The Historic Trades and Crafts of North Shields

North Shields is a town built by its trades. For eight centuries the river and the sea have provided its living, and the fishing, shipbuilding and rope-making that once filled its riverside have left their mark on the streets, the buildings and the character of the place. Here is a guide to the historic trades and crafts that made North Shields.

Fishing

Fishing is where it all began. The town was founded in 1225, when the Prior of Tynemouth created a fishing port to supply fish to the priory on the headland. From those first "shiels", or fishermen's huts, grew one of the most important fishing communities on the east coast, and the Fish Quay remains a working harbour to this day, with trawlers still landing their catch. The town's fishing heritage is celebrated each year at the Fish Quay Festival.

Best for: Fishing built North Shields from 1225, and the Fish Quay is still a working harbour today.

Shipbuilding

Where there were fish, there were boats, and boat-building grew into a major industry. Smith's Dock, which leased a site at North Shields from 1822, became one of the great names of Tyne shipbuilding, building over 280 ships across its life until it finally closed in 1987. Generations of North Shields families made their living in the yards and dry docks, and the industry shaped the town's economy and identity for well over a century.

Best for: Smith's Dock built hundreds of ships and employed generations of North Shields families.

Rope-making

One of the town's less obvious but most influential trades was rope-making. In the 19th century the ropeworks needed long, straight runs of land to lay out their ropewalks, and this shaped the town's distinctive narrow, north-south street grid, the streets known locally as "the banks" that climb steeply from the Quay. Next time you walk up from the river, you are following the ghost of a rope-maker's yard.

Fish processing and the smokehouses

Alongside the catching came the curing. Kippering and fish-smoking were major trades in their own right, and the smell of the smokehouses was once part of the fabric of the town. The processing, packing and selling of fish supported hundreds of jobs and connected North Shields to markets far beyond the Tyne.

Where to see it today

The best place to explore this heritage is the Old Low Light Heritage Centre on the Fish Quay, whose galleries tell the story of the town and its fishing community. A walk along the Fish Quay heritage trail brings the trades to life on the ground, from the old quayside buildings to the narrow banks and the working harbour.

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This guide is a general introduction to the town's industrial heritage; the Old Low Light Heritage Centre is the best place to learn more.