Bensham
Bensham is located in Tyne and Wear
Bensham
Bensham
Location within Tyne and Wear
Population10,638 (2011 Census data for Lobley Hill and Bensham)
OS grid referenceNZ249625
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGATESHEAD
Postcode districtNE8
Dialling code0191
PoliceNorthumbria
FireTyne and Wear
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear
54°57′04″N 1°36′43″W / 54.951°N 1.612°W / 54.951; -1.612

Bensham is a suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The area consists mainly of residential properties, with a range of predominantly terraced housing, built between the late 1890s and the 1980s.

Community

Like nearby Saltwell, the area is home to a sizeable community of Orthodox Haredi Jews. The Gateshead Talmudical College, founded in 1929, is one of the largest yeshiva for Jewish education in Europe.[1][2][3] The area has affectionately earned the nickname "Little Jerusalem" by locals.[4]

The most recent chief rabbi, Shraga Feivel Zimmerman, served between 2008 and 2020.[5]

The roof of a flat in Bensham was torn off by extreme winds during storm Malik as it battered the North East of England in January 2022.[6]

Demography

The data below shows that 51.0% of the population in the Lobley Hill and Bensham electoral ward are male, and 49.0% are female. This compares similarly with both the average in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, as well as the national average.[7][8][9]

A total of 6.1% of the population were from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) group in Lobley Hill and Bensham. This figure is higher than that of the average in Gateshead (3.7%), but lower than the national average (14.6%).[7][8][9]

Data from the Office for National Statistics found that the average life expectancy in the Lobley Hill and Bensham electoral ward is 75.0 years for men, and 80.3 years for women. These statistics compare less than favourably for both men and women, when compared to the average life expectancy in the North East of England, of 77.4 and 81.4 years, for men and women respectively.[10]

A total of 55.9% of households in Lobley Hill and Bensham have access to at least one car. This figure is significantly lower than both the average in Gateshead (63.5%), as well as the national average (74.2%).[7][8][9]

Demography (data from 2011 Census)
Demographic % of population
Lobley Hill and Bensham[7] 		% of population
Gateshead[8] 		% of population
England[9]
Total 10,638 200,214 53,012,456
Male 51.0% 48.9% 49.2%
Female 49.0% 51.1% 50.8%
BAME 6.1% 3.7% 14.6%
Age 65+ 15.6% 17.6% 16.4%

Governance

Lobley Hill and Bensham is a local council ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. This ward covers an area of around 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2),[11] and has a population of 10,638.[12]

As of September 2020, the ward is served by three councillors: Catherine Donovan, Eileen McMaster and Kevin Dodds.[13]

The village is located within the parliamentary constituency of Gateshead, and is served by Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), Ian Mearns.[14]

Gateshead Council Local Elections 2019: Lobley Hill and Bensham[15]
Candidate Political party Total votes % of votes
Eileen McMaster  Labour  963 49.0%
Nicholas James Seaborn  Liberal Democrats  345 17.5%
Andy Redfern  Green  288 14.6%
Janice Marina Hutchinson  Conservative  266 13.5%
Jonathan Mohammed  Independent  104 5.3%

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is Newcastle International Airport, which is located around 9 miles (14 km) away. Teesside International Airport and Carlisle Lake District Airport are located around 37 and 55 miles (60 and 89 km) away.

Bus

Bensham Road is a well-served bus corridor, providing a regular service to Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Rail

The nearest National Rail station is Newcastle, which is located on the East Coast Main Line. A former station on the East Coast Main Line served the area between 1868 and 1954.[16]

Road

Bensham is located near to the A1 and A167. By road, Gateshead can be reached in around 5 minutes, Newcastle upon Tyne in 10 minutes, and Newcastle International Airport in 20 minutes.

See also

References

  1. ^ Dansky, Miriam (1992). Gateshead: its community, its personalities, its institutions. Targum Press. ISBN 978-0-9440-7088-8.
  2. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (22 December 2019). "Torah on Tyne: how Orthodox Jews carved out their very own Oxbridge". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Gateshead on Tyne". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  4. ^ Johnson, Ian (29 August 2020). "From Scotchy to Hippy Green – the Tyneside place names only a local would know". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  5. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (3 October 2017). "Why Orthodox Jews are flocking to this gritty English town". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Bensham News - Latest Updates". Chroniclelive.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Lobley Hill and Bensham Ward (as of 2011) (E05001079)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Gateshead Local Authority (E08000037)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – England Country (E92000001)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Health state life expectancy by 2011 Census wards, England and Wales: 2009 to 2013". Office for National Statistics. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Lobley Hill and Bensham Ward Factsheet" (PDF). Gateshead Council. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Census 2011 Ward Factsheet: Lobley Hill and Bensham" (PDF). Gateshead Council. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Councillors by Ward". Gateshead Council. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  14. ^ "MPs representing Gateshead (Constituency)". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Local election results 2019: Lobley Hill and Bensham". Gateshead Council. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  16. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1 ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7.
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