
Jesmond Dene ca. 1900.
'Jesmond Dene' is a
public park in the east end of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It is a narrow steep sided
valley through which flows a watercourse known as the Ouse Burn, the word "dene" meaning a valley in the
Northumbrian dialect.
The park was first laid out by
William George Armstrong and his wife during the
1860s. The design is intended to reflect a rural setting, with woodland, crags,
waterfalls and pools. It is now owned by
Newcastle City Council.
The (now closed to traffic) iron constructed Armstrong Bridge spans the Dene and is host to a crafts fair every Sunday morning. The building of a replacement road and tunnel,
The Cradlewell By-pass, was the subject of a
road protest camp around 1993, due to the destruction of many 200 year old trees.
[1]
Jesmond Dene also contains a free entry
petting zoo known as "Pets' Corner", which has been a popular family attraction since the
1960s.
References
1. http://www.eco-action.org/dt/jesmond.html