The Pier Pavilion started out as a rain shelter. The then South Shields Corporation, at the instigation of Alderman Gompertz, converted the old Sea Side Shelter in Pier Parade into a small community theatre in 1948, to mitigate the loss of the Queens, which had been destroyed by bombing, in 1941. The Pier Pavilion was opened on Whit Monday 1949 and for the next few years presented seasons of Repertory and Concert Shows. The theatre has since been through many changes, including recent modernisation. LOCAL LIST

Maritime Office. Situated at the north entrance to North Marine Park, overlooking the Tyne estuary. Currently vacant (2011). Built in the 1890s and altered in 1930. The upper floor was rebuilt and specially shaped windows at NE and SE corners allowed unobstructed views over the sea. LOCAL LIST

River Drive Bridge dates from the 1930s, when the riverside underwent large-scale transformation. Most of the 18th Century dwellings had already been demolished and replaced by new industries. The bridge was needed in order to make them more accessible than the existing narrow thoroughfares. This was no small undertaking since the bridge had to cross the railway terminus.
The bridge, originally known as Heugh Bridge, took two months to build, at a cost of £35,000, and was officially opened in August 1939 by the then Minister of Transport, Captain Euan Wallace. The bridge is similar in appearance to the Tyne Bridge, but on a much smaller scale. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the River Drive Bridge confused German bombers during World War II, thinking that they were over Newcastle upon Tyne. LOCAL LIST

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

The north-east of England has a rich maritime heritage. The shipbuilding and fishing industries were once major employers in the region and the lifeblood of many riverside and coastal communities. The North East Maritime Trust, located on the site of J.G. Mitchelson & Sons Boatbuilders, was set up in 2005 by local enthusiasts to make a positive contribution to the renewal of interest in traditional seagoing activities in the region. The main emphasis is on the care, maintenance, restoration and reconstruction of wooden vessels. The riverside workshop itself is more than 100 years old, and is open to the public every Wednesday. LOCAL LIST

The founder of the Rennoldson’s firm was George Rennoldson who was a millwright in South Shields in 1800 and by 1826 had started a small engineering works in Wapping Street. By 1837 the firm was building locomotive engines but marine engines were coming to the fore and soon became the main product of the firm. After the death of the founder in 1850 his son James Purdy Rennoldson, conducted the business under the well-known name of JP Rennoldson. By 1857 they had expanded into shipbuilding and repairing with some of the early vessels being constructed in North Shields. However, a yard in South Shields was acquired in 1863. This yard was part of the former Wallis Yard at the Lawe but a "Patent slipway" was added to it. The yard was initially being used to construct and repair wooden vessels but by 1874 they were said to be building iron-hulled vessels. However it is likely that such vessels were sub-contracted to JT Eltringham and JP Rennoldson provided the engines. After the death of JP Rennoldson in 1878, the business was carried on by two of his sons, Joseph Middleton and Charles, under the title of Messrs JP Rennoldson and Sons. The building yard was remodelled in 1890 and equipped to meet the demands of composite (iron frames and wooden decks, side strakes) and full iron construction methods. By this stage the firm was specialising in the construction of screw and paddle tugs. In 1896 the land vacated by John Readhead provide yet another major extension. Two years later the engine works in Pilot Street, also vacated by John Readhead, were added to the company. The first fifteen years of the 20th Century were perhaps the "Golden Age" of the firm, producing many famous vessels for use throughout the world. In 1913 the two brothers separated; JM Rennoldson keeping the engineering works and the old shipyard, while Charles opened a new yard nearer to the Groyne. The old firm was then registered as a limited company. JM Rennoldson died in 1916 by which time the four building berths at the yard had a maximum output of 6,000 tons gross, while vessels of up to 230 feet long could be constructed. The yard also possessed a patent slipway, which was 240 feet long. The well-equipped marine engineering department had a maximum annual output of 6,000 IHP. After the death of JM Rennoldson, Charles Ross, his son-in-law, managed the shipyard and the Engineering Works. The yard closed in 1929 owing to a severe recession in both sides of the business. LOCAL LIST

The flats at numbers 1 to 18 Greens Place are over 70 years old. They are the oldest purpose built block of flats in the town and also the only 1930s block.
The flats were built on the site of the old Green's Sailor Boys Institution. This was a home that took in boys from disadvantaged backgrounds and prepared them to be sent to the Wellesley Training ship that was moored on the Tyne at North Shields.
The Wellesley was an old ship of the line, originally called the Boscawen. This was donated by the Admiralty in 1873 and took in boys from the ages of twelve to sixteen where they were given training to suit them for a life at sea. The boys at the Green's Home would have been below the age of twelve. The Wellesley Ship was destroyed by fire in 1914 and, after a short spell in Tynemouth, the training facility moved to a shore establishment in Blyth. As a consequence there was no further need for the Green's Home. For a while the building was used as a working men's hostel but it eventually succumbed to the years and had to be demolished.
In 1936 an agreement was made between the "Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of the County Borough of South Shields" and the "North Eastern Housing Association Limited" (now Home Group Limited) to "Erect upon the Mile End Road site at South Shields buildings comprising eighteen dwellings being flats of the type specified in plans and specifications". These were to be "available for the accommodation of persons of the working classes". Building took some time and the first people did not move in to the flats until 1938. They still have much of their original look and the influence of the 1930s Art Deco style can be seen in the shape of their windows and balconies. LOCAL LIST

ENGLISH SLOOP, 1858 Built: 1840
Crew: 3

ENGLISH CRAFT, EVA of South Shields, foundered off Tyne 20th March 1850

1780 wreck of Scottish cargo vessel which foundered off the Sparrowhawk after a collision, on departing Newcastle-upon-Tyne for Kirkwall with sundry goods; a wooden sailing vessel. Master: Balfour