New Quay

At the western end of the town, a deep water facility, the New Quay, was constructed at the beginning of the C19. In 1803 the right to hold a market at North Shields was finally granted, and in 1806 a market place on the New Quay was formed. It is shown on Wood's 1827 map and the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. A photograph c.1910 is reproduced in Hollerton (1997, p 41) {1-3}. The foundation stone for the New Quay and Market Place was laid by the Duke of Northumberland on the 4th October 1806. It was designed by David Stephenson, the Percy family's estate architect, who was responsible for All Saints Church in Newcastle. The Market Place buildings were built between 1806 and 1817. The Market Place was never completed. All three sides of the New Quay were meant to be enclosed by classical buildings. John Dobson, then an apprentice in Stephenson's practice, painted a watercolour of the proposed scheme in 1810. All that survives is the 13 bays of the original 21 bays on the west side of the quayside opposite the river. The Northumberland Arms was the centrepiece of the range (HER 7296). The southernmost 8 bays have been demolished. The New Quay provided access for ships of up to 300 tons. From 1901 to August 1931, a tramline ran from the New Quay to the links bandstand in Whitley Bay {4}. The market place was the terminus for coaches in the 18th century.