The village's name appears in written records from 1091 as Hewarde, later as Hewrtha, and in 1300 as Hewrthe. In common with most villages in the area, Heworth's history has been intertwined with the fortunes of the quarrying and mining industries. Two large quarries operated in the area, one of which was located at Windy Nook, which is now infilled and used as a public recreation area. The other was located at Low Burn, which is now the site of 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. The graveyard houses the Haddon Tomb – 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, whilst they were sleeping. This is unlikely to have been the case, as their deaths span a period of six years between 1711 and 1717. It was built by their father, Joseph Haddon, a master mason, who died in 1721, aged 42 years.
Demography
According to the 2011 Census, the Pelaw and Heworth ward has a population of 9,100. The ward is split into three distinct districts:
Pelaw – Located to the north of the Tyne and Wear Metro line, and the A185 road.
52.2% of the population are female, slightly above the national average, while 47.8% are male. Only 2.7% of the population were from a black, Asian and minority ethnic group, as opposed to 14.6% of the national population. Data from the 2011 Census found that the average life expectancy in Pelaw and Heworth is 79.1 years for men, and 81.1 years for women. These statics compare fairly favourably, when compared to the average life expectancy in the North East of England, of 77.4 and 81.4 years, respectively. Car ownership is lower than the average in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, but lower than the national average of 74.2% – with 61.1% of households in the Pelaw and Heworth ward owning at least one car.
Pelaw and Heworth is a local council ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. This ward covers an area of around, and has a population of 9,100. As of April 2020, the ward is served by three councillors: Ian Patterson, John Paul Dilston and Rosy Oxberry. Heworth is located within the parliamentary constituency of Gateshead. As of April 2020, the constituency is served by MPsIan Mearns.
Heworth is served by Go North East's local bus services, with frequent routes serving Gateshead, as well as Newcastle upon Tyne, South Tyneside and Washington.
Rail
The nearest Tyne and Wear Metro station is located at Heworth. The Tyne and Wear Metro provides a regular service to Newcastle, with trains running up to every 6 minutes between Pelaw and South Gosforth, increasing to up to every 3 minutes at peak times. Heworth is also the nearest rail station, with Northern Trains providing an hourly service along the Durham Coast Line.
Road
Heworth is dissected by the A184 – a busy route linking South Tyneside with Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne. By road, Gateshead can be reached in under 10 minutes, Newcastle in 15 minutes, and Newcastle International Airport in 25 minutes.
