Brief profile of the Ryton area

We hope this section will provide a flavour of what Ryton is like,
particularly for those who do not know the area

.

The land in our part of the Tyne Valley rises gently up from the river from flat water-meadows such as the "Ryton Willows" ("haughs" round here) to the higher farms of Greenside.

It's "hilly" in comparison to the coastal districts of Northumbria, but such things are relative and a Scotsman would probably scoff at such a description.

Being in "Tyne and Wear" would suggest that Ryton is an urban area, but this is one of the more rural parts of Gateshead Borough, with country houses and woodland.
Total population is about 15,000, communities are relatively small, and there is a strong sense of local identity and atmosphere similar to many Durham County villages.

Traditional employment was through coal-mining and related industries,
but local pits closed in the 1960s, whereupon the whole character of the area changed.
Quarrying interests are still much in evidence in certain districts, but there has been much landscaping of older sites to soften the visual impact and find new uses for the land.
There are small industrial estates on former colliery sites but improved communications mean many now work in other parts of Tyneside and beyond.

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