During the Great Tyne Flood of 1771 villagers had to be rescued by boat from the roofs and upper stories of their houses.

For electoral purposes, the northern section is grouped along with the Teams area to form Dunston and Teams ward, while the southern section is combined with parts of Whickham, forming Dunston Hill and Whickham East.

It had always proved unpopular with residents, and fallen into a poor condition: Gateshead Council decided that the renovation costs would be prohibitive.

On 6 June 1993 the IRA attacked a gas holder in the nearby area of Low Team.

Footballers Paul Gascoigne[8] and Ray Hudson,[9] and the lead singer of AC/DC Brian Johnson,[10] all spent their formative years in Dunston.