Heworth, Tyne and Wear

Heworth (/ˈhjuːwərθ/ HYOO-wurth) is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. The village's name appears in written records from 1091 as Hewarde, and later as Hewrtha, and in 1300 as Hewrthe.

Map of Heworth, Gateshead, UK

In common with most villages in the area, its history has been intertwined with the fortunes of the quarrying and mining industries. Two large quarries operated in the area, at Windy Nook (which is now infilled and used as a public recreation area) and Low Burn, which is now the site of a Garden of Remembrance and a cemetery. Heworth Colliery occupied a site to the south-east of Windy Nook quarry, with its own connection to the Pelaw Main Waggonway giving access to the Pelaw Main coal staithes on the River Tyne at Bill Quay.

St Mary's Church has been a centrepoint of Heworth since around AD 684, with the current church building dating from 1822.

In the Graveyard at Heworth can be found The Haddon Tomb, also known as "The Babes in the Bed" an unusual memorial in the shape of a four poster bed. To three of the Haddon children William, George and their sister, whose name is now illegible. Local legend has it that the three children died in a fire when a candle fell onto their bed while they were sleeping. This is unlikely to have been the case as their deaths span a six years period between 1711 and 1717. It was built by their father, Joseph Haddon, a master mason, who died in 1721 aged 42 years.

Heworth railway station opened in November 1979, serving trains on the Newcastle to South Shields and Newcastle to Sunderland lines. The adjacent Heworth Metro Station, opened in November 1981 on the former site of the National School, operates as a bus/Metro interchange and is an important transport hub for the area, linking townships such as Washington to the Tyne and Wear Metro.