South Shields, The Bents, Ballast Hills

HER Number:
2452

District:
S Tyneside

Site Name:
South Shields, The Bents, Ballast Hills

Place:
South Shields

Map Sheet:
NZ36NE

Class:

Site Type: Broad:

Site Type: Specific:
Ballast Hill

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19

Form of Evidence:
Documentary Evidence

Description:
Ballast hills on the Bents, and the area now occupied by the Marine Parks, South Shields. The ballast was brought to the hills from ships on the river via railway HER 2447 and from St Hilda's Colliery via ballast railway HER 2427. Many of the ships brought ballast dredged from the River Thames, and dumped it at South Shields when they took on a cargo of coal, chemicals and limestone. Ballast consists of gravel, sand and sometimes chalk. Ballast had been disposed of on land since at least 18th century. There were regulations against dumping it into the river as the Tyne was already shallow in places and there was a sand bar across the river mouth. When ballast dumping ceased, the ballast hills in South Shields were levelled to create the North and South Marine Parks (HER 1842).

Easting:
3739

Northing:
6720

Grid Reference:
NZ37396720

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
<< HER 2452 >> 1st edition Ordnance Survey Map, c.1855, 6 inch scale, Durham, 4; The Arbeia Society, 2004, Archaeological Survey of the coast from South Shields to Whitburn; Dick Keys and Ken Smith, 2005, Tall Ships on the Tyne, p 6