What is the collaborative project between Northumbria University's School of Arts and Social Sciences and the community of Shieldfield about?
The summary document of a survey conducted in 2003 as part of the 'Neighbourhood Strategy Report' initiated by Newcastle city council states that:
"A large and continued growth in the Student population [of Shieldfield] is a clear economic gain for the neighbourhood but further work on the cohesion of students and local communities is vital so that both community groups are not alienated from each other"
The community engagement project is a collaboration between University staff and students, community groups, individuals from Shieldfield and the Ouseburn Ward committee with the help of Newcastle City Libraries and Tyne and Wear Archives. The aim of the project, apart from increased social cohesion through addressing stereotypes and developing interaction, is to increased knowledge of and interest in the history and identity of the Shieldfield community.
How does the research presented in this blog contribute to the project?
One of the first things that needs to be established when researching the history and identity of an area is the extent of the area itself. Shieldfield is currently part of the Ouseburn ward of Newcastle city council, but this covers an area far larger than what many would consider to be Shieldfield. Also, council boundaries are only one way of defining the 'edges' of an area, and as they change with the spread of the population, they do not always fully encompass an area that has a distinct identity, sometimes dissecting them.
The way we experience cities as made up of areas that are distinct from each other is not usually shaped by administrative or political borders; we tend to rely more on personal experience and knowledge of the area, landmarks, geographical and topographical elements, man made features such as roads, and various other determining factors to define areas as separate from each other. This means that everybody's experience of a place and therefore their definitions of its borders will be slightly different. The aim of this research is not to 'draw a line' around the area of Shieldfield, although that was the original aim, but rather to explore the shifting qualities of Shieldfield's edges. For more information on the research process see the Methodology.
Where is Shieldfield?
Where is Shieldfield?
The map below shows Shieldfield within the 'Ouseburn' council boundary. I think many would agree that the Portland Road section of the council boundary could define an 'edge' of Shieldfield, but the others are left ambiguous. Is Newbridge street the southern border? What was the southern border before this was built? Is the Western border marked by Falconar street or the Motorway? Or has the western border dissolved as is explored on the Dissolved Boundaries page. What about the Northern border, do people include the TA centre in their idea of Shieldfield? Or do they imagine the area to stop at the railway track? Are the warehouses on the southern end of Portland Road part of Shieldfield or are they imagined as part of the Ouseburn? Many of these questions have no definitive answer because individuals experience the area in different ways. Perhaps a door to door survey would help define the shape of Shieldfield as is experienced by the majority, but here I have attempted to investigate where the borders might be through looking back to when they first appeared and working forwards.
© Newcastle City Council 2004
