Westoe Village The earliest recorded mention of Westoe is in 1072, which refers to a group of seven farms. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the village of Westoe was around one mile south of South Shields (which was then part of
County Durham until the formation of
Tyne and Wear under the
Local Government Act 1972), and was gradually absorbed into the
urban sprawl extending from the center of the town. In contemporary usage, the term "Westoe Village" refers to a specific suburban road of the same name in the Westoe area of the town. It consists of
Georgian and
Victorian houses, many having been built by business leaders of the town, when it was the last pit of its kind on Tyneside to close. The site of the colliery has since been cleared and redeveloped into Westoe Crown Village, which falls into the Horsley Hill
ward of
South Tyneside Council.
Westoe Cemetery Westoe Cemetery was opened in 1857 and is now closed to new graves (although existing family graves can still be used). Notable local-born physician
Dr Thomas Winterbottom, as well as barrister and politician
Robert Ingham are buried in the cemetery. (
Netty is a
Geordie dialect word for toilet). The original toilet was built in 1890 near a railway bridge on Chichester Road, near its junction with Westoe Road. To allow for regeneration, it was dismantled and put into storage in 1996. In 2008, the toilet was rebuilt as a permanent exhibit at the
Beamish Museum.
Westoe Brewery Westoe had its brewery, the Westoe Brewery, which stood on Dunelm Street to the off Westoe Road. It was founded by Robert Henderson and construction began in 1885, with the first brewing on 7 April 1886. The brewery continued under the ownership of Robert Henderson until 1907 when Joseph Johnson acquired it, and in 1924 merged it with the City Brewery from
Durham. In 1938, the company became Westoe Breweries Limited, and in 1946 became public. The breweries were taken over by Hammond United Breweries in 1960, In 2004, the
Jarrow Brewing Company of nearby
Jarrow purchased the former Chameleon
pub on Claypath Lane, just off Westoe Road, reopening it as The Maltings in May 2005. They expanded their microbrewery output by installing a facility below this pub, The company included in its beers Westoe IPA. On 27 September 2018, the company was dissolved.
Westoe Fair The annual village fair has musical entertainment, refreshments, and games. A host of charity and voluntary organizations have stalls with tombolas, raffles, and displays including the Rotary Club of South Tyneside and South Shields Local History Group. == Politics ==