Prior to enclosure, Low Fell was predominantly inhabited by a small number of tinkers and hawkers but after enclosure the character of the suburb changed rapidly as people moved to be close to the new turnpike road.
Although neighbouring Sheriff Hill thrived through an influx of heavy industry, built upon a colliery and pottery particularly, by 1827 new allotment owners on Low Fell had spent heavily to improve land so that sod cottages were a rarity and the last remaining pit heaps had been removed.
The result was that numerous wealthy individuals were drawn to the area and it was this influx which helped shape and grow the early settlement, as opposed to the more usual means of growth allied to work and industry.
The 1880s were a decade of considerable building in the village, fueled by the completion of a tramway with nearby Gateshead in 1883 and this brought some light industry to the area; in the same year Mawson & Swan built their dry plate works in Kells Lane and this proved to be the first of several light industries to locate in that area.
These smaller industries, allied to several farms in the Dryden Road area of the village (Dryden Farm, Orchard Cottage Dairy Farm and Derwent Crook Farm all survived in this area until the Second World War), generated a small economy in an area where inhabitants had built and settled predominantly to escape the dirt and grime of industrial Tyneside.

As Gateshead expanded southward to meet the village, Low Fell became a residential suburb of Gateshead but one which has, through its atypical development, has retained a rural village character.
In 1897, the first shops were built on Durham Road.
These expanded substantially so that by 1939 the villagers were able to forgo travel to nearby Gateshead for commercial purposes.
Today the Durham Road area is "a vibrant commercial hub with thriving shops, bars and restaurants" as well as some banks and small offices.
These now act as the principle commercial centre for the area  though the townscape in this area varies greatly and the unsympathetic development at the crest of Albert Drive in the 1960s is uncommon and has been said to detract from the suburb.
A smaller commercial area developed at Kells Lane, again predominantly built through small enterprise, and today the area contains a butcher's shop,a bakery, hair dressers and a greengrocers.

The unemployment levels in the suburb are very low compared to both local and national levels at 2.6%.
The overall level of economic activity in Low Fell in 2004 was 69%, as compared to 61% in Gateshead overall and 67% in England.
Manufacturing is the largest sector of employment for residents in the suburb.
15% of all working residents of the suburb do so in a managerial capacity; again, this is the highest figure in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead.
Prior to enclosure, Low Fell was predominantly inhabited by a small number of tinkers and hawkers but after enclosure the character of the suburb changed rapidly as people moved to be close to the new turnpike road. Although neighbouring Sheriff Hill thrived through an influx of heavy industry, built upon a colliery and pottery particularly, by 1827 new allotment owners on Low Fell had spent heavily to improve land so that sod cottages were a rarity and the last remaining pit heaps had been removed. The result was that numerous wealthy individuals were drawn to the area and it was this influx which helped shape and grow the early settlement, as opposed to the more usual means of growth allied to work and industry. The 1880s were a decade of considerable building in the village, fueled by the completion of a tramway with nearby Gateshead in 1883 and this brought some light industry to the area; in the same year Mawson & Swan built their dry plate works in Kells Lane and this proved to be the first of several light industries to locate in that area. These smaller industries, allied to several farms in the Dryden Road area of the village (Dryden Farm, Orchard Cottage Dairy Farm and Derwent Crook Farm all survived in this area until the Second World War), generated a small economy in an area where inhabitants had built and settled predominantly to escape the dirt and grime of industrial Tyneside.
As Gateshead expanded southward to meet the village, Low Fell became a residential suburb of Gateshead but one which has, through its atypical development, has retained a rural village character. In 1897, the first shops were built on Durham Road. These expanded substantially so that by 1939 the villagers were able to forgo travel to nearby Gateshead for commercial purposes. Today the Durham Road area is "a vibrant commercial hub with thriving shops, bars and restaurants" as well as some banks and small offices. These now act as the principle commercial centre for the area  though the townscape in this area varies greatly and the unsympathetic development at the crest of Albert Drive in the 1960s is uncommon and has been said to detract from the suburb. A smaller commercial area developed at Kells Lane, again predominantly built through small enterprise, and today the area contains a butcher's shop,a bakery, hair dressers and a greengrocers.
The unemployment levels in the suburb are very low compared to both local and national levels at 2.6%. The overall level of economic activity in Low Fell in 2004 was 69%, as compared to 61% in Gateshead overall and 67% in England. Manufacturing is the largest sector of employment for residents in the suburb. 15% of all working residents of the suburb do so in a managerial capacity; again, this is the highest figure in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead.
Low Fell