I was back in Jarrow town centre a couple of weeks ago, in the company of Susan Wear, the chair of Jarrow Forward, and Fiona Kelly from South Tyneside Council, who supports delivery of the project.
Jarrow is one of 284 UK communities benefiting from the government’s Pride in Place programme. Through Jarrow Forward – the town’s neighbourhood board – local partners are shaping a vision for the town around three linked priorities: “better futures for Jarrow’s young people; a re-energised town centre; and a connected, cohesive community.”
Susan and Fiona were keen to fill me in on those plans, but also to get my honest perspective as we walked around.
An outside perspective
I have been to Jarrow many times before, but it is always instructive to go back to a place in the company of those who experience it every day – gaining an insight from them into what is happening on the ground, while also having an opportunity to share my own perspectives as a more occasional visitor.
Indeed, similar principles underpinned the High Streets Task Force “Unlocking Your Place Potential” town tours that I carried out with High Street Consultancy colleagues between 2019 and 2024.
One of my first observations on this occasion – and something I had noticed on all my past visits too – was the experience of arriving in Jarrow by Metro, where you immediately face a choice of steps or ramps.
Once back at ground level, you find yourself in the bus station, but still unsure where the town centre is.
An underpass, tired signage and large areas of neglected hard landscape create a confused and underwhelming arrival experience that continues across the town, and feels disconnected from the stories Jarrow has to tell.
And yet those stories are remarkable, giving Jarrow the foundations of an authentic and distinctive place brand.
A town at the forefront of change
Indeed, few places can draw on such a diverse range of stories.
From early medieval scholarship to industrial innovation, from social history to retail reinvention, Jarrow has repeatedly found itself at the forefront of change.
The challenge is not finding a story to tell, but deciding which aspects of that story to bring to the fore.
First, Jarrow is the home of Bede, one of the most important scholars in English history.
The town shaped the industrial Tyne through the pioneering shipbuilding and engineering works of Charles Palmer, who is commemorated by a statue opposite the town hall.
Jarrow also gave its name to one of the most famous protest marches in British history.
And it was home to the first Arndale Centre, in 1961, setting the template for a retail model that would later spread across Britain.
Pioneering the modern shopping centre
The Arndale story is particularly interesting because it speaks to Jarrow’s role in shaping modern town centres – a contribution to retail history that is much less widely recognised than the town’s other claims to fame.
Renamed in recent decades as the Viking Centre – at a time when the Arndale brand was seen as something old-fashioned to be removed – it continues to provide a solid value retail core over 60 years later, including Morrisons, B&M, Peacocks and Iceland (the latter in the old Woolworths).
A new PureGym is on the way, which will diversify the footfall and generate activity after hours. The shopping centre’s new owners, M Core Property, seem keen to invest and engage, which is always welcome.
That willingness to be an active place leader is important, because successful regeneration is rarely about starting from scratch. Rather, existing assets, businesses and institutions provide the foundations on which future investment can build.
Perhaps there is even a case for bringing back the Arndale brand, and really owning that heritage?
A compelling story
So, Jarrow does not need to invent a story about its place – it already has an incredibly compelling one.
What it lacks, however, is a visitor experience that reflects the richness of those stories.
For example, there are lots of empty spaces between things – reflecting the town centre’s piecemeal development over the years – but very little space you can currently use or enjoy. It would be relatively easy to create a flagship town centre destination for relaxation and play, inspired by other places that have successfully reinvented their public realm.
Equally, some of the town’s strongest existing assets could work harder. For example, Jarrow Focus, opened in 2019, is an excellent community facility, combining a gym, sports hall, dance studios, theatre and library.
However, the building says little externally about what it is, or even that you can go in.
Foundations for success
Nevertheless, the foundations for Jarrow’s success are there – and, as a Pride in Place neighbourhood, it will be the people who know Jarrow best who drive the town forward, while hopefully drawing from wider expertise and best practice that can help deliver that positive change.
Without a doubt, many places would envy Jarrow’s remarkable combination of heritage, transport links, core retail, and committed local leadership.
The challenge now is not creating new stories for Jarrow, but helping more people discover the extraordinary ones that already exist.
