Cramlington Staith, on the 2nd edition OS mapping, 1894/5 survey, this staith appears to replace on of the nearby Cramlington Staiths (SMR 2112). Supplied by a new branch (SMR 2202) of the Cramlington Colliery Railway, (SMR 1056).

Northumberland Shipyard is not shown on the 1st edition OS mapping and therefore built after 1858 {1}. A shipyard was laid out at Howdon by H S Edwards and Sons in 1883. Seventy five ships had been completed in the yard by the time of H S Edwards’ death in 1898. Subsequent to Edwards’ death the yard was acquired by Rowland Hodge, previously yard manager for C.S. Swan and Hunter at their Wallsend yard. Hodge transferred the ownership of the Howdon Yard to the Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. for £6,000, with Sir Christopher Furness, a West Hartlepool shipowner, taking a controlling interest in the company.

Ships were generally built at the yard to individual designs, although two standard vessel designs did emerge, based around spar-deck/two deck and shelter-deck steamers. Firstly for spar-deckers and two-deckers of 4300 tons, the design was to be 360 feet in length and 48 feet beam with a deadweight of 7300 tons, for shelter-decks of 4800 tons, the design was 410’ length and 52’ beam with a deadweight of 9700 tons. The yard also built some steamers and during the war the Shipping Controller uniquely allowed the company to build its own standard design of shelter-decker tramp, given the official category ‘F1’.

In 1918 the yard was sold to new owners led by R.A. Workman of Belfast company Workman, Clark and Co. for £835,000, and associated with London merchant bankers Sperling & Company. They used the Northumberland company to create the largest shipbuilding combine in Britain.

The Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd acquired majority holdings in William Doxford and Sons Ltd of Sunderland, Fairfield of Govan, Workman, Clark of Belfast, Blythswood Shipbuilding Company, Monmouth Shipbuilding Company and Lancashire Iron and Steel Company. In 1918 the share capital was £500,000, within a year this rose to £7M.

However the 1920s saw orders drying up. Coupled with the collapse of the Sperling combine in 1925 and a mistaken order for too much steel plate resulting in a £300,000 compensation payout to Dorman, Long and Co. meant they could not serve the shareholders. With no work in 1926 a receiver was appointed. However the following year the yard was re-opened as The Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. (1927) Ltd, with 7 berths and capacity to build ships up to 600 feet in length.

The last ship was launched in 1930, the 343rd under the Northumberland name. The yard was sold to National Shipbuilders Security Ltd and later dismantled {2}.

This site was built over Howdon Dock (SMR 2108) and Howdon Pans Shipyard (SMR 2110). The yard was used for repairing the Tyne Improvement Commissions ferries and other craft. The site was taken over in the early 1980s by William Press Ltd for work on offshore platforms. Map evidence - Second Edition Six Inches to One Mile Ordnance Survey 1899, Northumberland 89 - the site was developed subsequent to the preparation of the First Edition Ordnance Survey, with the southern third of the yard constructed over mudflats and reclaimed from the river, and the remainder of the yard built over Howdon Dock and Howdon Pans Shipbuilding Yard. By the time of the Second Edition Survey, the yard is formed around a substantial dock, enclosed in battered stone walls to east and west, and incorporating a projecting riverside pier on its south-western side. The northern face of the dock is shown as vertical. Two adjacent repair-slipways run at right angles towards the river along the eastern edge of the dock. Two buildings lie against the northern boundary of the yard (Tyne View Terrace) and one long building runs beyond and at right angles to the eastern edge of the dock and the repair slipways. A small building of some nature lies within the angle between the western wall of the dock and the projecting pier. Rail lines serve all areas, and mooring dolphins, for vessels waiting for attention, dot the edge of the river. At this time, a large open area to the east of the dock, running beyond the long building, would appear to lie within the boundary of the works. Rail lines access and run across the plot from its north-western corner. On the third edition map the works remain in similar form, other than the alteration of the disposition of some railway lines and the probable loss of much of the area to the east of the dock which would appear to now lie within the expanded Northumberland Dock (SMR 2198) {2}.

Beaneyfield coal pit is marked as Disused and overgrown by trees on the 2nd edition OS mapping of an 1894/5 survey date. This is in the same vicinity as Wallsend Colliery F Pit (NZ 301 676). Could they be one and the same?

Shaft, marked as Old on the 2nd edition OS mapping of an 1894/5 survey.

Air Shaft, possibly related to Moor Edge Colliery (SMR 2193). This is marked as Old on the 2nd edition mapping so may have gone out of use before 1895.

Moor Edge Colliery is not shown on the 1st edition OS mapping so was therefore opened after 1858. It was served by Killingworth Wagonway, and may have been related to Air Shaft (SMR 2194).

Shiremoor Colliery, with a link to the North Eastern Railway, through the Blyth and Tyne Branch (HER 1055). Owners were Backworth and West Cramlington Collieries. Bought by Backworth Collieries from Shiremoor Coal Company in 1896. Samuel Young Lilley died on 15 December 1896, aged 16. He was a Way End Boy. The rope on the engine plane had broken and struck him. In 1902 the first electric coal-cutter was tried out at the Blue Bell Pit. Closed in 1915.

Spoil Heap, possibly related to Bigges Main Colliery, (SMR 1133).

Spoil Heap, possibly derived from Bigges Main Colliery, (SMR 1133).