Bensham Grove Community Centre

Bensham Grove Community Centre is an early 19th-century building that has undergone mid and late 19th-century alterations. It is constructed of coursed stone with ashlar dressings and features a fairly low pitched Welsh slate roof, which is topped with three corniced stone chimney stacks. The building has a moulded eaves cornice and frieze, as well as cill bands. It stands two storeys high and has six windows, with quoins at the angles and windows. There are two original sash windows, while the rest are modern. A Doric prostyle porch is located in the third bay, accompanied by later canted and square bays to the right. To the right, there is a later brick extension with stone dressings, and to the left, a half-octagonal ended conservatory. The entrance front features a two-bay entrance wing that is dated 1875. Some original windows can be found on the rear elevation. Inside, there are notable late 19th-century stained glass windows with floral panels and figures in the style of Burne-Jones, as well as arts-and-crafts metalwork on the doors.

Bensham Grove is particularly significant as the former home of Robert Spence Watson (1837-1911), a prominent figure in Gateshead. He served as the secretary of the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society and co-founded several educational institutions, including Gateshead High School and the Newcastle College of Science (now the University of Newcastle upon Tyne). For over twenty years, he was the secretary of the Newcastle Liberal Association and, although he never ran for Parliament, he was appointed a Privy Councillor. He is best remembered for his pioneering work in the arbitration of industrial disputes.