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|latitude= 54.9921
|latitude= 54.9921
|longitude= -1.4286
|longitude= -1.4286
|population = 90,000
|population = 92,000
|metropolitan_borough= [[South Tyneside]]
|metropolitan_borough= [[South Tyneside]]
|metropolitan_county= [[Tyne and Wear]]
|metropolitan_county= [[Tyne and Wear]]

Revision as of 21:17, 16 December 2008

South Shields
Population92,000 
OS grid referenceNZ365665
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSOUTH SHIELDS
Postcode districtNE33, NE34
Dialling code0191
PoliceNorthumbria
FireTyne and Wear
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear

South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. The town has a population of about 90,000 and is part of the metropolitan borough of South Tyneside, which includes the riverside towns of Jarrow and Hebburn and the villages of Boldon, Cleadon and Whitburn. South Shields is represented in parliament by Labour MP David Milliband.

History

Earliest Times

The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Brigantes, a strong and fiercely independent Ancient British tribe. However, there is no evidence to suggest they built a settlement where the present day town now stands. It was John Leland in the 16th century who first suggested the town had been known as 'Caer Urfa.' The Brythonic word 'Caer' meaning a fortified place or seat of royal power, 'Urfa' is suggested to be a simple corruption of 'Vide Infra', the Aramaic name for the Roman stronghold.[1]

A large Roman fort, Arbeia, has been excavated in South Shields on the Lawe Top overlooking the River Tyne. In 2005, it was the setting for an investigation by the Channel 4 Time Team programme.[2][3] Founded c. AD 120 the fort is mentioned in The Notitia Dignitatum (a list of forts and bases compiled in the 4th century) where it is referred to as Vide Infra. This is from the Aramaic for "place of the Arabs" (the local garrison came from the areas near the River Tigris in modern day Iran and Iraq). A Latinised version of this name is Arbeia, by which the fort is well known. It is recorded that over 70 men were brought from this Middle-Eastern Region to work as bargemen. Their expertise was needed to navigate the river with supplies. Arbeia was intended as the maritime supply fort for Hadrian's Wall and contains the only permanent stone-built granaries yet found in Britain. It was occupied until the Romans left Britain in the 5th century. A Roman gatehouse and barracks have been reconstructed on their original foundations, while a museum holds artefacts such as an altarpiece to a previously unknown god, and a Roman-era gravestone set up by a native Palmyrene to his freedwoman and wife, a Briton of the Catuvellauni tribe. There is also a tablet bearing the name of the emperor Alexander Severus.

The fort was at the end of a road named Wrekendike connected to a larger road which led between Newcastle upon Tyne (Pons Aelivs) and Chester-Le-Street (Congangis). Parts of this road are still visible in Wrekenton near Gateshead. The Romans also built a small wharf in nearby Marsden Bay for the purposes of loading sandstone from a quarry. The wharf's remnants remain today although time and tide have left little to see. Arbeia was abandoned by the Romans c. AD 400, when Emperor Honorius informed the people of Britain that they must look to their own country's defences.

The Dark Age

When the Romans left Britain in the 6th century AD a power vacuum was left in their place, migration by Germanic peoples began soon afterwards and became known as the Anglo-Saxons, the north east of England became a centre of learning and education in this period. King Oswald of Northumbria united the kingdoms of Bernicia to the north of the River Tees and Deira stretching south to the River Humber, creating the powerful and influential Kingdom of Northumbria. In AD 647 King Oswy of Northumbria (Oswald's brother)[4] at the request of St. Aidan allowed a nunnery to be built. The site today is in the very town centre of South Shields and is named St. Hilda's Church,[5] although the original Anglo-Saxon building is but a remnant under the present Norman nave. St. Hilda's was one of many monastic institutions along the coast of north east England including Jarrow, where the Venerable Bede lived and worked.

Circa AD 865 the monastery at St. Hilda's was raided by the Vikings. However, the Vikings (or Danes) weren't just raiders; they created settlements, brought new customs, laws and gods, effectively controlling all of northern England. This form of government was known as the Danelaw. Anglo-Saxon and Danish influence can be seen to this day; the Geordie dialect and accent spoken throughout the north east contains more words and pronunciations of Anglo-Saxon and Danish origin than standard English.

Middle Ages

In 1100 the Normans built St. Hilda's Church where the nunnery once stood, in the town's market place. The church remains one of the oldest churches in the UK.

The first reference to 'Scheles' (fishermens' huts) occurs in 1235, and the town proper was founded by the Prior and Convent of Durham in 1245. On account of the complaints of the burgesses of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, an order was made in 1258, stipulating that no ships should be laden or unladen at 'Scheles,' and that no shoars or quays should be built there. South Shields then developed as a fishing port.

Salt panning along the Tyne began in 1499 and achieved major importance; Daniel Defoe speaks of the clouds of smoke being visible for miles, while a witness in 1743 mentions two hundred boiling-pans. Glass manufacturing was begun by Isaac Cookson in 1650 and there were eight glassworks by 1827. Coalmining and chemical manufacture also became important. South Shields had the largest alkali works in the world.

In 1644, during the English Civil War, Parliament's Scottish allies under Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven laid siege to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and captured the watchtower on the Lawe Top at South Shields (Sunderland declared for Parliament and invited the Scottish army in). The Royalist forces retreated to the south but turned to fight at the small town of Boldon (halfway between South Shields and Sunderland). The ensuing battle is known as the Battle of Boldon Hill and was a victory for the Scots who later destroyed the rest of the Royalist army at the Battle of Marston Moor.

19th century

The Industrial Revolution changed the way we live forever. South Shields was at the forefront of this revolution from the start. With the North Sea to the east South Shields had a plentiful supply of salt water. In 1767 the town had 200 salt pans where sea water was boiled away to leave the salt. These pans consumed 1000 tons of coal per year and produced hydrochloric acid that caused terrible pollution as well as smoke that could be seen for many miles. Demand for chemical products such as soap, bleach and dyes for the cloth market increased the industry on Tyneside and in South Shields' Tyne Dock area an alkali works was opened in 1822. Alkali could be mixed with other substances to produce soap, alum and also glass. South Tyneside was noted for glassmaking as far back as the 17th century and by 1845 the town was producing more plate glass than anywhere else in England.

South Shields was under the ownership of the Bishops of Durham for centuries. The bishops had a long running dispute with the mayors of Newcastle-upon-Tyne who claimed the monopoly on exporting coal from the Tyne. Ports were banned from shipping coal apart from at populated Newcastle with its labour force. The king (King Edward I) supported the mayor's case because Newcastle already had the infrastructure and he could profit from the taxes and duties where as any profit the bishops made went to the Church. Despite the fact that it was more attractive for the king, country, Newcastle and the whole Tyne working population, to have the Tyne spread and increase its population with the highly valued empty land on the Tyne’s shipping lines developed for an economic nexus of various linked industries; with the benefits being a sustained economy, jobs, housing, and more taxes for the king and the British Empire.

Coal seams around the Tyne are comparatively shallow and coal had been fairly easy to obtain in the area for many years. In the 18th and 19th centuries, demand for coal was growing exponentially. The king needed more taxes and he needed reform. It was logic and strategic that the Tyne with its useful shipping ways needed to spread its population with migration and to encourage further migration from other places like rural County Durham, rural Northumberland, Scotland and Ireland. It needed to develop its land for future industry.

Reform: Though with nothing like the democracy we see today, the Great Reform Act of 1832, championed by Lord Grey and the Whigs, County Durham was forced to return two members for two divisions, and the boroughs of Gateshead and South Shields acquired representation. South Shields got its own MP and would eventually go on to be more representative of the spreading and growing population on the Tyne. The king's Tyne shipping lines were freer politically from County Durham and its balancing act with three rivers. It could now develop its industry and use its land to good effect for its own interests and destiny. The king and the future Queen Victoria were to soon use quality land with industry to tax. The Tyne was to become one of the most productive rivers in the world.

It was a slow start, however, as large scale shipping and skilled shipbuilding was at first not possible; there was not the local population available to raise and train a skilled labour force.

With easily accessible resources like coal and a need to develop more Tyne shipyards along the shipping lines on the valued land, the needed migration eventually became a reality and began to bring about the industrial and economic boom. This involved mining, shipbuilding and shipping the produce; bringing more taxes for the king.

As the demand continued to grow the coal industry reached new heights with pits opening all over the north east but especially around the River Tyne. In South Shields the population soared from approximately 12,000 in 1801 to 75,000 by the late 1860s. Collieries in South Shields included:

  • Templetown (1805-1825)
  • St. Hilda's (1810-1940)
  • West Harton (1844-1969)
  • Boldon (1869-1982)
  • Marsden (1879-1968)
  • Whitburn (1879-1968)
  • Westoe (1909-1993)

Coal mining was very hazardous. Shafts could collapse at any time and before the safety lamp was invented in 1815 naked flames carried by miners to light their way could ignite gas underground causing explosions and many deaths. Some mines even had shafts that stretched several miles out under the sea. However, the mines created jobs and migrants flocked to the North East from all over Britain and Ireland. South Shields was over-crowded and sanitation was a problem, partly solved by Cleadon Water Pumping Station (a large tower erected in 1858 above the town following an outbreak of cholera).

The mayors of Newcastle-upon-Tyne not only controlled the flow of coal but most of the other shipping as well. Until the tiny population along the valued land could be organised by planners, grown, housed and maintained for industry, to sustain the needed industrial growth, it was feasible that ports along the Tyne were strategically temporarily prevented from being built to build ships, until the population reached its sustainability tipping point. Nevertheless, fishing boats from sparsely populated North and South Shields travelled as far as Iceland in search of fish.

South Shields' place at the mouth of the Tyne with shifting and unpredictable sand bars and channels into the river meant ships running aground was a frequent event on the town's beaches and as a result the world's first self-righting lifeboat was designed by William Wouldhave in 1790. Wouldhave's design, however, lost to a rival design of lifeboat.

In the 1850s, with the Tyne’s growing shipbuilding industry and the mouth of the Tyne becoming populated to sustain it, South and North Shields needed to stop the flow of sand that threatened to topple and ground ships. In 1854 the first foundations were laid of the North and South Piers. They were both completed in 1885.[6]

An engineering problem was encountered with managing the new piers. The sand on Littlehaven Beach was now flowing up the Tyne through the incoming tide. As a solution the Herd Groyne Pier was erected in 1882.[6]

Industries like shipping and shipbuilding, that was now sustained by the growing population of the Tyne, was increasing exponentially on the Tyne and in 1859 Tyne Dock was opened. Tyne Dock had a much needed capacity to hold 500 vessels coming in and out of the bustling coaly River Tyne.[6]

South Shields-born Charles Palmer opened his shipyard in 1851 at Jarrow, at first building wooden ships and then moving onto iron. His shipyard patented rolled armour for warships. In 1865 Alderman John Readhead founded his shipyard in South Shields and the various slipways and dry docks can still be seen today stretching from Tyne Dock towards the mouth of the Tyne. Readhead & Sons built small cargo ships and colliers for clients the world over until the yard was closed in 1968.

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851. 'Shields on the River Tyne' 1823

Turner made an engraving of Shields on the River Tyne in 1823.[7] This is now in Tate Britain in London. He also painted Keelmen Hauling Coals by Night in 1835, having himself rowed out into the Tyne at Jarrow Slake in order to do so.

The town became famous for its maritime industries and the Marine School was founded by Dr. Thomas Winterbottom in 1837.[8] Originally in Ocean Road, it is now part of South Tyneside College in Westoe Village and has an international reputation. And 151 year on, from the late 1980s to 2008 it proudly possessed the nationally unique combined public observatory and planetarium,[9] which has provided education and entertainment for twenty thousand children a year. The old Marine College building is impressive and is now a public house. And like this public house during the industrial boom years of the 19th and early 20th centuries, many notable public buildings were built across the town, reflecting its wealth. These included the then-new town hall, the Customs House and in the town centre, Mill Dam, Lawe Top, Harton and Westoe.

South Shields was able to elect an MP after the Great Reform Act of 1832 and was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1850 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. It became a county borough in 1889 with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888, and remained as such until 1974 when it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of South Tyneside in the (now former) county of Tyne and Wear.

The Shields Gazette, founded in 1849, is the oldest provincial evening newspaper in the United Kingdom.[10]

20th century

The impressive South Shields Town Hall of 1910 bears a copper weather vane in the form of a galleon. The town's crest (pre-1974) featured the lifeboat and the associated motto - Always Ready - which was later adopted as the motto of South Tyneside.

Zeppelin airships raided the Tyne in World War I and the town's seafront amusement park was attacked in 1915. In World War II, South Shields suffered well over 200 air raid alerts and 156 people were killed. Many houses were damaged, particularly by incendiary bombs and parachute mines. One direct hit on the market place killed more than 40 people who had taken shelter in tunnels below the square. There was a memorial to them in the form of a cobbled Union Flag on the ground of the market square, however, this was removed as part of an overhaul of the town centre in the late 1990s.

South Shields lost more seafarers than any other port in Britain during World War II.

The celebrated artist L S Lowry spent frequent periods at the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland, and painted a number of works in South Shields

In 1977 the town was visited by boxer Muhammed Ali, whose wedding was blessed in the local mosque at Laygate. The visit has since been the subject of a Bridge + Tunnel Productions website film The King Of South Shields. Ali visited the town after receiving an invitation from a local boys' boxing club.[11]

South Shields has undergone significant economic change in the light of de-industrialisation. Service industries, including tourism and retail, play an increasing role in the economic make-up of the town and indeed across the wider area.

Created by acclaimed Spanish sculptor, Juan Munoz in 1999. Celebrating the Tyne Salmon;[12] here with the 2008 Tyne Bluetooth Salmon Trail Cubes,[13] are the 22 bronze life size figures that command and celebrate a superb view of South Shields Harbour and the Tyne Piers.

Geography

Marsden Bay. Much of the South Shields' coastline is undeveloped, due in part to natural erosion
Sandhaven Beach

South Shields is situated in a peninsula setting, where the River Tyne meets the North Sea. It has six miles of coastline and three miles of river frontage, dominated by the massive, functional, if not beautiful, piers at the mouth of the Tyne. These are best viewed from the Lawe Top, which also houses two replicas of cannon captured from the Russians during the Crimean War, the originals having been melted during World War II .

The town slopes gently from the Cleadon Hills down to the river. The Cleadon Hills are made conspicuous by the Victorian water pumping station (opened in 1860 to improve sanitation) and a now derelict windmill which can be seen from many miles away and also out at sea.

The town has extensive beaches including sand dunes as well as dramatic sandstone cliffs with grassy areas above known as The Leas, which cover three miles of this coastline and are a National Trust protected area. Marsden Bay, with its famous Marsden Rock, is one of the largest seabird colonies in Britain.

One of the most historic parts of the town is Westoe village, which consists of a quiet street of Georgian and Victorian houses, many being built by Victorian business leaders in the town, including those who owned mines and shipyards. This street was the setting for a number of books by the novelist Catherine Cookson.[14] Westoe village was once a separate village about a mile from South Shields but urban sprawl has now consumed it along with the village of Harton slightly further along the same South Shields to Sunderland road.

Demography

Having been a predominantly rural economy with some small-scale shipbuilding, glass making and salt processing along the riverside, the area was populated in the main by migration at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The majority of the people are descendants of those who migrated to the area during the Industrial Revolution from up the Tyne, with others from rural County Durham, Northumberland, Scotland and Ireland who settled there to work in coalmines and shipyards.

Yemeni community

South Shields has been home to a Yemeni community since the 1890s. The main reason for the Yemeni arrival was the supply of seamen, such as engine room firemen, to British merchant vessels. Similar communities were founded in Hull, Liverpool and Cardiff.[15] In 1909, the first Arab Seamen's Boarding House opened in the Holborn riverside district of the town. At the time of the First World War there was a shortage of crews due to the demands of the fighting and many Yemenis were recruited to serve on British ships at the port of Aden, then under British protection. At the end of the war, the Yemeni population of South Shields had swelled to well over 3,000. Shields lost one of the largest proportions of Merchant Navy sailors. Approximately 1 in 4 of these men was of Yemeni background.

Disputes over jobs led to riots - also called the Arab Riots - in 1919. Often incorrectly reported as 'race riots', these were in fact trades union disputes involving equal pay protests championed by Communist union activists. In fact, the Yemeni had already become a successfully integrated into the wider community. In 1930 a further dispute broke out over working practices, which the Yemeni seamen felt to be discriminatory, and led to more rioting. However, over time, attitudes to Yemenis in the town were softened and there was no significant recurrence of this violence.[16]

After World War II, the Yemeni population declined, partly due to migrations to other industrial areas such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield.[17]. However, the main reason for the reduction in numbers was the end of the shipping industry and the need for sailors as coal burning ships decreased in numbers. Today, the Yemeni population of South Shields numbers around 1,000.[18] Many Yemeni sailors married local women and became integrated with the wider community, resulting with a migrant population less distinct than in other mixed communities across the UK. The Yemeni are the first, settled Muslim community in Britain and a successful example of multi-culturalism.

There is a mosque at Laygate, including the Yemeni School, which was visited by American boxer Muhammed Ali in 1977. He had his marriage blessed at the Al-Ahzar Mosque, the first purpose-built in the UK. This story is covered in a documentary film, The King of South Shields film website. Throughout April and early May 2008, the BALTIC Arts Centre in Gateshead chronicled the Yemeni community of South Shields, including interviews with the last remaining survivors of the first Yemeni generation. The exhibition depicted the Yemeni story as an example of early successful multi-cultural integration in Britain, as well as showcasing the high-profile 1977 visit by Muhammed Ali.

In 2008 South Shields based Tina Gharavi of Bridge + Tunnel Productions unveiled plans for a tribute plaque of Muhammad Ali's famous visit in 1977.[19]

Economy

The town was once famous for its shipyards, coalmines, salt pans and glassmaking. The last shipbuilder (Readhead's) closed in 1984 and the last pit (Westoe Colliery) in 1991. Today, the town relies largely on service industries, while many residents commute to work in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside and Sunderland.

Despite a skilled local workforce, for many years South Tyneside had the highest job seekers unemployment rate in mainland Britain,[20] and between December 2002 and 2008 South Shields unemployment fell by 17.8%,[20] South Tyneside17.7%[20] the best performance in the North East region over that time period.

As of April 2008, JSA Claimant unemployment in South Tyneside stands at 4,157 people.[20]

The Port of Tyne is one of the UK's most important and is further developing its freight and passenger activities and in 2007 it imported 2million tones of coal, which is said to increase in 2008. Manufacturing and ship repair/engineering are other significant sectors.

There is continuing extensive work to the town centre of South Shields to bring it back to its former glory, part-financed by grants from central government and the European Regional Development Fund. There is increasing private sector interest in the town and wider area.

Landmarks and tourism

The Groyne sits atop a short pier built to protect the Harbour Beach

As well as being the oldest and largest town in South Tyneside, South Shields is also one of the region's most popular seaside resorts, a status it has built up by marketing itself as Catherine Cookson Country. Thousands of people come to see where the famous author was born and brought up before visiting the town centre and coastal attractions. The local council and its partners intend to make further improvements and develop new additions to the seafront.[21]

The town has much to offer both locals and visitors alike:

  • the reconstructed Roman Fort and excavations at Arbeia, which form part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site
  • the town's museum & art gallery, including a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life and times of Catherine Cookson
  • the Customs House theatre and arts venue and the historic Mill Dam riverside
  • traditional, continental and farmers' markets and high street shopping
  • seafront complete with promenade, parks, fairground and amusement arcades, crazy golf, skate complex, quasar laser, miniature steam railway and boating lake and live entertainment
  • coastal scenery, beaches and dunes at Littlehaven, Sandhaven and Marsden Bay
  • the National Trust-owned Souter Lighthouse and The Leas cliff tops
  • Temple Park Leisure Centre, and
  • an extensive network of cycle paths and trails

There is a good choice of restaurants, cafes, public houses and nightlife as well as hotels, guest houses and caravan parks. South Shields plays host to an annual free summer festival and each autumn the town is the seaside finish to the world-famous Great North Run.

Education

South Shields is home to South Tyneside College, one of the two leading maritime training centres in the UK, with facilities including a marine safety training centre and a simulated ship's bridge for the training of deck officers. The college was also home to the only planetarium in the region, as well as an observatory; and in its time was a popular visitor attraction for local schools and visitors in general. The observatory was used for 20 years and in 2008 it was deemed redundant to the 2008 and future curriculum needs of the college.[9] The college provides a wide range of other flexible vocational and training courses.[22]

Local schooling is generally regarded as being very good, which is reflected in continuing improvements to school results and independent inspections.

In 2007, Brinkburn Comprehensive and King George V Comprehensive merged forming South Shields Community School; the school will be built at a cost of £19million; the school will be built on the King George V School site. The new school buildings could be open in 2009.[23][24]

Regional identity

The 1998 sculpture Spirit of South Shields, by Irene Brown, embodies the town's maritime heritage. It overlooks the mouth of the Tyne.

Residents of South Shields identify as "Geordie" (with a historical example found in Dickens, Jnr, Charles (1872). All the Year Round. new ser.:v.8. Charles Dickens. p. 487. "the engineer, a brawny Geordie from South Shields, imbued with a thoroughly English contempt for everything foreign;"[25]), a term commonly associated with all residents of Tyneside.[26]

It is thought that the term Geordie has its origins in the coal mining industry of the North East of England[27]. It was latterly applied to the connected ship building industry, which came to employ descendants of earlier coalminers. The coalmining industry was once the major employer of working men in the North East of England, with the River Tyne once being the largest coal trading shipping hub in the country[28] in the world attracting migrant workers from near and far; and then with the Tyne along with the River Clyde being a major hub for shipbuilding.[29][30][31][32][33][34]

Geordie was the most common name given to keelmen and pitmen in the early 19th century. Geordie (or "Geordy") was noted in ballads and songs as early as 1793.

Wales[35]observes that "Geordy" and "Geordie" was a common name given to pitmen in ballads and songs of the region, noting that one such turns up as early as 1793. It occurs in the titles of two songs by songwriter Joe Wilson (1841–1875): Geordy, Haud the Bairn and Keep your Feet Still, Geordie. Citing such examples as the song Geordy Black written by Rowland Harrison of Gateshead, she contends that, as a consequence of popular culture, the miner and the keelman had become icons of the region in the 19th century, and "Geordie" was a label that "affectionately and proudly reflected this", replacing the earlier ballad emblem, the figure of Bob Crankie.

A less commonly used colloquial term, specifically for people from South Shields, is Sandancer (sometimes written as Sand-Dancer or Sanddancer). The term is widely presumed to originate from the town's beach and its large Yemeni population.[citation needed] The Sand-dance was a popular music-hall act that parodied Egyptian and Arab culture as it was understood in Britain at the time.

People

(1892–1915) John Simpson Kirkpatrick. Lost son of the Gallipoli campaign in WWI,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] seen with his donkey; Ocean Road, South Shields
Main article: Famous residents of South Shields

A number of notable people have been associated with South Shields. They include Ridley Scott, William Wouldhave (creator of the lifeboat), Eric Idle, Sir Frank Williams, Ernest Thompson Seton (birthplace), Phil Brown (manager of Hull City AFC), Elinor Brent-Dyer, Catherine Cookson and Jack Brymer.

Football

Main article: South Shields F.C.

South Shields FC is the town's main football team. Originally formed during the first decade of the 20th century, the team played in the Football League during the 1920s. As of 2008, the club plays in the Northern League's first division.

Rugby

South Shields is the home of two rugby clubs; The established Westoe RFC and South Tyneside College RUFC

South Tyneside College RUFC[46] have been playing at Grosvenor Road since they were formed.

Main article: Westoe RFC

Westoe RFC has been playing on the same ground at Wood Terrace since 1875.

Politics

South Shields is a safe Labour Party Parliamentary seat, currently held by cabinet minister David Miliband, who is currently Foreign Secretary. He is seen by some as a prospective future leader of the Labour Party.[47]

The local authority (South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council) is also controlled by Labour.

The town also has a local independent political party, the Progressive Party. This broadly centre-right party was formed in the 1950s to address hostility towards the Conservative Party. The Progressives have no representation beyond South Shields. Having controlled the old County Borough of South Shields council until 1974, they still hold several seats on the borough council and have experienced a resurgence in recent years, sitting in alliance with independent members of the council.[48]

Public transport

King Street is South Shields' main shopping street, which was pedestrianised in the 1980s. The Metro station can be seen above the street.

South Shields is bounded by the A19 trunk road to the West and situated close to the Tyne Tunnel at Jarrow. The town is well connected to other areas of Tyne & Wear and to the strategic road network - the A194(M) motorway provides a direct link between the Borough and the A1/A1(M).

The Tyne and Wear Metro light rail system was introduced in the 1980s and replaced British Rail services. The Metro network serves South Tyneside, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Sunderland and Newcastle Airport. The platform at South Shields Metro Station is situated on a bridge directly above King Street - the town's main shopping area. When Metro services were introduced, the railway line at the former High Shields LNER station at Laygate was re-routed eastwards to the then-new Chichester Metro and bus interchange. The former South Shields LNER station was also closed and the Victorian buildings survived as an entrance to the Metro station until they were demolished in 1998. There are other Metro stations at Tyne Dock and Brockley Whins, while a new station at Simonside opened in early 2008. Plans by Nexus to re-open the former West Harton and Westoe mineral lines between Tyne Dock, Brockley Whins and East Boldon would create a direct rail service between South Shields and Sunderland, without the need for passengers to change trains at Pelaw in Gateshead.

There is a frequent pedestrian ferry service to North Shields on the opposite bank of the Tyne. The Shields Ferry carries tens of thousands of commuters and pleasure trippers each year. There has been a cross-river ferry service between the two towns since 1377.[49]

The Port of Tyne headquarters and international freight terminal are located at Tyne Dock in South Shields. The Port has a freight rail connection.

Local bus routes are operated by Stagecoach North East and Go North East, which are planned to integrate with Metro services.

There is a National Express coach service direct to London.

The town's extensive network of strategic footpaths and cycle routes includes the Coast to Coast cycleway and National Cycle Route 1.

  • Westoe Village 1904
    Westoe Village 1904
  • The retired ‘Tyne’ life boat in 1904; A tribute to all crewmen who served on her, some mistakenly think this is a tribute to William Wouldhave
    The retired ‘Tyne’ life boat in 1904; A tribute to all crewmen who served on her, some mistakenly think this is a tribute to William Wouldhave
  • The River Tyne Docks in 1906
    The River Tyne Docks in 1906
  • Tyne Docks 1902
    Tyne Docks 1902
  • Tyne Docks 1886
    Tyne Docks 1886
  • The sands South Shields 1903
    The sands South Shields 1903
  • King Street 1905
    King Street 1905
  • South Shields pier in 1904
    South Shields pier in 1904
  • Early 1900’s Tyne Ferry Boat
    Early 1900’s Tyne Ferry Boat
  • Not many people know South Shields once had an open air swimming pool
    Not many people know South Shields once had an open air swimming pool
  • Market Place 1904
    Market Place 1904
  • King Street 1906
    King Street 1906
  • King Street 1904
    King Street 1904
  • Early 20th century South Shields Pier
    Early 20th century South Shields Pier

See also

References

  1. ^ "Arbeia Fort and Settlement". 2005-03-07. Retrieved 2007-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ "South Shields Tyneside Tower Blocks and Togers". Time Team, Channel4. 2005-03-20. Retrieved 2008-01-17. South Shields is well known for the Roman fort of Arbeia at the end of Hadrian's Wall. A few tombstones and burials have been found here in the past hundred years, but these account for only a small fraction of the legionaries and others who must have been buried on this site.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ "Time Team Series 12 South Shields, Tyneside. Tower blocks and togas". Time Team, Channel4. 2005-03-20. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ Swanton, Michael (1996). The Anglo Saxon Chronicles. p. 287. ISBN 0-460-87737-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ "Welcome to the Parish Church of South Shields". 2005-03-07. Retrieved 2007-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ a b c "Industrial Heritage". Retrieved 2008-01-08. Other industry developments include the North and South Piers, which the foundations for were laid in 1854 and a railway was constructed. It was not until 1885 that they were completed. The Groyne Pier was built in 1882 to stop the beach being swept into the river by the incoming tide and Tyne Dock was opened in 1859 with the capacity to hold 500 vessels.
  7. ^ "Tate.org.uk - after Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851". 1823. Retrieved 2007-12-22. Shields, on the River Tyne, engraved by C.Turner 1823
  8. ^ "South Shields History". Retrieved 2007-12-23. In 1837 its well known Marine College was founded by Dr Thomas Winterbottom. Today it attracts seafaring students from all over the world, it is a leader in its class
  9. ^ a b Reed, Angela (2008-07-21). "Planetarium's future saved - with move out of town!". South Shields Gazette. Retrieved 2008-08-21. THE future of South Tyneside College's planetarium and observatory has been secured – with a move outside the borough.
  10. ^ "History of North East Press". Shields Gazette. Johnston Press. Retrieved 2007-05-20. The Gazette is the UK's oldest provincial evening newspaper and was first published in 1849.
  11. ^ BBC - Tyne - History - The King of South Shields: A knockout royal visit
  12. ^ "Tyne Salmon Trail". 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-22. Ten cubes inspired by the textures, changing colours, movement and journey of the salmon will migrate along the River Tyne, following the amazing journey of the salmon.
  13. ^ Strug, Leah (2008-07-21). "Attraction's sending art lovers fishy messages". South Shields Gazette.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^ "Dame Catherine Cookson". Retrieved 2007-12-22. 4. Sir William Fox Hotel, Westoe village, South Shields. This conservation village was the setting for many of her books including Katie Mulholland and Kate Hannigan.
  15. ^ The British Yemeni Society
  16. ^ The North East's Yemeni Race Riots
  17. ^ American Institute for Yemeni Studies
  18. ^ David Miliband MP - Maiden Speech to Parliament
  19. ^ Reed, Angela (2008-08-08). "MP backs moves to mark Muhammad Ali's South Shields visit". South Shields Gazette. Retrieved 2008-08-16. Ms Gharavi, from South Shields, creative director of Bridge + Tunnel Productions in Newcastle, said: "Mr Miliband's support for the plaque project is exciting and has brought momentum to the campaign. "I'm sure the people of South Shields will be glad to hear that it is another step closer to reality.
  20. ^ a b c d "Version 5, Change in Claimant Count / Unemployment rate in the borough". southtyneside.info. 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  21. ^ "Foreshore set for big revamp". South Shields Gazette. 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2007-12-24.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  22. ^ "College Info - Courses by Subject". South Tyneside College. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  23. ^ "ANY QUESTIONS?". South Shields Gazette. 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2008-01-19.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  24. ^ Shaw, Leah (2007-02-10). "PARENTS MEET TO DISCUSS CONCERNS OVER SUPERSCHOOL". The South Shields Gazette. Retrieved 2008-01-19. "King George V and Brinkburn schools will merge on April 16 to form South Shields Community School on split sites in Nevinson Avenue and McAnany Avenue. "Pupils will then move to Brinkburn School's buildings while a new £19m superschool, due to open in 2009 at the earliest…"{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  25. ^ Dickens, Jnr, Charles (1872). All the Year Round. new ser.:v.8. Charles Dickens. p. 487. "the engineer, a brawny Geordie from South Shields, imbued with a thoroughly English contempt for every thing foreign;" {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help))
  26. ^ "AskOxford.com". Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  27. ^ Camden Hotten, John (1869). The Slang Dictionary, Or Vulgar Words, Street Phrases And Fast Expressions of High and Low Society. John Camden Hotten. p. 142. "Geordie, general term in Northumberland and County Durham for a pitman, or coalminer. Origin not known; the term has been in use more than a century." {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help))
  28. ^ Galloway, Robert Lindsay (1882). A History of Coalmining in Great Britain. England. p. 11. Letters patent of King Edward III, IN the beginning of J;he fourteenth century the coal trade continued to thrive and grow, particularly on the Tyne {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 80 (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. ^ Norwegian shipping news: tidsskrift for skipsfart og skipsbygging. 1945. p. 949. The growth of Tyneside as a centre of industry has been co-terminus with the development of the River Tyne as a navigable highway. Coal, shipbuilding ... the United Kingdom {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 78 (help)
  30. ^ The English Illustrated Magazine. England. 1886. p. 74. The Tyne and the Clyde, the greatest shipbuilding rivers in the country... {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  31. ^ Pickles, Herbert (1921). Geography: The New World Geographies. England. p. 50. Since those days Tyne coal has been sent to almost all parts of the world. One of the chief industries supported by this coalfield is shipbuilding {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 76 (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  32. ^ The Dock and Harbour Authority. 1920. p. 176. Whilst the Tyne has long been recognised as the premier coal shipping port in the United Kingdom {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 79 (help)
  33. ^ Shipbuilding: The Shipping World and Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering News. England. 1964. p. 284. The Tyne continued to be the largest coal shipping centre in the country and, he believed, in the world. Coke shipments showed a large increase, ... {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 82 (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  34. ^ Pollock, David H. (1884). Shipbuilding: Modern Shipbuilding and the Men Engaged in it: A Review of Recent Progress. England. p. 184. natural wealth in the form of coal and ores. What may now fairly be considered the great centres of shipbuilding are the valleys of the Clyde, Tyne {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 80 (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  35. ^ Katie Wales (2006). Northern English: A Cultural and Social History. Cambridge University Press. pp. 134–136. ISBN 0521861071.
  36. ^ "Not Only A Hero, An Illustrated Life of Simpson, the Man with the Donkey". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  37. ^ "Not Only A Hero, Tyneside". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  38. ^ "Not Only A Hero, Jack in Australia". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  39. ^ "Not Only A Hero, Training". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  40. ^ "Not Only A Hero, The Landing". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  41. ^ "Not Only A Hero, The Donkey". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  42. ^ "Not Only A Hero, The Clown Prince". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  43. ^ "Not Only A Hero, Anzac Cove". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  44. ^ "Not Only A Hero, May 19th". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  45. ^ "Not Only A Hero, Monuments to Jack Simpson". Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  46. ^ "South Tyneside College RFC". Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  47. ^ 2005 General Election results - South Shields
  48. ^ "South Tyneside Alliance". Politics. southtynesidealliance.info. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  49. ^ "Ferry gets first woman boss in 700 years". Shields Gazette. Johnston Press. 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2008-08-16. There has been a ferry service between North Shields and South Shields since 1377.
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