A.D. 1328 First reference to the village of Dunston. A document in the Durham Cathedral Treasury tells us that Ivetta Wetwang, a widow gave up her lands in Dunston to her son. 1344 Fishery mentioned, good for salmon fishing back then. 1344 First reference to coal mining in the area. 1647 January 19th, "Henry Dixon slain in Thomas Harrison's pitt on Dunston Hill" 1649 June 29th, "Edward Mallabourne son of Robert, drowned in the Tine at Dunston Steathes" 1655 June 4th, John Morrice of Dunston Staeth married Margrit Menecin of Axwell Hall. 1671 Ravensworth Colliery delivering coal to the Team- Staith at Dunston 1684 Out of 11 freeholders of Whickham, four held their land in Dunston.
1699 Waggonway and embankment cutting made thru the woods, still visible today. [Picture] 1771 The great Tyne flood swept away every Tyne bridge except Corbridge At Dunston, people were rescued by boat from the upper stories and roofs of their homes.
1800's:- 1809 January 18th, Henry Ogle, schoolmaster of Dunston, was fined at Alnwick for using snare to destroy game. 1812 January 3rd, William Laybourn, Dunston, aged 68, was drowned in the Team-Gut at Dunston. 1815. Rising flood water caused by rapid thaw, wind and rain causes damage around Dunston. 1821 Population of Dunston, 1,150, houses 360, families 255, persons 1150. 1823 Keelmen of Dunston accused of rioting at Elswick Staithes.
1824. Small pox hits Dunston brought in from Sunderland by mother and her baby on a visit. 1827, Tanfield Main Staith fire causes £500 damage. 1831 Floods hit Dunston, many houses covered up to their roofs. 1831 - 1832 December to February, many Dunstoner,s die of Cholera. 1833 Floods again hit Dunston. 1836 Mr. George Palmer and Mr. Beckwith founded sawmill at Dunston, (Later his son Charles Mark Palmer was joined by Mr. James Hall of Tynemouth to form the business Palmer. Hall & Co 1899,in 1922 the firm amalgamated with Hall Brothers of Tyne Dock.
1837 Railway line from Blaydon to Redheugh opened 1841 In Dunston there was 240 inhabited houses, 16 uninhabited and one being built. 1870 Vicarage on Keppel Street built. 1872 Dunston Parish formed 1873 Christ Church foundation stone laid. 1875 Foundation stone laid of Methodist New Connexion Chapel 1875 Gas lamps first lit in Dunston. 1876 Dunston's Christ Church opened. 1882 Roman Catholic School and Church opened. 1884 Roman Catholic Presbytery built. A Day in a Private Lunatic Asylum by George Herring, London/Newcastle. Originally published as a series of articles in the Tyneside Echo, this is a very favourable account by a journalist who got himself “admitted” as a “new inmate” for a day. There were 44 inmates at the time of his visit. The “chief male attendant” was John McDougall. The “matron” was Miss Mary Wilson.
1893 Dunston Staithes completed. First ship loaded with coal was the "Holmeside" 1894 The first election for members of a Whickham Urban Council. 1897 Dunston Police Station opened. 1898 Dunston Clavering Social Club founded Clavering Avenue. 1899 Commercial Buildings built.
1900's :- 1900 Boys and Girls Life Brigade held meetings Norwood Colliery. 1901 Grain cleaning houses added to CWS. Carriage and Stable House Dunston Hill Mansion converted to Boiler House. Now Gardner's Cottage. 1903 Dunston Tram Service opened. 1904 Dunston Board School (built 1874) was taken over by the County Council.
1904 Dunston railway lined open, built from Norwood Junction to Whickham Junction. 1905 Dunston Colliery opened. Dunston Christ Church had the chancel extended and a new vestry and organ. St Philip Neri build temporary tin church. Glenpark Surgery opened by Dr Dougall named Glenpark after his childhood house in Hamilton, Scotland.
1906 Dunston, Wood Street Methodist Church was opened 1907 Dunston Excelsior Social Club was formed in a house in Athol Street; the present club building was opened in 1910. There was a Rifle Range in the club during the First World War and Dunston Lads became the English Rifle Champions. Dunston Railway Station was opened.
1908 The Co-op Flour Mill site was extended to include the Soap Works and jetty; key workers were brought from Manchester Soap Works. 1909 An addition to St Phillips Neri RC School was made in Dunston. January, Dunston railway station opened.
1910 Dunston Hill School was opened. Dunston Power Station opened and was called The Newcastle Electric Supply Company. Barry Street built.
1911 Dunston Wesylan Chapel had its own Cricket Club. 1912 Dunston West Staithes built. 1914 Britain declares war on Germany. 1914 Dunston Hill Hospital was converted into an Orthopaedic Hospital. 1918 St Philip Neri Cross unveiled outside church 3rd March.
1920 Dunston Chapels had a Ladies Hockey Team and a Football Team. 1922 Wood Street Chapel was extended. 1923 15th April, Official opening of Dunston Monument by Major-Gen Sir Percy Wilkinson. 1923 The opening of Dunston Social Club 1924 The Boys Brigade began in Wood Street Chapel. 1925 Wood Street Chapel held an "Electric Lighting Night" after cables were laid from the Dun Cow to Four Lane Ends. 1926 Dunston Station was closed to passenger traffic. General Strike many people out of work and meals were served in the "Tin Mission". 1929 The first St. Nicholas's Church was opened in Dunston.
1930 A new Catholic school was built in the Teams for the senior pupils from St Phillips school. It was called St Joan of Arc. Commencement of the building of Dunston Power Station. Dunston Park was developed, before that people took a short cut over waste ground. 1931 Dunston Power Station became the Central Electricity Supply Company. Freemasons Homside Hall opened November. 1933 Dunston Power Station was replaced and was the first power station of frame and glass wall construction in England and possibly the world.
1934 A new bridge was constructed over the gut (River Teams) in Dunston. 1935 Celebration of 100 years of Methodism in Dunston. St. Philip Neri replace temporary church with a new stone church. 1936 Men on the dole worked on building a bowling green in Dunston Park. 1937 Coronation of King George VI; schoolchildren given commemorative cups. New extensions to the Flour Mill at Dunston. 1939 Second World War. 1939 Dunston Lecture Hall was requisitioned for the Home Guard.
1940 Temporary closure of Dunston Council school and St. Philips Neri because of the evacuation of pupils. The remainder of teachers and pupils worked on a part time basis with their own Head Teachers at Dunston Hill School. Soldiers from Dunkirk billeted in Dunston School Troops from The BEF were billeted overnight in the concert room of the Dunston Excelsior Club and the Lecture Hall.
1941 Catholic school reopened in January and the council school reopened on August 26th. 1947 Dunston Pit closed.
1950 Methodists raised funds to repair and decorate the Lecture Hall after its use by the Home Guard. 1951 Dunston Tramway, the last surviving tramway on Tyneside, closed. The last tram ran at 11.22 pm on the 4th August. 1953 A pig was roasted in Dunston Park to celebrate the coronation - a washout due to heavy rain. Holmeside Hall Labour Social Club was opened in Dunston. Hexham Road Methodist Church celebrated its Golden Jubilee.
1954 Gateshead County Borough apply for permission to build a secondary school on Whickham Highway. 1956 Wood Street Chapel celebrated its Golden Jubilee. 1958 St. Nicholas Church Hall built. 1959 A proposal for swimming baths at the junction of Market Lane and Carrs Bank. Dunston Secondary Modern School, Market Lane opened.
1961 The plan to build swimming baths in Dunston was approved. 1963 Wood Street and Hexham Road Methodist Churches united. 1964 Plans were approved for a Health Centre in Dunston. 1965 12th July, Dunston swimming baths opened £250.000. Dunston Station was closed to goods traffic. Consecration of the new St. Nicholas Church.
1966 Mount Hooley Estate, Dunston was completed. 1968 October, Finish style sauna added at Dunston Swimming pool. 1969 Dunston Social Club's new premises opened. Dunston Fire Station on Dunston Road demolished and new one built at Swalwell.
1970 Staiths basin shuts due to cost of dredging silt and inner Staiths removed. 1972 Temporary closure of Ellison Road, Dunston, due to the construction of the Western Bypass. 1973 Beech tree on Dunston Bank given a preservation order; estimated age 300 years. New mini-roundabout at bottom of Carrs Bank.
1974 Centenary year for Dunston County Infant and Junior School. Dunston Staithes, the largest wooden structure in Europe, became a listed building. Dunston became part of Gateshead Borough. Dunston Jazz Band formed started practice in Sally Bally Bash.
1975 Dunston Squash Courts opened. 1976 Dunston Parish Church closed because of subsidence. 1977 Dunston Colliery closed. 1979 The last ship was loaded at Dunston Staithes.
1980 Dunston Power Station ceased generating electricity. Wood Street Chapel was demolished. Northern Clubs Federation Brewery moves from Newcastle to new factory on Lancaster Road. 1981 The Lecture Hall was hired by the BBC for the filming of "Play for Today called United Kingdom" 1984 Work began on the Metro Centre. Dunston Railway Station reopened. 1985 Ravensworth Road and Dunston Hill Chapels together celebrated 150 years of Methodism.
1986 Dunston Activity Centre opens. 1990 Gateshead Garden Festival takes place in Dunston and the former Norwood Coke Works Site. Dunston Comprehensive renamed to Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School.
1995 Woodside Day Care Centre at Dunston Hill Hospital opened. 1988 Denholme Lodge built.
2000's :-
2000 Aug. Costco open branch on old Power Station land. 2005 Palatine Place built Ravensworth Terrace. 2006 Dunston Hill Mansion converted to 11 apartments and former boiler house into dwelling [Mansion] [Boiler House]
2007 Work starts on new school buildings for Kingsmeadow CCS.
2009 Dunston Hill Comprehensive original school buildings demolished. Dunston Hill Juniors school shuts down and moves to new premises next to Kingsmeadow CCS. War memorial dismantled and foundations strengthened. [Pictures]
2010 March, Redevelopment begins on Dunston Swimming Pool.
2011 Cleveland Mews and Cheviot Green flats demolished. [Pictures] April 11th, Dunston Swimming pool now called Dunston Leisure Centre reopens after 1.5 million redevelopment . May, Dunston Hill Juniors School, Emmaus UK plans to turn it into homeless centre are scrapped.
2012 January works starts on the demolition of Derwent Tower finishes December same year. Dunston UTS FC win the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium, [Pictures] Concrete Works, West View Terrace, closes down. [Pictures] Blyth Villa house on Ellison Road burns down and demolished. September, Dunston Post Office at Tower Court shuts down, on the 11th Post Office reopens in Kandola's Store, Ravensorth Road. 2013 March, Federation Breweries demolished [Pictures]
2014 February, works starts on over 55's apartments on Ravensworth Road. [Pictures] March, Dunston Mechanics Social Clubs shuts down. March, Works starts on new Aldi. [Pictures] Geoff Thompson Car Show Room, Wellington Road closes down. May, Old rail bridge over mouth of the River Team opened to pedestrians and cycles. July 5th, Dunston Carnival held at Dunston Park.. July 10th, Families were evacuated from their homes in Meadow Lane, after a suspicious device was discovered in a bin cupboard belonging to a Ex.TA member who had died in May the package turned out to be harmless. July 30th, The Mezt (Cross Keys Hotel) burned down, Sept 12th Staithes opened to public for three days first time since 1990. Sept 18th, New Aldi store opens.
2015 January, New extensions built at St. Philip Neri school. April, Clavering Court, Ravensworth Road opened. April, New classrooms opened at St Philip Neri School and old Presbytery converted into offices. May, Memorial cross at St. Philip Neri Church renovated as church celebrated 500 years since birth of St Philip Neri. June, Wallace House hold War Memorial Day. July, Dunston Carnival in Dunston Park. July, West View OAP home in Meadow Lane closes down. September, Betting Office in Tower Court moves back to the Clavering Social Club. October 3rd & 4th, St. Nicholas celebrate 50 years with history night and flower show weekend. Nov 1st, Dunston Family Church take over the running of Dunston Activity Centre after the Council withdraw funding. Jan, St. Philip Neri Pre-school building demolished.
2016 Jan, Dunston Tyres, Ellison Road opens. April, Co-op at Tower Court shuts down. June, Staithes hold first monthly food market. [Pictures] July, Dunston Carnival held in park. July, Second Staithes food market [Pictures] Oct, Boots Chemist opens on Ravensworh Road [Pictures] Oct, Dunston House Mechanics demolished. [Pictures] Nov, Cross Keys/Metz demolished. [Pictures] Nov, West Park Home, Meadow Lane demolished.
2017 Jan, Dunston West Farm renovation begins. Jan, Construction begins on new homes in Meadow Lane July 1st, Dunston Carnival held at Dunston UTS FC [Pictures] July, Former buildings of Thompson Scrap Yard demolished. July, Original Palmer Hall Saw Mills shed demolished. Sept, ground works starts on Ravensworth Road (Derwent Heights) estate. Nov 12, Remembrance Sunday [Pictures]
2018 March, Railway bridge on Ellison Road painted. March, New doctors surgery on Ravensworth Road begins. April, Archaeologists find evidence of Iron Age buildings on Whickham Highway in preparation to the building of 600 new homes. [Pictures] May, famous Dunston builders Bewely and Scott dissolved, began trading in 1894. October, work begins on new houses top of Seymour Street. Nov 11, Remembrance Sunday at War memorial, 100 years remembrance of 1st World War. [Pictures]
2019 Feb 4th Old Glenpark Medical Centre closes its doors after 113 years. [Pictures] Feb 7th, New Glenpark Medical Centre opens Ravensworth Road. May 11th, Dunston Carnival, UTS Stadium [Pictures]
2020 Feb, Woodside Day Care Centre shuts down [Pictures] April, Covid-19, rules come into force creating lockdown of shops/pubs and people socialising. [Pictures] May 8th, VE Day, some streets celebrate by having street parties [Pictures] May 16th, Dunston Staithes damaged by fire. [Pictures] Oct, Work starts on tree felling at the old Church School bottom Dunston Road [Pictures] Nov, Covid-19 lockdown #2 till 5th December [Pictures]
2021 July, Demolition starts on Dunston Hill Hospital and the Woodside Centre. (Pictures) Nov 14th, Memorial day at Dunston Monument [Pictures] Dec, Storm Arwen hits Dunston causing minimal damage.
2022 June, Housing starts on land of Dunston Hill Hospital. July, Ace pond totally dries up due to hot weather spell [Pictures] July, 74 year old dies one week later after police car collides with motorbike on Dunston Road. Nov. Remembrance Sunday at Monument [Pictures]
2023 Oct. Dunston Leisure Centre under threat of closure due to council cuts. [Pictures] March, Demolition of Dunston Hill Junior school starts. [Pictures] and [Pictures] Sept.. Stanley Povah McRae Dunston historian and author dies [Picture] Nov.. Blister Hanger Wellington Road demolished. [Pictures]
2024 Jan. Rev. David Atkinson of St Nicholas and Christ Church moves on after 13 years. [Picture] Poachers Pocket, Market Lane shuts down. Mar. Boots Chemist Ravensworth Road taken over by Oakfield. Oct. Demolition starts on pigeon duckets top Haig Street on railway embankment. Nov 10. Remembrance Day Dunston Monument [Pictures]
2025. Feb. Works starts on Phase One of new houses south of Whickham Highway removal of tree for entrance. Dunston Clavering Social Club ceases to be after 127 years, becomes public house. Mar Work begins on housing scheme south of Whickham Highway opposite Bracken Drive. Jun Staithes Road car park renewed.
