The Church Gardens lie to the west of the Church of SS. James and Basil. They run along the length of Auburn Gardens and border the vicarage wall and the church hall gardens. The plot of land was bought for a new church in 1911. The church and vicarage were built between 1928 and 1931 to designs by Edward Eric Lofting, Assistant Surveyor to the fabric of Westminster Abbey and a former pupil of Temple Moore, ecclesiastical architect. The church gardens were laid out at the same time by the landscape gardener of King George V. The ensemble was funded by Sir James Knott, ship and coal mine owner, as a memorial to his sons James and Basil who fell during the First World War. In 1933 a church hall was added. The complex is 0.75 hectares in size. The plot is bounded on the east side by a high, tooled ashlar sandstone wall with triangular copings. Towards the north end it becomes a low stone wall set with iron railings. The railings continue around the north side. Similar boundaries form the west and south sides, with stone pillars and pyramidal finials. There is a stone gabled entrance to the vicarage through the east boundary wall off Wingrove Road North. There is an entrance to the church hall through the north boundary off Ravenside Road, flanked by square piers with pyramidal finials. There are opposing entrances to the Church Garden from Fenham Hall Drive and Ravenside Road, with simple double cast-iron gates between substantial ashlar sandstone piers, surmounted by pyramidal finials. The entrance from the south has stone steps leading down into the garden. The garden is partially sunken below street level. It is delineated by a rectangular design of paved pathways in York stone of various sizes. Pevsner describes it as 'Lutyens-style'. A linear lawn is bordered by trees with a line of centrally placed small rectangular beds planted with shrubs. Bounded on each side by low cast-iron fences set in low stone plinths. The pathways have stone-built integral seating niches at three of the four corners. At intervals along the west side are similar niches formed in low yew hedging. At the north east corner seating niches are arranged in a circle with an ornate stone urn or font at its centre. A ramped access and small memorial garden have been inserted at the south end. Vicarage Garden is separated from Church Garden by a high sandstone wall. It is divided into two rectangular sections by a beech hedge. One section is a lawn with rectangular and circular flower beds and stone paths. The second is a lawn with narrow west border.

The history of the High and Low lights can be traced back with certainty to the year 1536. The early history of the lights is connected with two ancient Newcastle establishments, the Trinity House (HER 4876) and the Black Friars monastery. In 1536 the Gild of Holy trinity in Newcastle obtained a charter from the King and by the terms of this charter had licence to build and embattle two towers, the one at the entrance to the haven of Tyne, and the other on the hill adjoining, in each of which a light was to be maintained every night, for the support of which they were empowered to receive fourpence for every foreign ship and two pence for every English ship arriving at the port of Tyne. The monastery of the Black Friars in Newcastle was surrendered to the King and dissolved on 10 June 1539. King Henry VIII granted the fabric of the church to the Trinity House, and the stones were converted into the lights at Shields. In 1540 the building of the lights at Shields was begun. The low light was built first in 1539 on the left bank of the Pow Burn, at its mouth. The place was called the Narrows because the Tyne is only about 120 yards across here, and the lighthouse tower was to serve as a defence as well as a guide. The high light was built at the top of the bank on the other side of the burn. The keeper of the lights was paid 20s a year to keep a single tallow candle burning in each tower from quarter and half-quarter flood to half ebb. The lightage payment from ships was raised in 1600 to 4d from English and 1s from foreign vessels, and in 1613 to 6d and 1s 4d respectively. The lighthouse had been heightened and now burned two candles each. In 1658-9 rather a remarkable step was taken. The stone houses were pulled down and rebuilt in timber. The reason for this was that the shoals in the river altered frequently, and as the lights were used as sea-marks, it was desirable to have light structures which could be moved from place to place. On the building of Clifford's Fort in 1672 the low light was included within its circuit, which sometimes led to friction between the lighthouse keeper and the commander of the fort. In 1686 the two lighthouses had become ruinous and in order to rebuild them the Trinity House of Newcastle petitioned for an increase of lightage. A new lighthouse was built in 1727 (HER 4557). Dated C16th.

The history of the High and Low lights can be traced back with certainty to the year 1536. The early history of the lights is connected with two ancient Newcastle establishments, the Trinity House (HER 4876) and the Black Friars monastery. In 1536 the Gild of Holy trinity in Newcastle obtained a charter from the King and by the terms of this charter had licence to build and embattle two towers, the one at the entrance to the haven of Tyne, and the other on the hill adjoining, in each of which a light was to be maintained every night, for the support of which they were empowered to receive fourpence for every foreign ship and two pence for every English ship arriving at the port of Tyne. The monastery of the Black Friars in Newcastle was surrendered to the King and dissolved on 10 June 1539. King Henry VIII granted the fabric of the church to the Trinity House, and the stones were converted into the lights at Shields. In 1540 the building of the lights at Shields was begun. The high light was built at the top of the bank on the other side of the burn. The keeper of the lights was paid 20s a year to keep a single tallow candle burning in each tower from quarter and half-quarter flood to half ebb. The lightage payment from ships was raised in 1600 to 4d from English and 1s from foreign vessels, and in 1613 to 6d and 1s 4d respectively. The lighthouse had been heightened and now burned two candles each. In 1658-9 rather a remarkable step was taken. The stone houses were pulled down and rebuilt in timber. The reason for this was that the shoals in the river altered frequently, and as the lights were used as sea-marks, it was desirable to have light structures which could be moved from place to place. On the building of Clifford's Fort in 1672 the low light was included within its circuit, which sometimes led to friction between the lighthouse keeper and the commander of the fort. In 1686 the two lighthouses had become ruinous and in order to rebuild them the Trinity House of Newcastle petitioned for an increase of lightage. A new lighthouse was built in 1727 (HER 4556). Dated C16th.

Built in 1806-7 as the subscription library of the Tynemouth Literary and Philosophical Society. Ashlar front, with a pediment over the central three of the five bays, a pedimented Tuscan doorcase and Venetian window above it. In the pediment, a roundel, which, like the one on the south gable overlooking the river, used to hold a clock-face {1}. The Society Library merged with the library of the Mechanics Institute (HER 9829) in 1869 and the collection was moved to a building further up Howard Street and the old library became the headquarters of the Stagline Shipping Company. The Stagline emblem is still clearly visible on the gable of the building facing the river. The shipping line continued to trade until 1983 {2}. Sandstone ashlar with brick returns and Welsh slate roof. Central 6-panelled door in pedimented Tuscan doorcase with fluted frieze. Tall Venetian window in Ionic Order. Sash windows. Late Adams style {3}. The Stagline company was founded by the Robinson family and the stag symbol taken from their coat of arms. The company's roots on the River Tyne date back to 1817. The Stagline ship 'Linaria' sank in 1914 after hitting a mine. Now the Maritime Chambers (local Registry Office).

Behind The Links, circa 1 mile north of Spanish City. By Ryder & Yates. 1959. 11 storeys high, with a central tier of recessed stair balconies over the entrance. Rutter Carroll - in 1954 builder James Liddell commissioned tall flats at Whitley Bay. Four 11-storey blocks were proposed in a large green open space sheltered by earth sculptures. Beacon House was the first of the four blocks. It contained 44 luxury flats overlooking the sea in a 'skyscraper'. It was the first multi-storey block of flats in the North-East. It is built of reinforced concrete using the plate floor system form of construction, has cavity brick external walls with polyurethane insulation. The flats were faced in white mosaic with blue brindle brick set in panels below the pre-cast concrete windows. On the roof there is a circular enclosure for the water storage tanks. The entrance features a perforated drum. Inside the walls of the communal areas were lined in Formica-faced timber panels decorated with artwork by Peter Yates. Alongside the flats there were garage courts, parking areas and soft landscaping. The other three towers were never built. The original windows have been replaced and patterned brickwork applied to the gable wall, but the essential original form survives.

Designed in 1921 by Pascal, Stienlet and Maxwell of Newcastle (Grundy et al say E.J. Kay). Built by Henry Kelly & Co. Opened on 23 April 1928 by Bishop Thorman. Cost £13,600. A painted Descent from the Cross was added to the west-facing panel of the organ case in 1945 as a memorial to parishioners and members of the Tyneside Irish Regiment who fell in WW2. In the late 1980s the church was reordered by Architect Jack Lynn. The sanctuary was reordered and the altar rebuilt, carved by R Widowfield in new and reused marble. A little later a new narthex was added at the south-west corner of the church. The renovated church was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Lindsey in 1988. Between 1988 and 2007 stained glass windows by local artist Paul Gannon were inserted to replace those lost through bombing in WW2. Brick Romanesque with a squat crossing-tower. Rusticated purplish/dark red Ravenhead bricks with darker brick dressings and dark red roof tiles. Red sandstone dressings to main entrances.
The church was listed Grade II in 2013 with the following description:
Details
MATERIALS: rusticated purplish/dark red Ravenhead bricks with darker brick dressings and dark red roof tiles. Red sandstone dressings to main entrances.
PLAN: the church occupies a prominent corner site with the ritual west front facing true northeast; the ritual orientation is used in this description. A short apsidal sanctuary with an external ambulatory links to a pair of pitched roofed sacristies and the adjacent presbytery. There are tall transepts and a crossing with an octagonal lantern over. The aisled nave has a west narthex, a south porch, and a later, north narthex.
EXTERIOR: there is a Lombard frieze and dentilled cornice to the exterior walls and all openings are mostly recessed with round-arched heads. There are corner corbels to some areas and raised brick crosses in relief. The apse has five small round windows below a semi-conical roof. The transepts have two tiers of three lights, and there is a pyramidal roof over the low octagonal crossing tower, which has three small lights in each face, above four roofed arms linking the rest of the building to the tower. The four-bay nave has pent aisles and paired lights in the aisles and clerestory. The south porch has double-boarded doors between red sandstone columns with Romanesque capitals and a carved arch inscribed with interlace decoration; the brick surround has strings at impost and capital-base level. A flat-roofed narthex at the north west has blind, arched panels and provides the present entrance to the church; a recent pergola extends from the north sacristy to the adjacent presbytery. Beneath the three-light west window there is a pent western narthex, with bands of tile in the form of a Lombard frieze, flanked by full-height polygonal towers with narrow lights set in long panels. Stone steps lead to an entrance similarly detailed to that of the south porch.
INTERIOR: The rusticated brick surfaces are painted throughout, with the exception of the cornices, arcades, transept and chancel arches and the lower transverse arches in the narrow aisles. The re-ordered sanctuary has three steps to the forward marble altar, which incorporates re-used elements from the original high alter, and further steps to the Tabernacle within the apse. The apse has painted walls and a ribbed dome resting on a brick cornice; the ribs are carried down to the floor in the form of pilasters. The lower sanctuary walls have plain plaster panelling and two triple sedilia, with large panelled openings to either side. A large Crucifix is suspended from the apse ceiling. An opening within an arch either side of the chancel arch leads into a sacristy. The original organ is housed within the north transept, whose west-facing panel has a First World War memorial in the form of a painted Descent from the Cross; to the right of this is the Roll of Honour. Each transept has a large arched niche in the east wall containing a doorway into a sacristy; the undersides of the niches are decorated with incised cross motifs. The crossing has a ribbed dome supported on squinches, linked by a brick arcade. The narrow aisled nave has a full compliment of original benches separated by a central aisle; the arcades are supported on square columns with moulded capitals, and affixed to the aisle walls are The Stations of the Cross. The roof is a ribbed barrel-vault, which has cross vaults to the clerestory windows. Below the three-light west window there is gallery supported on triple arches with the main west entrance below flanked by niches.

Typical Tyneside Flats.

Former Mechanics Institute and Free Library built in 1857-58 by John Johnstone, perhaps with alterations by Dobson. The foundation stone was laid on 30 May 1857 by W.S. Lindsay MP. A brass box was placed into the foundation stone containing a newspaper and coins. In January 1870 the Mechanics Institute amalgamated with the Literary and Philosophical Society and became the first free library on Tyneside. During the Second World War the first floor was strengthened with steel members and supports. In 1990 the building was refurbished and became the North Tyneside Business Advice Centre.
It was listed Grade II in 2013 with the following description:
Details
MATERIALS: mellow red brick enriched with stucco dressings
PLAN: square, three storey building occupying a prominent corner site with elevations on Saville Street and Howard Street. Large room to the ground floor with stair to the left giving access to a first-floor library with gallery. Smaller rooms set around at all levels.
EXTERIOR: the Howard Street elevation has three storeys and five bays with a plinth, an entablature band between the ground and first floor and a pedimented entablature. The central bay is slightly projecting with rusticated pilasters to the ground floor, flanking an entrance fitted with double wooden doors and an overlight with circular fenestration. It has an elaborate doorcase comprising a cornice carried upon scrolled console brackets incorporating a pair of lion heads and scrolled decoration. Immediately above the doorcase is a frieze incised with the words ‘Free Library’. Above the rusticated pilasters giant pilasters rise through the first and second floors, flanking a large first floor three-light window with a bracketed cornice identical to that of the entrance, and at the second floor there is a heavily moulded lunette with a giant key in the form of a bearded head. The tympanum of the pedimented entablature has a decorative laurel wreath. The end bays have paired windows to all levels with two over two horned sash windows and heavily moulded and eared architraves. Those to the ground floor are square-headed with a scroll decorated frieze and cornice above. Above these is an entablature enriched with a scroll decoration. First floor windows are round-headed with decorated keys, and friezes with floral boss decoration. Second-floor windows are smaller and square-headed with a sill band and scrolled heads that merge with the entablature above.
The Saville Street elevation is very similarly detailed with identical windows, ornamentation, entablature, door and doorcase. It lacks the highly ornamented, projecting central bay, and instead has a round-headed window at first floor and a smaller square-headed window at second floor.
INTERIOR: The Saville Street entrance leads into a large ground-floor room occupying two bays to the right of the door. The modern ceiling is supported on three rows of square columns which are believed to have been inserted to provide additional strength to the floor above. A large opening through the west wall is recent and leads to an extension into an adjoining building. Fixtures and fittings within this room are thought to relate to the 1990s refurbishment with the possible exception of the projecting entrance leading to the stair. The rest of the ground floor contains a number of smaller rooms, which retain original cornices and chimneybreasts. The present stair is modern, added in 1990 to replace the original spiral stair formerly giving access to the first-floor library.
The library is double height and lit from above through a large light well lined with wooden panels with applied circular motifs; the ridge light above remains visible. The ceiling has an elaborate cornice incorporating scrolled motifs and there is a gallery around all four sides; this has an original cast-iron balustrade incorporating scroll decoration (raised by the addition of a wooden handrail) and a lower band of applied bosses. A double height chimneybreast remains on the west wall but any fireplaces have been removed. A separate room to the south, now accessed through inserted doors has original cornicing and wainscoting. Rooms to the second floor have panelled reveals to the windows, skirting boards and cornices.

1853 (Lynn Pearson says 1873) by J.R. Robson. Ten bays and two tall storeys, tall Doric pilasters and arched upper windows. This was the first known North East roller skating rink. The building is now occupied by shops.

Built in the 'Tyneside Flat' style. Early 20th century terrace in red brick with sandstone dressings. Some windows and doors have been replaced in uPVC.