance Survey maps for 1865 and 1890 in the library does not show them, though few of the other pubs ar shown either. The other pub you mention, Cross House, is shown, however, and this later became the Three Tuns and is shown on old photographs of the early 1900s under that name. In recent years the name has been changed to the Three T.
Re Quality Row Brew House. That street, (Quality Row), still exists and there are some business premises there now, further down the lane it becomes Jubilee Terrace. There was a very old brewery in Swalwell run by Matthew Taylor but this was in Brewery Bank, also still existing, the brewery went over a hundred years ago though. I think that there were certain establishments in Victorian times which sold beer only, and not wines and spirits, so maybe the brewhouse was associated with these beerhouses. There were a lot of pubs in Swalwell in times gone by, a large iron works was there and numerous other heavy industries, hence lots of pubs, all those industry's have gone now, naturally. There are still 5 pubs and a club.
The earliest very detailed map of Swalwell I have seen is dated 1927 and there is no trace of a Back Straights. I don't know what is meant by the term innkeeper and 'gardener'.
I hope this is still of some help anyway.
Posted by: Whickham Web Wanderers at January 17, 2008 4:14 PM