Talk:Wideopen

I know some miserable NPOV-minded Wikipedian will want to emasculate this article. Please don't - we need more like this. I wrote that before I saw all the false links - needs an heavy re-write. -- RHaworth 09:37, 2005 Jun 22 (UTC)

The last change, which added "or Wide Open", i.e. suggesting the estate can be spelt with a space, is incorrect. The estate is correctly called Wideopen, although it suffers from some schizophrenia, as even some local signposts, presumably commissioned by North Tyneside council, point the way to Wide Open. However, this is incorrect. As to the content, perhaps it could be left as it is for a while. I personally don't find it offensive, and it even appears to be accurate, as long as the simple facts of the article are considered. I doubt it will even be viewed, let alone cause offence, and of course it can easily be changed by an offendee. -- 194.9.188.22 11:50, 2005 Jun 22 (BST)
 * Hello. I'm afraid my knowledge of the area is limited, and perhaps you could help add some factual information? The JPS 11:01, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Sure. It's 5 miles North of Newcastle city centre. It's a former mining village, it has a pub that few would deny is a toilet, and a church that is undeniably box-like. There is a parade of small shops, which is amusingly signposted by a fairly new sign that reads "Local Shops" (for local people). It borders on the villages of Seaton Burn, Brunswick Village and Hazlerigg. It is bordered on the west side by the A1 bypass, and on the east by the pit heap from the former mine. -- 194.9.188.22 12:13, 2005 Jun 22 (BST)

one word or two
-- RHaworth 12:48, 2005 Jun 22 (UTC)
 * Royal mail: Done Bookmakers, Stalks Road, Wideopen, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE13 6LJ
 * www.northtyneside.gov.uk mostly one word except at the bottom of this page
 * OS getamap: two words - but scroll out for one word then two words again.
 * Streetmap: search for wideopen returns two hits but not for this place. Search for wide open returns this place.
 * yeah, it might be a good idea to reinstate the "or Wide Open" that I deleted earlier today, but also mention the inconsistency. The JPS 13:06, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

No. The signposts at either end of the village (probably more accurate to call it a suburb these days) say WIDEOPEN, which is the correct name. However, the confusion seems to have come about because of an OS map ages ago which mistakenly printed the two word version, and this has ended up being translated into websites, other signposts and other maps. However, the Post Office correctly use one word, meaning that if you look up addresses using various resources you'll see it as Wideopen. Also North Tyneside council use one word, as does Wideopen library, as do the two local primary schools, as does everyone who lives there.

How can using one word be an "approved form"? Who made that up? Wideopen is the name of the place - nobody ever approved it. Wide Open is incorrect, surely this resource is about accuracy? -- 14:26, 2005 Jun 22 (BST)
 * RHaworth has made an excellent update to the article. The article uses the correct form, whilst also addressing the controversy. Wipedia shouldn't shape knowledge; it should reflect it. The form 'Wide Open' clearly exists (as in the sources RHaworth has listed), and that should be acknowledged. The JPS 13:27, 22 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Not entirely sure it is an excellent update to the article. The word north needs to be capitalized, the one word form is not approved by anyone, the pub is called Traveller's Rest without the "The", you can't start a sentence with the word "But", and that last sentence reads very badly.
 * (click the '1' box to enlarge) clearly shows Wide{space}Open and The Travellers Rest. -- RHaworth 14:02, 2005 Jun 22 (UTC)

Despite the fact that I'm amused at the insistency of people who had not even heard of Wideopen until today, in the spirit of getting the facts right I'll have one more try before giving up in a heap of giggles. Wideopen is called Wideopen. It always has been, and always will be. Believe it or not, not everything you find on the internet is correct. The internet is your only resource for checking the spelling. If your resource was first-hand knowledge, then I'd happily accept whatever spelling you wished, even if you knew for a fact it was spelled "Broom Handle". But without first hand knowledge, you cannot know for sure. A map from 1826 is not the gospel on how places are spelled. Mapmakers then were just as capable of errors as they are today. It is admittedly a very nice map. But the spelling is incorrect. I could print a map tomorrow and spell our capital city "Lon Don". But this doesn't make it correct, nor require the changing of the Wikepedia entry on London. As for the pub, check out http://www.pub-explorer.com/tandw/pub/travellersrestwideopen.htm for the heading and picture. You will see that the sign over the door is Traveller's Rest. Also note the spelling of Wideopen in the address.

I'm lead (perhaps wrongly) to believe that it is commonly pronounced as "widiohpenn" which perhaps supports the theory that it is and always has been one word. 82.153.98.30 (talk) 14:00, 19 April 2012 (UTC) I'm interested in finding out how long the place has had that name and what it refers to. Can anyone enlighten me? Pete Stephens — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.176.229.152 (talk) 22:03, 24 November 2012 (UTC)

Article tidy-up and expansion
I've added a to-do list at the top of this talk page. It's mostly for my reference, but it is of course something that anyone else can use if they wish.

For the record, I have links to the area, and can't recall seeing much of it spelled as Wide Open. My hypothesis; it can be written as a couple of English words, so is written so by those not local to the area. There are other places that are written just as normal words - the first example that springs to my mind is Pity Me, in County Durham. As an endonym and the primary use on signage and in local writing, I would consider Wideopen to prevail. — Sasuke Sarutobi (talk) 00:52, 6 September 2013 (UTC)