NORTH SHIELDS

North Shields on the north bank of the Tyne used to have three collieries but like the other collieries in the area they are a thing of the past. There were also a number of shipyards, also gone. However, there is still some fishing activity, with trawlers selling their catches each morning on Fish Quay. The fishing port was set up in the 13th century by the Prior of Tynemouth to provide fish for the Priory at the mouth of the River Tyne. Another activity with which the area is associated is the railways, and railway fans can relive the glorious days of steam at the Stephenson Railway Museum. The museum houses many engines from the steam age including one christened “Billy”, which was a forerunner of the Rocket. North Shields also acts as an international ferry port for sailings to Amsterdam. Last month, a young woman travelling on the ferry with friends heading for a break in Amsterdam had a lucky escape when she was rescued from the North Sea after falling from the ferry.

North Shields played a defensive role during the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century, when Clifford's Fort was erected at Fish Quay.  The fort had a later role in submarine mining during the First World War, and its walls with their cannons are still there today.  Another feature of Fish Quay is a pair of lighthouses, High Lighthouse and Low Lighthouse, both of them whitewashed and square in shape unlike the usual rounded shape of lighthouses.  The Old Low Light Heritage Centre covers 900 years of the area's maritime heritage.


Map of the area.

Arrival of the Market Place Ferry at North Shields (geograph 2367422). Photo by Stanley Howe, via Wikimedia Commons.