Lock Down – Bike Ride from Westerhope to Jesmond Dene, Newcastle
Jesmond Dene, a public park in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, occupies the narrow steep-sided valley of a small river known as the Ouseburn, flowing south to join the River Tyne. In north-east England, such valleys are commonly known as denes; the name ‘Jesmond’ meaning ‘mouth of the Ouseburn’.
Lord Armstrong and his wife, of the now-demolished Jesmond Dean house nearby, first laid out the park during the 1860s. The design is intended to reflect a rural setting, with woodland, crags, waterfalls and pools. Lord Armstrong gave the park, together with his Banqueting Hall, to the people of Newcastle in 1883 and the park opened to the public in the following year. It is now owned by Newcastle City Council. The current Jesmond Dene House adjoining the dene was the mansion of Armstrong’s business partner Andrew Noble. It is now a luxury hotel.