Place Name
Named after the heath north of the humber, which is Old English for stream in Erith which has now disappeared. The district’s nickname was Spike Island after the old parish workhouse which stood in Sussex Road from about 1805. Northumberland is thought to be of Celtic origin and means good river, it was first written down as Northumbre in 1292 and the area as Northberland Hethe in 1529.
