Mouth of the Tyne
History/Introduction
North Shields or 'Shields' name derives from Middle English 'schele' meaning 'temporary sheds or huts (used by fishermen)', and still today, the area is synonymous with fishing and other trades associated with seafaring. North Shields used to have a colliery at Percy Main. Following the demise of fishing, coal-mining and ship-building in the area, several business parks, industrial estates and trading estates have been established to provide alternative employment. Recently 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.
Tynemouth is a village and historic centre right at the mouth of the river, a neighbour to North Shields. Tynemouth was a settlement from Iron Age times. Tynemouth Priory stands next to the castle remains and its east wall is one of the finest Early English compositions in the country. Nikolaus Pevsner includes it in his hundred best buildings of England. The Priory ruins are maintained by English Heritage and are open to the public. Tynemouth is popular locally for its beaches. Longsands is wide and sandy, with rolling surf. In recent years it has become a well known surfing beach, and has hosted international surfing competitions. King Edward's Bay is a smaller, more secluded beach next to the priory.
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. The town was once famous for its shipyards, its coal mines, its salt pans and glassmaking. Today, the town relies largely on service industries, leisure and retail, while many residents commute to work in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside and Sunderland. South Shields 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. 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.
Transport
The mouth of the River is 8 miles east of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
The Tyne and Wear Metro links North Shields to Newcastle city centre, and to other destinations in Tyne and Wear including Whitley Bay, Newcastle Airport, and Sunderland.
A half-hourly ferry service connects the North Shields Fish Quay to the town of South Shields on the opposite bank of the Tyne.
An international ferry terminal, the only one in the region, is based at Royal Quays and provides connections to Norway, and The Netherlands.
