Ilford Road – Page 2 – High West Jesmond

October 16, 2017November 8, 2017

Streets for People: Proposal to change road layout at Moorfield/Ilford Road

The council have today opened consultation on a series of proposals to make changes to streets in the Jesmond and High West Jesmond area as part of the Streets for People initiative.

The proposals are aimed at improving provision for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the area.

One of the proposals involves redesigning the junction of Ilford Road and Moorfield as well as adding a cycle lane, relaying pathway and narrowing the main carriageway on Moorfield.

The outline plans can be viewed following the Moorfield Information Sheet link below and further detail can be found at the information stand in Jesmond library and also the Streets for People website streetsforpeople.org.uk/jesmond

Take part in the consultation process

The proposed changes would have a significant impact on Moorfield so HWJRA would strongly encourage all local residents – and particularly those who live on or close to Moorfield – to take a close look at the plans and to participate in the consultation programme that the council has opened up.

You can feed back your thoughts on the proposal anytime up until 30 November 2017 via the Streets for People website or by completing a questionnaire at Jesmond Library.

Meeting for HWJ residents

We plan to arrange a meeting for local residents so that the Residents Association can gauge local opinion on this proposal and submit our own response to the council which would be in addition to responses from individual residents.

Come along to the residents meeting which will take place in the main room at Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2DL on Monday 13 November 2017 at 18:30 where you can find out more and let us know your views.

Proposal C – Moorfield and Ilford Road junction

This part of the neighbourhood plan proposes changes to Moorfield between Ilford Road and Great North Road (i.e. Gosforth High Street).

Read a summary of the proposal in the Moorfield Information Sheet:

Detailed drawings for the three different sections of Moorfield that would be changed can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

1. Moorfield, between junction with Ilford Road and Kingswood Avenue

2. Moorfield, between Kingswood Avenue and Lodore Road

3. Moorfield, between Lodore Road and Great North Road

And you can read more information on the Streets for People website.

Streets for People information

You can read more of the background to the Streets for People initative on our Streets for People page.

June 29, 2017September 4, 2017

1964 – Embankment fires between Ilford Road and Albury Road

When Ilford Road Metro station wasn’t on any agenda, and before the old electric trains were scrapped to be replaced by diesel multiple units

A heritage posting from Chris Morgan

This picture is taken from the overbridge on Moorfield and shows the embankment on both sides of the line had been set alight by sparks from a steam hauled freight train that had passed earlier that spring evening.

This is now the position of the Ilford Road Metro station. A 4 coach Tyneside commuter multiple unit electric has just passed and is roughly where Metro platforms now stand. These trains used to run in 2, 4, 6 or 8 coach sets. At busy summer weekends a special pram coach was often added to 6 coach trains to help get young families to the coast. The pram coaches were older coaches retained from the previous style stock, similar to those used on the South Tyne line to South Shields.

Not too long after this photo was taken it was decided not to replace these old LNER electric units and to replace them with DMUs. They were not to operate as frequent a service, and were noisier. Usage dropped sharply. Amazingly, the finance was assembled to build the Metro system. This part of the track retained the old wooden sleepers, still showing traces of where the third rail had been supported, until the track was relaid with concrete sleepers in August 2013.

This part of Newcastle is called High West Jesmond. Due to it’s proximity to Gosforth fire engines were despatched from both the Northumberland fire station at Gosforth and Newcastle Central fire station. Usually the Gosforth brigade would have the fire out before the Newcastle engine arrived. On this day there was enough work for both!

The Northumberland crew are working in heavy helmets. The Newcastle crew are bare headed.

Read more about the NER Tyneside electric multiple units