Corn Mill. Its location suggests that it was a Windmill.

Ballast Hill, South Shields. Many ships coming to the Tyne to load coal entered the river 'light' or 'in ballast'. This means that no cargo was being carried. In the absence of cargo, the ballast gives the vessel stability. Ships returning from London coal voyages often carried shingle or chalk as ballast. Sand and other materials were also used. Over the centuries, great hills of ballast grew along both banks of the Tyne. There were substantial ballast hills near Bill Point Walker, Willington Quay, Hebburn, Jarrow and North and South Shields. Ships were charged fees to unload their ballast. By the early 1820s this was about 20p per ton. To avoid the fee some masters resorted to the dangerous act of discharging ballast before entering harbour. One estimate suggests that some 20% of all imported ballast ended up in the river, risking the Tyne silting up.

Ballast Hill, the extent of which is unclear from the 1st edition OS mapping. Many ships coming to the Tyne to load coal entered the river 'light' or 'in ballast'. This means that no cargo was being carried. In the absence of cargo, the ballast gives the vessel stability. Ships returning from London coal voyages often carried shingle or chalk as ballast. Sand and other materials were also used. Over the centuries, great hills of ballast grew along both banks of the Tyne. There were substantial ballast hills near Bill Point Walker, Willington Quay, Hebburn, Jarrow and North and South Shields. Ships were charged fees to unload their ballast. By the early 1820s this was about 20p per ton. To avoid the fee some masters resorted to the dangerous act of discharging ballast before entering harbour. One estimate suggests that some 20% of all imported ballast ended up in the river, risking the Tyne silting up.

Ballast Railway. Marked as Old on the 1st edition OS mapping so it was probably out of use by 1855. This was crossed by the line of the later Ballast Railway (SMR 2447) which may have superseded it. This was the first ballast wagonway in South Shields. Trucks were hauled by a stationary engine near the North Marine Park. In the 1830s the line was diverted to follow a line to Salmon's Quay, see SMR 2447.

Rope Manufactory with Rope Walk.

The western Lawe Beacon. This is one of a pair, with the eastern beacon, (SMR 2346), of guides for vessels entering the mouth of the Tyne. Obelisk with stone base with brick but with stone cap. Erected in 1832 as high and low navigation marks complementing the lights of North Shields. Built by John Turnbull at a cost of £60 to replace the 18th century beacons. Pevsner - overlooking the harbour mouth, Lawe Top Beacons, 1832, harbour leading-marks which mariners lined up to guide them into the Tyne. Two obelisks, one topped by a wind-vane.

The eastern Lawe Beacon. This is one of a pair, with the western beacon, (SMR 2347), of guides for vessels entering the mouth of the Tyne. Obelisk with stone base with brick but with stone cap. Erected in 1832 as high and low navigation marks complementing the lights of North Shields. Built by John Turnbull at a cost of £60 to replace the 18th century beacons. Pevsner - overlooking the harbour mouth, Lawe Top Beacons, 1832, harbour leading-marks which mariners lined up to guide them into the Tyne. Two obelisks, one topped by a wind-vane.

Middle Docks, South Shields. The 1st edition OS mapping shows two docks {1}. There are several travelling cranes in Middle Dock {2}. A ‘Mr Smith’s Dock’, shown on a ‘Plan of the Low part of the Tyne’ probably surveyed in the late 1760s (Flagg 1979, 85), corresponds in location with the southern of the two Middle Docks shown on Wood’s plan of 1827. The first mention by name of Middle Dock is from 1772, when the brig True Briton was announced for sale at ‘the Middle Dock, South Shields’. In another sale announcement, in 1774, the yard was described as containing a ‘large and commodious double dock, a spacious building yard, smiths’ shops, warehouses and all other necessary conveniences and appurtenances…’ (Flagg 1979, 86)
The ‘double dock’, mentioned above, probably refers only to one large dock with capacity for two vessels. When the second dock was constructed in the yard is uncertain. Certainly, references to ‘docks’ on the site by 1799 show it had been put in place by that time (Flagg 1979, 88). Wood’s map of South Shield’s of 1827 shows two owners in the Middle Dock Yard; a Mr Stoveld in the northern dock and a Mr Hall in the southern dock. Mr Hall’s dock was bought in 1836 by the Brandling Junction Railway Co. in order to run a rail line across it to a proposed staith on the riverside. As the dock was never linked to adjoining parcels of land to form a viable route for the railway, the dock was sold by the Brandling Junction Railway in the early 1840s. Soon after this time, the two docks were joined into one business under Hood, Henderson and Woods: the Middle Dock Co. Much of the work of the docks seems to have been involved with the import of timber and the repair of wooden ships, although a number of wooden vessels were also constructed, including the Ajax in 1862 and the Athena in 1868. In 1879, the northern dock was greatly extended and its orientation altered.
In 1899 the Middle Dock Co. was sold by was sold by G.E. Henderson and a new Middle Dock and Engineering Co. Ltd was formed, under the control of J H Edwards. The principal work of the yard was ship repairing.
A third graving dock at Middle Dock was opened in 1909, the construction of which necessitated shifting the course of a stretch of West Holborn to the east. This dock was 460 feet long, 62 feet six inches wide and drew 23 feet six inches of water at its sill. At the same time as the dock was built, all the yard’s departments were reorganised and extended and new electric cranes installed. Soon after this refurbishment, the yard was further upgraded when a fourth graving-dock was constructed., this time on land purchased to the north of the existing yard in 1913. This new site was the former yard of J T Eltringham and Co. at the Stone Quay (see SMR No. 2343 for the pre-merger history of this area). Eltringham’s moved to Howdon into a larger yard. Work on the dock began in 1914 and was completed by 1917. Construction of this dock, which ran obliquely across the enlarged yard, involved the infilling of the old Metcalfe’s Dock and the demolition of much of the yard’s structures. It was 630 feet long, 80 feet wide and drew 26 feet of water at the sill. At the time, it was the second largest graving dock on the east coast north of the Thames (Flagg 1979, 95). Post WW1, the two oldest docks in the yard were also extended and the yard considerably upgraded. The yard was employed to full capacity over WWII and the latest dock was extended in 1941 to 640 feet in length. From 1977 the Middle Dock and Engineering Company became a member of British Shipbuilders as part of the Tyne Shiprepairers Group Ltd.
Map Evidence
J Wood: Map of South Shields 1827.
Two graving docks with rounded ends are shown running at right-angles from the riverside with the names ‘Mr Hall’ appended to the southern dock and ‘Mr Stoveld’s’ appended to the northern dock. The two docks lie within an open yard. A large building/covered area to east may lie within the yard.
First Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey, Sheet ??, Durham
The gated dry-docks appear of the same form as shown by Wood around thirty years earlier. Ship-building berths or slips, one to north, one to south, lie within the yard. A saw pit sits just to the north of the graving docks. Two cranes lie between the graving docks, one crane lies just to the south of the docks.
Second Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey 1899, Sheet 9
The disposition of the yard has now changed considerably. The building berths to both extremities have gone and the southern (No. 1) graving dock has been extended and runs as far as the course of west Holborn. The northern dock (No. 2) has been completely reconstructed and now runs obliquely across the yard, terminating close to the southern dock against West Holborn. Buildings along the western side of West Holborn have been demolished to facilitate this upgrading of the yard. A block of buildings lies between the two graving docks.
Third Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey, Sheet 9
This shows the yard with the third graving dock (No. 3) in place. It was completed in 1909). The construction of this dock necessitated the extension of the yard, both eastwards across the line of West Holborn which was re-routed beyond this, and northwards, across Holborn Landing, as far as Stone Quay and Eltringham’s Yard.
Fourth Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey, Sheet 9
Eltringham’s Stone Quay Shipbuilding Yard and Stone Quay Boiler Works have now been incorporated in the Middle Dock Yard and the last new dock (No. 4) has been constructed obliquely across this newly incorporated area {3}.

The first named reference to Metcalfe’s Dock is from 1813 when an advertisement records the sale of the brig Tyne and Trent from ‘Mr Metcalfe at his Dock in South Shields’. It is uncertain how much construction work was carried out at the dock (Flagg 1979, 77).

In 1826, the Brandling Junction Railway required access to the riverside for a series of coal lines and bought the land on which the dock was situated for £8000. Metcalfe retained his tenancy and continued to work on the site although rail lines running to coal staiths enclosed the dock to north and south. The land remained in the ownership of successive rail companies, including the York and Newcastle Railway.

In 1885, the last Metcalf retired from the business, and the yard was taken over by the Moralee family. Subsequently, the yard was bought by Eltringham’s (SMR No. ???) who owned land to north and south of the dock.

Map Evidence
First Edition Ordnance Survey, Sheet???
The survey shows the dock with projected lines for the 'Brandling Drops' (which were never constructed) overlaid. The northern boundary of the yard is fairly certain, running against Bottle House Landing (South Shields Bottle Works lies beyond) but the southern extent of the yard is a little less clear, possibly extending beyond Stone Quay. The yard consists of one graving dock with a building slip to the south. Three cranes sit on the riverside and a saw pit lies a little way to the south of the graving dock.

Second Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey, Sheet 9
The yard is now described as 'Stone Quay Shipbuilding Works' (Eltringham's Yard).
South Shields Bottle Works which lay to the north of the site, beyond Bottle House Landing, has now become Eltringhams Stone Quay Boiler Works.

Third Edition Twenty Five Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey 1912, Sheet 9
No major alterations apparent.

Fourth Edition Six Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey, Sheet???
A substantial graving dock (The last constructed for the Middle Dock Yard (see SMR No. 2345) now covers the whole area {2}.

South Shields Bottle Works. On the 1st edition OS mapping, 1855 survey date, the site appears to have included at least three free standing structures which may have been kilns. These were out of use by 1895 as the site was occupied by the Stone Quay Boiler Works (SMR 2457) by then (2nd edition OS mapping).