Market Dock, Fleet and Spirit of South Shields

Beautiful modern sculptures set within and at the entrance to the former Brigham and Cowan’s dry dock. This former shipyard has been reclaimed and redeveloped to provide riverside housing.
The Spirit of South Shields, by Irene Brown, holds a sailing ship in one arm while raising the other to greet the future. She is a protector guiding the ships through the seas safely. She stands on a relief of South Shields - a firm foundation in the past and present, which is represented and orientated by the model buildings. She stands strong and optimistic, unafraid by the winds of change - the figurehead for South Shields Future. The base of the statue is a contour map of South Shields with several well known features: the Groyne, Arbeia Fort, the Old Town Hall and Westoe Colliery. The screws sticking through the base are where someone has stolen the model of the Town Hall. Fleet, also by Irene Brown, is a collection of seven stainless steel collier ships in full sail set in the water of Market Dock, overlooking the River Tyne at South Shields. The brightly polished ships reflect patterns of both moving sky and water and give the impression of a fleet heading out to sea. LOCAL LIST