Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead
Gateshead is a
metropolitan borough in
Tyne and Wear, in north-east
England. It is named for its main town,
Gateshead. Other settlements include
Rowlands Gill,
Felling,
Whickham,
Blaydon,
Ryton,
Pelaw,
Dunston and
Low Fell.
The district has some 190,000 inhabitants, and is traditionally part of
County Durham. The
county borough of Gateshead was combined along with the
urban districts of
Felling,
Blaydon,
Ryton and part of
Chester-le-Street Rural District into the new Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in
1974. In
1986 the County Council of Tyne and Wear was abolished, and so Gateshead Council became a
unitary authority.
There are currently two
civil parishes in Gateshead -
Birtley and
Lamesley. Birtley Town Council and parish are due to be abolished on
April 1,
2006. [
1]
Gateshead is home to the
Team Valley, a large trading estate; the
Baltic, a flagship contemporary art gallery; the
Sage Gateshead, a music centre; the
Angel of the North, an
Anthony Gormley sculpture and the
MetroCentre, the largest shopping centre in
Europe.
