Walker

Built by the yards

Walker grew through the 19th century around riverside shipbuilding, chiefly the yard founded by Wigham Richardson — later absorbed into Swan Hunter, whose Wallsend history is covered elsewhere on this site — which built ships here for over a century. Rows of terraces went up to house the workforce, giving Walker the same tightly knit, shipyard-dependent character as its neighbours along the Tyne. Since the yards closed, the riverside has seen significant redevelopment, though Walker remains, at heart, a residential district shaped by the industry that built it.