Bensham Explained

Country:England
Official Name:Bensham
Coordinates:54.951°N -1.612°W
Population:10,638
Metropolitan Borough:Gateshead
Metropolitan County:Tyne and Wear
Region:North East England
Constituency Westminster:Gateshead Central and Whickham
Post Town:GATESHEAD
Postcode Area:NE
Postcode District:NE8
Dial Code:0191
Os Grid Reference:NZ249625

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.

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, but lower than the national average .

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.[7]

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, as well as the national average .

Demography (data from 2011 Census)!Demographic!% of population
!% of population
!% of population
Total10,638200,21453,012,456
Male51.0%48.9%49.2%
Female49.0%51.1%50.8%
BAME6.1%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 1.51NaN1,[8] and has a population of 10,638.[9]

, the ward is served by three councillors: Catherine Donovan, Eileen McMaster and Kevin Dodds.[10]

The village is located within the parliamentary constituency of Gateshead Central and Whickham, and is served by Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), Mark Ferguson.

Gateshead Council Local Elections 2019: Lobley Hill and Bensham[11] !Candidate!Political party!Total votes!% of votes
Eileen McMaster96349.0%
Nicholas James Seaborn34517.5%
Andy Redfern28814.6%
Janice Marina Hutchinson26613.5%
Jonathan Mohammed1045.3%

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is Newcastle International Airport, which is located around 9miles away. Teesside International Airport and Carlisle Lake District Airport are located around NaNmiles 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.[12]

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

Notes and References

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