Everything about North Shields totally explained
North Shields (or locally just
Shields) is a town on the north bank of the
River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of
North Tyneside, in
North East England. It is located eight
miles (13
km) east of
Newcastle upon Tyne.
Its name derives from
Middle English schele meaning 'temporary sheds or huts (used by fishermen)', and still today, the area is synonymous with
fishing and other trades associated with seafaring.
Industry
North Shields used to have a
colliery at
Percy Main. Following the demise of
fishing,
coal-mining and
ship-building in the area, several
business parks,
industrial estates and
trading estates have been established to provide alternative employment. The biggest and most notable of these are The Silverlink and Cobalt.
Atmel (previously
Siemens) has a plant located at the former, and the latter is home to an
Orange call centre. The town's association with the early days of the railways is recognised at the
Stephenson Railway Museum near The Silverlink.
History
Tynemouth decided to create a fishing port to provide fish for the Priory which was situated on the headland at the mouth of the River Tyne. He also wished to victual ships anchored near the priory. A number of rudimentary houses or 'shiels' were erected at the mouth of the Pow Burn where the stream enters the Tyne, as well as wooden quays which were used to unload the fishing boats. The quays were also used to ship coal from local collieries owned by the Priory. Soon the population of the new township numbered 1000. The burgesses of Newcastle upon Tyne were determined to preserve the custom rights that they'd enjoyed up till then, and which covered the whole length of the river. They successfully petitioned the king in 1290 and managed to suspend trade from the new settlement. It was forbidden to victual ships or to load and unload cargoes at North Shields. The opposition of the Newcastle burgesses remained for a considerable time but despite this, North Shields continued to develop as a centre for fishing and exporting salt, produced from local saltpans. For a considerable period the Newcastle burgesses, known as the
Hostmen, who controlled the export of coal from the Tyne, resisted the export of this commodity from North Shields.
The town was originally restricted to a narrow strip of land alongside the river because of the steep bank which hemmed it in. Eventually the town became too overcrowded and in the 18th century buildings began to be erected on the plateau 60 feet above the old, overcrowded, insanitary dwellings alongside the river. The prosperous businessmen and shipowners occupied the new town whereas the working people remained in the lower part of town. The low, riverside part of the town was linked to the newer, higher part of the town by a series of stairs. These stairs were initially populated by slum dwellings. Although these dwellings have long since been cleared away, the sets of stairs still exist. One of the first developments of the new town was Dockwray Square, in 1763, a set of elegant town houses that became populated by wealthy families. However due to the poor provision of water and drainage facilities, the wealthy families soon moved to the more central part of the new town, especially the new Northumberland Square. Dockwray Square eventually deteriorated into slums.
Over the years, North Shields has grown from a small fishing village to incorporate the nearby villages of Chirton, Preston and Billy Mill, amongst others. A large council estate, Meadow Well (alternately spelt Meadowell or Meadowwell on local signs) to the west of the town, was constructed to house residents displaced by the clearance of the Dockwray Square slum. Meadow Well was formerly known as the Ridges Estate - a name occasionally used today - and its name derives from a Well situated in a meadow upon which the estate was built. On Monday 9th September 1991, Meadowell was featured heavily in the news across the UK as riots broke out, which continued for 3 days. Many properties were damaged, cars burned out and the local high school burned down. As a result of the riots, the local housing was gradually improved by the council over the next 3 years via demolition & rebuilding, as well as renovation. Unfortunately, it didn't change the people's attitude of poverty mentality and once again, Meadowell is considered a rough place to live, with many properties vandalised and boarded up.
Locals who have played a large part in the town's history include
Ralph Gardner, who opposed
Newcastle when it tried to stop ships from docking in North Shields to deliver and receive coal. Gardner was imprisoned in 1653 for refusing to close his brewery which was used to provision ships. In 1655 he petitioned Parliament against, what he claimed were, the unfair demands of Newcastle. Gardner was regarded as a local hero and had a
High School named in his honour near the former site of his
cottage, the school being
nick-named 'Ralphies' by its students. The school closed in 1994 and houses have been built on the site, now called Gardner Park. He also had a monument put up near the school.
Admiral Lord Collingwood had a large mansion built in North Shields. The house became a
public house called
The Collingwood Arms, which has since been demolished in early
2005 to make way for a
retirement home. Collingwood was originally from Newcastle and fought with Nelson in the
Battle of Trafalgar. Without Collingwood, Nelson couldn't have won that battle, and a large monument in his honour overlooks the
River Tyne at
Tynemouth. However, he never spent one night in the house he'd built in North Shields, so consequently the house wasn't considered a listed building.
The town has recently undergone an extensive
regeneration programme which has seen the revitalisation of the redundant Albert Edward
docks. The Wet 'n' Wild indoor
water park, an
outlet shopping centre, a new Bowling alley, a JJB Soccer Dome and a
marina form the centrepiece to the
Royal Quays development to the west of the town. Similarly, major regeneration of the
Fish Quay to the south-east of the town centre has included the construction of luxury apartments and the conversion of existing buildings into restaurants and bars. The Fish Quay plays host to an annual festival to celebrate the fishing industry's importance to the town's history.
Mark di Suvero's
Tyne Anew, his only large-scale public artwork in the UK, can be seen at Albert Edward Dock.
Transport
The
Tyne and Wear Metro links North Shields to
Newcastle city centre, and to other destinations in
Tyne and Wear including
Whitley Bay,
Newcastle Airport, and
Sunderland. A half-hourly ferry service connects the
North Shields Fish Quay to the town of
South Shields on the opposite bank of the
Tyne.
An international ferry terminal, the only one in the region, is based at Royal Quays and provides connections to
Norway, and
The Netherlands.
The ferry service to
Gothenburg,
Sweden (run by the
Danish company
DFDS Seaways), ceased operation at the end of October 2006. DFDS Seaways' sister company, DFDS Tor Line, will continue to run scheduled
freight ships between Gothenburg and several English ports, including Newcastle, and these have limited capacity for passengers, but not private vehicles.
Famous residents past and present
Further Information
Get more info on 'North Shields'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://north_shields.totallyexplained.com">North Shields Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
