A separate area, High Howdon was built after the Second World War, as the consequence of a drive for improved, low-cost housing for working-class families.

It was built on what had been agricultural land to the north of the main railway line (from Newcastle to Tynemouth) that was to separate the new council housing from the earlier Howdon Pit, Pans and Hill Top sites locations, and from the older, industrial area of Willington Quay, where a great deal of housing had either been destroyed by wartime bombing, or by programmes of slum clearance.

Although most of the housing in High Howdon belonged to the local council, a number of privately owned and rented properties always existed in the centre of the area.

[5] Other amenities in High Howdon include a small library,[6] and shops along Tynemouth Road and at the southern end of Churchill Street.

These three tower blocks became a Tyneside landmark, and were featured in the film version of the BBC sitcom Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?.

There is also a small community suburb called East Howdon, which is located between Percy Main and the Tyne River.