PONTELAND

'Ponteland' is a town and residential suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Administratively, the town is situated in Castle Morpeth, Northumberland, and it is located close to Newcastle Airport on the north-west side of the city. The name means island in the Pont (the river which flows through the town), as the area consisted of a small piece of solid ground around St. Mary's church and the old bridge, surrounded by marshland. This marshland is now drained, with housing built on top of it. The Pont river joins the Blyth river further downstream.
Ponteland is notable for its Pele tower, the Diamond Inn, its bridge, and the churches of St Mary's and St Matthew's. It is also notable for an affluent residential area, Darras Hall. Ponteland previously boasted a small castle, which was destroyed by the Scottish army under the Earl of Douglas the day before the Battle of Otterburn. The Blackbird Inn now stands on the site and is rumoured to contain the old tunnel from the castle to the church.

Contents

Local sport

Notable residents

Local sport

★ Ponteland United — the local football club.

★ Ponteland Cricket Club — the local cricket club.

★ Ponteland RFC — the local Rugby Union club.

Notable residents

The affluent housing estate of Darras Hall is a popular choice for many of the north-east's wealthy residents and many people associated with Newcastle United Football Club live on the estate including Alan Shearer, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker, Peter Beardsley, and Terry McDermott, although the famous Andrew Smith has elected to stay in his childhood home in Ponteland.
In December 2005 the estate was the focus of considerable media attention when convicted rapist Iorworth Hoare moved to the estate after purchasing a house with his National Lottery winnings. After months of purchasing his house, he was bombarded with threats and constant media exposure.
One of the first houses, or farms as it was at the time, situated in the Darras Hall area, was Little Callerton House. The Old Mill, the house where Alan Shearer used to live, and various other dwellings in the area, belonged to Little Callerton House. Little Callerton House is approximately 450 years old and is standing as one the oldest buildings in the area.