[3] Benwell is situated between Hadrian's Wall to the north and the River Tyne to the south, and in medieval times it was part of the Barony of Bolbec.

This third belonged to the Scot family, who were wealthy merchants from Newcastle and by 1296 they were the principal taxpayers in Benwell.

In the 16th century Benwell village was arranged in two rows of houses on either side of a wide street or green.

In 1540, the Crown, under King Henry VIII, took possession of Benwell Tower from Tynemouth Priory when it dissolved the monasteries.

In April 1994, The Independent reported that unemployment in the area stood at 24% (well over twice the national average) and that drug abuse and arson were both a major problem in the area, with a number of arson attacks known to have been carried out in an attempt to intimidate witnesses to crimes and deter them from giving evidence in court.