North Shields
North Shields shown within Tyne and Wear
Population	10,652 (Ward)
OS grid reference	NZ3568
Metropolitan borough	North Tyneside
Metropolitan county	Tyne and Wear
Region	North East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTH SHIELDS
Postcode district	NE29, NE30
Dialling code	0191
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Tyne and Wear
Ambulance	North East
European Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	North Tyneside
List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear

Coordinates: 55°00′35″N 1°26′41″W / 55.0097, -1.4448

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. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government North Tyneside is a Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear in the North East of England. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one North-East England is one of the nine official Regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The NE postcode area, also known as the Newcastle upon Tyne postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Alnwick, Ashington, Bamburgh The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Northumbria Police is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in England. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, formerly Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade is the Statutory fire and rescue service covering the The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NEAS is the authority responsible for providing NHS Ambulance services in North East England, covering North East England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election North Tyneside is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of cities, Towns and Villages in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The River Tyne is a River in England. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers the North Tyne and the South Tyne. North Tyneside is a Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear in the North East of England. North-East England is one of the nine official Regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear It is located eight miles (13 km) east of Newcastle upon Tyne. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England

Its name derives from Middle English schele meaning 'temporary sheds or huts (used by fishermen)',^[1] and still today, the area is synonymous with fishing and other trades associated with seafaring. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking culturing processing preserving storing transporting marketing or selling fish or fish products

Industry

North Shields used to have a colliery at Percy Main. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. Percy Main Metro station is a Station on the Yellow line of the Tyne and Wear Metro in the village of Percy Main, in North Tyneside, 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. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Coal mining is the extraction or removal of Coal from the Earth by Mining. See also Shipbuilding (song. Shipbuilding is the construction of Ships It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a A business park or business estate is an area of land in which many Office buildings are grouped together An industrial estate is an area of land set aside for industrial development. An industrial estate is an area of land set aside for industrial development. 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. } Atmel Corporation ( is a manufacturer of Semiconductors, founded in 1984. Orange is the brand used by France Telecom for its Mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries A call centre or call center (see spelling differences) is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by The town's association with the early days of the railways is recognised at the Stephenson Railway Museum near The Silverlink. The Stephenson Railway Museum is managed by Tyne and Wear Museums on behalf on North Tyneside Council, and is located at Middle Engine Lane in North Shields

History

The Fish Quay looking towards the mouth of the river with the Low Light in the centre

The Fish Quay looking westwards with the High Light above

The history of North Shields starts in 1225 when the Prior of 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. This article concerns itself with the village For the Parliament constituency of the same name see Tynemouth (UK Parliament constituency Tynemouth 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 had 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 Hostmen of Newcastle upon Tyne were a Cartel of businessmen who formed a monopoly to control the export of Coal from the River Tyne in ^[2]

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. ^[2]

Statue of Stan Laurel in Dockwray Square

In the Twentieth Century Stan Laurel lived at a house in Dockwray Square for a few years, before he became famous. Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; June 16, 1890 &ndash February 23, 1965) was an English comic actor writer The square has since been re-developed and a statue of Stan Laurel stands in the middle to commemorate his stay there. ^[2]

In 1847 a rail link to Newcastle was established when a railway station was established in Oxford Street, off Tynemouth Road. Eventually, it was replaced by a new station further away from the river after new rail lines were developed. The parish church of North Shields, Christ Church, was originally built in 1658 and was re-built in sandstone in 1792. At the time the church was surrounded by countryside as the spreading town had not yet reached that far. The church can still be seen today. ^[2]

Because of the difficulty of navigating ships into the mouth of the river past the dangerous Black Midden rocks, buildings were erected with permanent lights burning to be used as a guide by the mariners. The first of these was the Old High Beacon, built in 1727. In 1802 this was replaced by the High and Low Lights, placed respectively at the top and bottom of the steep bank alongside the river. The Old High Beacon, as well as the High and Low Lights, still exist today as private residences. In 1806 a market place was opened on New Quay. In 1870 work began on constructing a fish quay to provide shelter for the docked fishing boats. This quay is still in use today. ^[2]

Clifford's Fort, located on the Fish Quay, was built in the 17th century as a coastal defence against the Dutch. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Fort also played a role during the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions The site of the fort was used to build new fish processing facilities and very little now remains of the original fort. ^[2]

From an early period there were shipyards in North Shields. The smaller yards built the 'Northumbrian Coble', a small inshore fishing vessel with a lug sail, well known in the Nort East. Larger yards built wooden sailing collier brigs, used to transport local coal to London. Eventually these small yards were replaced by larger yards such as the Tyne Dock and Engineering Company and the Smith's Dock Company. These yards produced iron vessels for various uses, including fishing and the coal trade. In later years the North Shields yards were used for ship repair work, but eventually the last of the yards closed and there are none now in North Shields. ^[2]

The latest Wooden Doll at Custom House Quay

An interesting part of the history of North Shields is that of the “Wooden Dollies”. In 1814 the female figurehead of a collier brig was placed at the entrance to Custom House Quay, on Liddell Street, and stood there until 1850, when it was vandalised. A second figurehead was placed on the same spot. The “Wooden Dolly”, as the figurehead was known, was used by seafarers as a source of good-luck charms, by cutting pieces of wood from her to be taken with them on voyages. Eventually the figurehead was defaced beyond repair and after 14 years was replaced by Wooden Dolly No. 3. This remained until 1901 when it was replaced with Wooden Dolly No. 4 in the shape of a fishwife. A fifth Wooden Dolly, also a fishwife, was placed in Northumberland Square in 1958 and still remains there. In 1992 a sixth Wooden Dolly, was placed where the first four had been, at the entrance to Custom House Quay, and can still be seen there, next to the Prince of Wales public house. ^[3]

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 did not 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. Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England 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' (pronounced /ˈræfiːz/) by its students. High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution In modern usage a cottage is a dwelling typically in a rural or semi-rural location (although there are cottage-style dwellings in cities A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. 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. ^[4]

Admiral Lord Collingwood had a large mansion built in North Shields. Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood 1st Baron Collingwood ( 26 September 1748 &ndash 7 March 1810) was an Admiral of the 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. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the Elderly. Collingwood was originally from Newcastle and fought with Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar. The Battle of Trafalgar ( 21 October 1805) was a historic sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the Without Collingwood, Nelson could not have won that battle, and a large monument in his honour overlooks the River Tyne at Tynemouth. The River Tyne is a River in England. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers the North Tyne and the South Tyne. This article concerns itself with the village For the Parliament constituency of the same name see Tynemouth (UK Parliament constituency Tynemouth However, he never spent one night in the house he had built in North Shields, so consequently the house was not considered a listed building.

The town has recently undergone an extensive regeneration programme which has seen the revitalisation of the redundant Albert Edward docks. Urban Renewal (similar to Urban Regeneration in British English) is a controversial U A dock (from Dutch 'dok' is a man-made feature involved in the handling of boats or ships 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. See List of waterparks (for a list of all waterparks in the world A waterpark is an Amusement park that features waterplay areas such For other uses of this word see Marina (disambiguation. A marina is a sheltered Harbor where Boats and Yachts Royal Quays is an area of North Shields. It is on the site of former docks and contains the pre-existing North Shields International Ferry Terminal 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. North Shields Fish Quay a fishing port located close to the mouth of the River Tyne, in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, North East England, eight 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. Mark di Suvero (born as Marco Polo di Suvero) is an American Abstract expressionist sculptor born in Shanghai, China in 1933

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. The Tyne and Wear Metro is a metro system serving stations in Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside North Tyneside and Sunderland, Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England Newcastle Airport is located in Newcastle upon Tyne, about 6 Miles (11 km) north-west of the city centre Sunderland (, or /ˈsʌn(dlən/ is a City in Tyne and Wear, England. A half-hourly ferry service connects the North Shields Fish Quay to the town of South Shields on the opposite bank of the Tyne. North Shields Fish Quay a fishing port located close to the mouth of the River Tyne, in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, North East England, eight South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. The River Tyne is a River in England. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers the North Tyne and the South Tyne.

An international ferry terminal, the only one in the region, is based at Royal Quays and provides connections to Norway, and The Netherlands. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

The ferry service to Gothenburg, Sweden (run by the Danish company DFDS Seaways), ceased operation at the end of October 2006. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe DFDS A/S, an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (literally The United Steamship Company) is a Danish Shipping company. ^[5] 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. Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train,

Famous residents past and present

• Hastings Kamuzu Banda - Physician and dictator of Malawi
• Sir Byrom Bramwell - Physician and neurologist
• Thomas Burt - Miner and Member of Parliament
• John Chambers - Artist
• Myles Birket Foster - Artist
• William Harbutt - Inventor of plasticine
• Stan Laurel - Famous film comedian
• Thomas Walter Manson - Biblical scholar
• Ernest Procter - Painter, husband of Dod Procter
• Victor Noble Rainbird - Watercolour artist
• Pauline M. Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1896? – 25 November 1997) was the leader of Malawi, from 1961 to 1994 Thomas Burt ( 12 November 1837 &ndash 12 April 1922) was a British Trade unionist and one of the first working-class John Chambers (born 9 January 1852, South Shields — died 10 July 1928, North Shields) Myles Birket Foster, ( February 4 1825 London &ndash March 27 1899 London) was an English Illustrator and William Harbutt ( 13 February[[ 844]] - 1 June[[ 921]] was the inventor of Plasticine. Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; June 16, 1890 &ndash February 23, 1965) was an English comic actor writer Victor Noble Rainbird ( 12 December 1887 – 1936 was a painter, Stained glass artist and Illustrator. Schofield - Educationalist
• George and Robert Stephenson (father and son) - pioneering engineers
• Neil Tennant - Musician
• Henry Treece - Poet, novelist and teacher
• Hilton Valentine - Musician
• Ian Watson - Prize-winning science fiction author
• Steve Watson - Premiership Footballer
• Robert Westall - Prize-winning children's author
• Alan Young - Actor
• Paul Van Zandvliet - Premiership Rugby Player (Newcastle Falcons)

References

See also

• North Shields Metro station

External links

• North Shields Football Club
• North Shields Rugby Football Club
• Views of North Shields