50-516: Percy Main is a small village absorbed into North Shields , North East England . Historically in Northumberland , it is now part of Tyne and Wear . It is named after the colliery belonging to the Percy family, which was located just south of the railway, near St. John's church. The colliery was sunk in 1799 & went to a depth of 247 metres to the renowned Main seam, which was considered
100-544: A USD. In September 2020, the North Tyneside Council published prospective plans for regeneration of the town centre, which include developing a distinctive route to the Fish Quay, pedestrianisation of key streets, consolidation of retail units, creation of a town square, renovation of Northumberland Square and the establishment of a transport hub. At the time of publication, the plan was not financed and
150-420: A community festival was organised on the fish quay, during which the fleet of fishing boats would be blessed and various local talents would entertain the crowds. At its peak, the festival attracted 600,000 visitors. A smaller-scale family festival, in order to save costs, was held annually between 2002 and 2006, before it too was scrapped as a money-saving measure. Norham High School Norham High School
200-458: A half south west of the centre of North Shields. The hamlet of East Howdon is almost immediately south. The large Meadow Well estate borders the village to the north. The portion of the estate south of the Metro line, and to the east of Percy Main, was redeveloped as Riverside Park in the early 1990s. The Royal Quays Outlet Centre and Northumbrian Water's treatment works lie between the village and
250-504: A new fleet in late 2021. Originally intended to be a temporary measure, upgrades to the Metro system around South Shields may mean the depot is made a permanent feature. Go Ahead Group has a bus depot on Norham Road and a number of its services pass through the village. Film directors and brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott formed their first film production company under the name Percy Main Productions. Their father grew up in
300-533: A railway station was built 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 riverside tracks were removed for the creation of Hadrian's Way , part of the national cycle network, but the remaining tracks were absorbed in the Tyne and Wear Metro system in 1982. The town centre station , originally constructed for
350-560: A result of the riots, the local housing was gradually improved by the council over the next three years through demolition and rebuilding, as well as renovation. A number of community development organisations, including the Cedarwood Trust, Meadow Well Connected and the Phoenix Detached Youth Project, have worked in the area for many years. The film Dream On (1991) is set on the estate. Following
400-627: A result. Work on the development recommenced in January 2021. In 1887, the town's businesses were listed as a marine engine, chain cable and anchor manufacturer, shipbuilding yards, roperies, salt-works, and an earthenware and stained glass manufacturer. Fishing was also a major industry of employment. The Smith's Dock Company was another major employer for many years, eventually closing in 1987. Shipyards have been in existence in North Shields since near its founding. The smaller yards built
450-464: A three-tiered system: North Shields has a number of churches and religious groups: Many are members of the ecumenical Churches Together in North Shields, itself a member of Churches Together in England . Both are associate members of Churches Together in North Shields. In 2009, seating inspired by Plasticine , the inventor of which was born in North Shields, was installed on Bedford Street in
500-614: A year, larger premises were needed. Meetings moved to 53 Tyne Street, North Shields and in 1879 to Camden Street, North Shields. In 1920 the YMCA moved to a building in Bedford Street (which is still owned by the YMCA and now occupied by the Citizens Advice Bureau) where it remained until 1938, when it moved to the present building and the current registered office at Church Way, North Shields. Between 1987 and 2001,
550-475: Is Grade II listed . Designed by Anthony Salvin , it is built in sandstone and was re-ordered around 2000, to incorporate use as a community centre. Located on St John's Terrace, the church shares a vicar with the nearby St Peter's, on the Balkwell estate. The contemporary vicarage, at the junction of Waterville Road and Norham Road, was sold in the 1940s and converted into a pub , now The Redburn. A new vicarage
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#1732782584941600-637: Is first recorded in 1225, when the Prior of Tynemouth , Germanus, 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 supplied 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
650-400: Is located a little to the north. In 2016, a full Ofsted inspection found that the school Requires Improvement, however this was downgraded to inadequate in 2018, leading to its placement in special measures . A monitoring inspection the following year confirmed that the remedial action was having a positive result, though the school remains in special measures. The village is around a mile and
700-641: The Meadow Well riots , in July 1992 the Government granted £37.5 million over five years to regenerate that area of the town, as part of the City Challenge scheme. An extensive regeneration programme costing £16 million saw the revitalisation of the redundant Albert Edward docks . Across an 80 hectare area, the former Tyne and Wear Development Corporation partnered with North Tyneside Council and
750-542: The 1960s, and again in the 1990s. A statue of Laurel stands in the middle to commemorate his stay there. The land on which the new town was built was largely owned by the Earl of Carlisle. In 1796, John Wright produced plans that included a grand processional way, now Howard Street, leading to the Georgian Northumberland Square. A railway tunnel, built in the 1840s, left the west and south sides of
800-561: The Court were used to construct a hall to the rear of the church. The 2000 re-ordering included re-cladding of the original brickwork, obscuring this. The village, at one time, also had primitive Methodist and Baptist chapels, though these no longer exist. Percy Main Primary School is located in the village. After a short inspection by Ofsted in 2016, the school was rated as Good. Norham High School , providing secondary education,
850-574: The Newcastle and North Shields Railway around 1840. It closed on 11 August 1980 to allow conversion for the Metro, before re-opening on 14 November 1982. In 2020, Nexus constructed a new depot for the Tyne and Wear Metro on a former landfill site immediately to the east of the village. The depot will house rolling stock while the South Gosforth Traction Maintenance Depot is reconstructed in anticipation of
900-589: The Newcastle and North Shields Railway, was redeveloped between 1980 and 1982 for the Metro. It was subsequently refurbished in 2012. 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 town is also served by stations in Percy Main and Meadow Well . The Tyneside Tramways and Tramroads Company also operated an electric tramway service in
950-715: The North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wear: its historic administration was as part of the Castle ward in county of Northumberland . It was part of the Tynemouth County Borough; when abolished in 1974, the borough became an unparished area . It is on the northern bank of the River Tyne , opposite to South Shields on the other bank. The name derives from Middle English schele meaning "temporary sheds or huts used by fishermen". North Shields
1000-808: The Northumberland and Tyneside Senior Cricket League, with their next door neighbours Percy Main Amateurs F.C. playing at Purvis Park in the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division. A hedge separates the two teams. The village's main and only modern-day railway station is the Percy Main Metro station . The original footbridge from the station is preserved at the National Railway Museum , York . A passenger station opened on
1050-635: The Northumbrian coble , a small inshore fishing vessel with a lug sail , well known in the North 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
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#17327825849411100-600: The Ridges Estate – a name occasionally used today – since it was built on the site of the Ridges farm. Its present name is derived from a well situated in a meadow upon which the estate was built. On Monday, 9 September 1991, Meadow Well was featured heavily in the news across the UK as riots broke out which continued for three days. Many properties were damaged, cars burned out and the local community centre burned down. As
1150-498: The River Tyne. Redburn Park Medical Centre is located just to the north of the Metro station. 54°59′53″N 1°28′30″W / 54.998°N 1.475°W / 54.998; -1.475 North Shields North Shields ( / ʃ iː l z / SHEELZ ) is a town in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear , England. It is 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth . Since 1974, it has been in
1200-594: The Transport Hub development in September 2023. A large council estate, Meadow Well (alternatively spelt Meadowell or Meadowwell on local signs) to the west of the town, was constructed in the 1930s to house residents displaced by the clearance of the Dockwray Square and Low Town slum areas. These flats were replaced with better quality homes in the 1960s and 70s. Meadow Well was formerly known as
1250-446: The Tyne, resisted the export of this commodity from North Shields. The town was originated on a narrow strip of land alongside the river (around the present-day Clive Street) because of the steep bank which hemmed it in. Eventually becoming overcrowded, in the 18th century buildings began to be erected on the plateau 60 feet (20 m) above the old unsanitary dwellings alongside the river. Prosperous businessmen and shipowners occupied
1300-512: The best coal for household use. The village grew up around it to serve the pit, which eventually closed in 1895. In 1872, the population was recorded as 3,953, residing in 786 houses. The inhabitants worked mainly in the neighbouring docks and other industries. During World War II , children from the village were evacuated to Hexham , Northumberland. Sport is popular in the village, with Percy Main Cricket Club playing at St John's Green in
1350-499: The coal trade. In later years the North Shields yards were used for ship repair work, with Smith's dock surviving until the 1990s. None of these yards remain. Esso formerly had an oil terminal on the banks of the Tyne, off Howdon Road. In April 1994, a bomb planted by the IRA exploded tearing a 3-foot square hole in one of the tanks. A second device, which did not detonate, was later found nearby. Six hundred gallons of crude oil leaked from
1400-460: The council sought the views of local residents and business owners. In summer 2020, work was being completed on the refurbishment of the terraced row to the north of Northumberland Square, as well as the development of a newly built row of homes on nearby Albion Road. The newly restored Wooden Dolly was also returned to the Square. A new square, adjacent to Bedford Street, was completed as part of
1450-411: The end of October 2006. DFDS Seaways' sister company, DFDS Tor Line, continues to run scheduled freight ships between Gothenburg and several English ports, including Newcastle, but these have limited capacity for passengers and do not carry private vehicles. The passenger terminal regularly welcomes tourists travelling on cruises that call at North Shields as an access point for Newcastle upon Tyne and
1500-399: 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 1,000. The burgesses of Newcastle upon Tyne were determined to preserve the custom rights that they had enjoyed up till then, which covered the whole length of the river. They successfully petitioned the king in 1290 and managed to suspend trade from
1550-536: The local council announced plans to consider the feasibility of moving the ferry landing. In July 2021 it was announced that the planned relocation was delayed until 2023. From the International Ferry Terminal, based at Royal Quays, the Danish company DFDS Seaways operates a daily service to IJmuiden . The ferry service to Gothenburg , Sweden (run by DFDS Seaways), ceased operation at
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1600-464: The main shopping thoroughfare of Bedford Street in order to better link the areas and decrease the dominance of motor vehicles. In 2017, North Tyneside Council granted planning permission for up to 400 new homes on formerly industrial land to the west of Norham Road. In April 2020, the developer, Miller Homes, announced that work had been halted by the Covid-19 pandemic and that plans may be altered as
1650-469: 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 at local saltpans. For a considerable period the Newcastle burgesses, known as the Hostmen , who controlled the export of coal from
1700-422: The new town whereas 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 surrounded by slum dwellings, and although the houses have since been cleared the stairs remain. One of the first developments of the new town was Dockwray Square, built in 1763, a set of elegant town houses that
1750-563: The plant is now demolished apart from the office building, now home to Cobalt Business Exchange. Cobalt 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 on Middle Engine Lane near The Silverlink. Potts Print , based in Cramlington since 2006, was originally founded in North Shields in 1875. They occupied various sites in
1800-501: The private sector to provide a mix of housing, leisure facilities, office space and industrial sites. The Wet N Wild indoor water park , an outlet shopping centre , a bowling alley, a soccer dome and a marina formed the centrepiece to the Royal Quays development to the west of the town. Mark di Suvero's Tyne Anew (1999), his only large-scale public artwork in the UK, can be seen at Albert Edward Dock. The shopping centre
1850-486: The square largely unfinished, until a 1960s library building was constructed, somewhat out of keeping with the rest of the architecture. In 1844–45, John Dobson built the town hall , on the corner of Howard and Saville Streets. The town is bounded to the north by Whitley Bay and to the south by the River Tyne . The town of Tynemouth is to its east and the A19 road marks the boundary between North Shields and Wallsend to
1900-493: The tank, but was caught in a channel designed to prevent leakages. A second explosion occurred in June 1994, perpetrated by the same bombers. With its fishing industry and shipbuilding history, a number of maritime related companies remain in the town. John Lilley and Gillie Ltd , a marine equipment manufacturer is headquartered there. Collieries in the town were located at three of the outlying villages since incorporated into
1950-585: The town centre. The seats proved unpopular as their shape prevented rainwater draining off, so they were replaced by more traditional metal benches and moved to the Royal Quays Marina in 2011. YMCA North Tyneside was founded in 1870 and was originally known as The Borough of Tynemouth YMCA. After an inaugural meeting on 7 June 1879, weekly meetings followed in the Sons of Temperance Hall, Norfolk Street, North Shields. The YMCA grew in popularity. Within
2000-419: The town over the years. Spicers has a large factory in the town, producing tea. It bought the site from Twinings in 2012. Donald Campbell 's Bluebird K7 , which crashed during a water speed record attempt on Coniston Water , was restored in a workshop in the town by local engineer Bill Smith. The Newcastle and North Shields Railway opened in 1839. In 1847, the railway was extended to Tynemouth when
2050-462: The town, at Preston , at the location of the present cemetery gates, Percy Main and New York . Following the demise of coal mining and shipbuilding in the area, several business parks , industrial estates and trading estates were established providing alternative employment. The biggest of these are The Silverlink and Cobalt Park , the UK's largest office park. Atmel had a plant located at Silverlink, previously occupied by Siemens but
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2100-433: The town. A half-hourly ferry service connects North Shields to the town of South Shields on the opposite bank of the Tyne . The present Shields Ferry was established in 1972. Its first female skipper was appointed in 2016. Shieldsman , a former ferry retired in 2007, has since been moved to Shoreham, West Sussex, and transformed into a houseboat. From June to October, river trips by ferry operate. In November 2018,
2150-450: The village. Thelma & Louise is a notable film during this time. In 1996 they renamed their production company to Scott Free, and finally to Scott Free Productions . Percy Main is part of a Church of England parish that also includes Meadow Well , East Howdon and the Royal Quays . The parish church, Tynemouth Percy St John, was built for the Duke of Northumberland in 1862, and
2200-481: The west of the town. It is part of the North Tyneside conurbation . Over the years, North Shields has grown from a small fishing village to incorporate the nearby areas of Chirton, Preston , Billy Mill, Percy Main , East Howdon and Marden estate. The 2011 definition of the town of Tynemouth includes North Shields, which means a population figure can only be given as a combination of wards rather than as
2250-488: The wider North East of England. In 2017, 52 ships docked, bringing 120,000 visitors to the region. A number of "dudes" - red and blue powder coated figures designed by artist Perminder Kaur - can be seen on a grassy mound at the entrance to the terminal. A transport interchange, adjacent to the Metro station, opened in September 2023. It was the first council building in the borough to be fully carbon-neutral in its construction and operation. The town's schools are part of
2300-412: The working quay. In November 2018, North Tyneside Council announced plans for further development to enhance the area as a food and drink destination. The site of the former Smith's Docks was acquired by the developer Places For People in 2007. In January 2015 they sought planning permission for the construction of homes on the site. The first of those homes, including some designed by George Clarke ,
2350-463: Was built adjacent to the church. The Diocese of Newcastle 's main administrative office is located at Church House, formerly Percy St John's Primary School. The religious resources centre the diocese shares with the Diocese of Durham is also on the site. The earlier school it replaced was located on the site of St John's Court, immediately to the north of the church. Excess bricks from the building of
2400-454: Was populated by wealthy families. Due to the poor provision of water and drainage facilities, however, the wealthy families soon moved to the more central part of the new town, and particularly the new Northumberland Square. Dockwray Square eventually deteriorated into slums. In the early twentieth century Stan Laurel lived at a house in Dockwray Square for a few years, before he became famous. The square has since been re-developed, initially in
2450-555: Was rebranded by new owners as the Newcastle Quays Retail in early 2024. The centre had declined over a number of years prior to the former owner being placed into administration in 2023. Similarly, major regeneration of the Fish Quay , on the riverside 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 alongside
2500-575: Was sold in 2017 and as of April 2018, work continues on the site. The second phase, the Smokehouses, was completed in autumn 2018. Having been awarded £900,000 through the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme, North Tyneside Council plans to add £1 million additional funding to revive the conservation area around Howard Street and Northumberland Square. It will also see work done on the streetscape connecting to
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