South Shields, South Tyneside, England, United Kingdom

History

๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ South Shields is a coastal town at the mouth of the River Tyne, about 3.7 miles downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. Historically part of County Durham, it became part of Tyne and Wear in 1974. The town is the third largest in Tyneside. It is part of the metropolitan borough of South Tyneside which includes the towns of Jarrow and Hebburn.

History The first evidence of a settlement within what is now the town of South Shields dates from pre-historic times. Stone Age arrow heads and an Iron Age round house have been discovered on the site of Arbeia Roman Fort. The Roman garrison built a fort here around AD 160 and expanded it around AD 208 to help supply their soldiers along Hadrian's Wall as they campaigned north beyond the Antonine Wall. Divisions living at the fort included Tigris bargemen (from Persia and modern day Iraq), infantry from Iberia and Gaul, and Syrian archers and spearmen. The fort was abandoned as the Roman Empire declined in the fourth century AD. Many ruins still exist today and some structures have been rebuilt as part of a modern museum and popular tourist attraction.

There is evidence that the site was used in the early post-Roman period as a British settlement. It is believed it became a royal residence of King Osric of Deira; records show that his son Oswin was born within 'Caer Urfa', by which name the fort is thought to be known after the Romans left. Furthermore, Bede records Oswin giving a parcel of land to St Hilda for the foundation of a monastery here in c.โ€‰647; the present-day church of St Hilda, by the Market Place, is said to stand on the monastic site.

In the ninth century, Scandinavian peoples made Viking raids on monasteries and settlements all along the coast, and later conquered the Anglian Kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia, who hailed from Angelnen in Denmark (modern day Germany). It is said in local folklore that a Viking ship was wrecked at Herd Sands in South Shields in its attempts to disembark at a cove nearby. Other Viking ships were uncovered in South Shields Denmark Centre and nearby Jarrow.

The current town was founded in 1245 and developed as a fishing port. The name South Shields developed from the 'Schele' or 'Shield', which was a small dwelling used by fishermen. Another industry that was introduced, was that of salt-panning, later expanded upon in the 15th century, polluting the air and surrounding land. In 1864, a Tyne Commissioners dredger brought up a nine-pounder breech-loading cannon; more cannonballs have been found in the sands beside the Lawe; these artifacts belonged to the English civil war. At the outbreak of the war in 1642, the North, West and Ireland supported the King; the South East and Presbyterian Scotland supported Parliament. In 1644 Parliament's Scottish Covenanter allies, in a lengthy battle, seized the town and its Royalist fortification, the fortification was close to the site of the original Roman fort. They also seized the town of Newburn. These raids were done to aid their ongoing siege of the heavily fortified Newcastle upon Tyne, and in a bid to control the River Tyne, and the North, and the Shields siege helped cause their battalions to maneuver south to York; this may have also led to a brief winter skirmish on the outskirts of Boldon, though the topography is not favourable for a battle.

In the 19th century, coal mining, alkaline production and glass making led to a boom in the town. The population increased from 12,000 in 1801 to 75,000 by the 1860s, bolstered by economic migration from Ireland, Scotland and other parts of England. These industries played a fundamental part in creating wealth both regionally and nationally. In 1832, with the Great Reform Act, South Shields and Gateshead were each given their own Member of Parliament and became boroughs, resulting in taxes being paid to the Government instead of the Bishops of Durham. However, the rapid growth in population brought on by the expansion of industry made sanitation a problem, as evident by Cholera outbreaks and the building of the now-listed Cleadon Water Tower to combat the problem. In the 1850s 'The Tyne Improvement Commission' began to develop the river, dredging it to make it deeper and building the large, impressive North and South Piers to help prevent silt build up within the channel. Shipbuilding (along with coal mining), previously a monopoly of the Freemen of Newcastle, became another prominent industry in the town, with John Readhead & Sons Shipyard the largest.

During World War I, German Zeppelin airships bombed South Shields in 1916. Later during World War II, the German Luftwaffe repeatedly attacked the town and caused massive damage to industries which supported the war effort, killing many innocent residents. Particularly, a bomb shelter in the market place of South Shields, where the deceased were commemorated in a cobblestone of the British flag. Later controversially removed and the bodies interred elsewhere. Gradually throughout the late 20th century, the coal and shipbuilding industries were closed, due to competitive pressures from more cost-effective sources of energy (including workers) and more efficient shipbuilding elsewhere in Eastern Europe (e.g. Poland) and in South East Asia. In the 21st century, the local economy primarily includes port-related, ship repair and offshore industries, manufacturing, retail (nearby Newcastle, Durham, Washington and Sunderland), the public sector and the ever-increasing role of tourism. This is illustrated by the new multi-million Haven centre, Dunes centre and seaside improvements in the coastal area and a new multimillion-pound library The Word.

Geography

Frenchman's Bay: much of the South Shields' coastline is undeveloped, in part as a result of natural sea 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 North and South 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 Cleadon Hills down to the river. Cleadon Hills are made conspicuous by the Victorian Cleadon Water Tower and pumping station (opened in 1860 to improve sanitation) and a now derelict windmill, both of which are listed and can be seen from many miles away and also out at sea.

South Shields boasts extensive beaches, sand dunes and coves, as well as dramatic Magnesian Limestone cliffs with grassy areas above known as The Leas, which cover three miles of the coastline and are a National Trust protected area. Marsden Bay, with its famous Marsden Rock and historic Grotto public house and restaurant set in the cliffs, is home to one of the largest seabird colonies in Britain.

One of the most historic parts of the town is the quaint and beautiful Westoe village, which consists of a quiet street of first grade and second grade Georgian and Victorian houses, many of which had been built by business leaders from the coal and shipping industries in the town. Given its beautiful setting, parks and trees, this street was often the setting for a number of books by the novelist Catherine Cookson. 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 to the south on the main route towards Cleadon and Sunderland.

South Shields, South Tyneside, England, United Kingdom 
<b>South Shields, South Tyneside, England, United Kingdom</b>
Image: Chabe01

South Shields has a population of over 76,862 people. South Shields also forms the centre of the wider South Tyneside district which has a population of over 150,265 people. It is also a part of the larger Tyneside Region. It is estimated there are around 2,030 businesses in South Shields.

To set up a UBI Lab for South Shields see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Twin Towns, Sister Cities South Shields has links with:

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท ร‰pinay-sur-Seine, France ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Noisy-le-Sec, France ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Wuppertal, Germany
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license

  • Charles Tamlin Ruthen |

    ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ Architect Charles Tamlin Ruthen is associated with South Shields. He was a member of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Sanitary Institute.

  • John Wilson Hays |

    ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Architect John Wilson Hays is associated with South Shields. During World War One Hays served in the Army and attained the rank of Captain.

  • Larmont Douglas Penman |

    ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Architect Larmont Douglas Penman is associated with South Shields. Penman was elected a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (LRIBA) in 1912.

  • Edward Cratney |

    ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Architect Edward Cratney is associated with South Shields. He was elected a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1912.

  • Matthew Horner Graham |

    ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Architect Matthew Horner Graham is associated with South Shields.

Antipodal to South Shields is: 178.583,-54.983

Antipodal to: South Shields 178.583,-54.983

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Dunedin 170.474,-45.884 d: 18853.3  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Christchurch 172.617,-43.517 d: 18669.7  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Invercargill 168.373,-46.413 d: 18823.8  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Canterbury 171.58,-43.543 d: 18646.9  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Queenstown 168.658,-45.033 d: 18703.6  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Wellington 174.767,-41.283 d: 18466.2  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Hutt 174.917,-41.217 d: 18460.8  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Lower Hutt 174.917,-41.217 d: 18460.8  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Upper Hutt 175.05,-41.133 d: 18453.3  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Masterton 175.664,-40.95 d: 18439.9  

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