The Newcastle Family History Society’s (NFHS) Bulletin No. 15 in October 1984 describes Calico Town as being “Wallsend, Lake Road area”, however there appears to be scant evidence for this. A 1948 refers to Wallsend’s first school being “held in a calico tent at Calico Town (Lake Road) nearly 90 years ago.”
The dating in this article is somewhat contradictory, with “90 years ago” implying the school opened in 1858, but the 84 year old resident stating that he attended the opening in 1870. To add to the confusion, the only other reference I could find to “Calico Town” was a 1955 report by architecture students of Newcastle College, which gives yet another date for the school opening when stating …
In the same year, 1862, the first National school was held in a calico tent at Calico Town on Lake Road.
With only two references to Calico Town on Lake Road, the earliest some 80 to 90 years later, I remain unconvinced of the genuineness of this obsolete name.
This page is part of the collection of Newcastle’s Obsolete Place Names.