Gateshead
§ This page gives an overview of the Gateshead local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Gateshead lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne, directly opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, with which it shares iconic bridges such as the Tyne Bridge and Gateshead Millennium Bridge. The town is known for the Sage Gateshead concert hall, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art housed in a converted flour mill, and the striking Angel of the North sculpture that dominates the skyline. Its landscape is a mix of urban riverside developments, historic villages like Whickham and Ryton, and rolling countryside stretching towards the Derwent Valley and Beamish. Parks, nature reserves, and riverbanks provide green spaces, while the blend of cultural landmarks and scenic landscapes gives Gateshead a distinctive character.
The administrative boundary of Gateshead can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Gateshead.
Key Facts about Gateshead
What region is Gateshead in? Gateshead is in the North East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Gateshead in? Gateshead is located in the county of Tyne and Wear.
Is Gateshead a city? No, Gateshead is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Gateshead? The local government for this district is: Gateshead Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Gateshead Borough Council 🔗 gateshead.gov.uk
Which police force covers Gateshead? Policing in Gateshead is provided by Northumbria Police 🔗 northumbria.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Gateshead ⁞ Newcastle upon Tyne ⁞ North Tyneside ⁞ Northumberland ⁞ South Tyneside ⁞ Sunderland.
Constituencies in Gateshead
- Blaydon and Consett
- Gateshead Central and Whickham
- Jarrow and Gateshead East
- Washington and Gateshead South
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Gateshead
Gateshead is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Birtley
- Blaydon
- Bridges
- Chopwell and Rowlands Gill
- Chowdene
- Crawcrook and Greenside
- Deckham
- Dunston and Teams
- Dunston Hill and Whickham East
- Felling
- High Fell
- Lamesley
- Lobley Hill and Bensham
- Low Fell
- Pelaw and Heworth
- Ryton, Crookhill and Stella
- Saltwell
- Wardley and Leam Lane
- Whickham North
- Whickham South and Sunniside
- Windy Nook and Whitehills
- Winlaton and High Spen
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Gateshead
Gateshead is part-parished: 1 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 6 unparished areas.
- Lamesley
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Gateshead
Gateshead covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Birtley *
- Blackhall Mill *
- Blaydon
- Chester-le-Street *
- Chopwell
- Crawcrook and Greenside
- Follingsby *
- Gateshead *
- Hebburn *
- High Spen
- Kibblesworth
- Rowlands Gill *
- Ryton
- Springwell *
- Sunniside
- Washington *
- Whickham
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Gateshead.)
Gateshead compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Gateshead compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Gateshead has 22 electoral wards.
Gateshead has a population of 202,760 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Gateshead can be found on the ONS statistics for Gateshead.