Founded originally to the West of Newcastle upon Tyne, England (from which it takes its name), to provide housing for working families with sufficient land to grow vegetables, Westerhope expanded substantially in Victorian times with the discovery of workable coal reserves. This ward had a population of 9,196 at the 2011 Census. The coal reserves have now been largely exhausted and the two pits - Coronation & North Walbottle - have long since closed.