Wallsend, Swan Hunter Shipyard inc Schlesinger-Davies Yard

HER Number:
5021

District:
N Tyneside

Site Name:
Wallsend, Swan Hunter Shipyard inc Schlesinger-Davies Yard

Place:
Wallsend

Map Sheet:
NZ36NW

Class:
Maritime

Site Type: Broad:
Marine Construction Site

Site Type: Specific:
Shipyard

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19

Form of Evidence:
Structure

Description:
A yard was opened by C A Schlesinger (a former Stephenson's apprentice) and F B Davies (who trained at Mitchells and worked for the company in India for four years) in Wallsend in 1863. Two sailing ships were launched before their first steamer SS Llandaff was launched in 1865. The yard remained in operation for over 30 years and produced a total of 167 vessels including, in 1868, the SS Kielder Castle, the first Schlesinger Davies vessel of over 1000 tons. Davies bought Schlesinger out of the yard before 1881. The company started to fail as ship construction nationally fell in the early 1890s and finally closed in 1893. In 1897, the yard was bought by Swan Hunter for the construction of floating dry docks. The first steel self-docking floating gravity dock was built there in the same year.

Easting:
3028

Northing:
6592

Grid Reference:
NZ30286592

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
<< HER 5021 >> The Archaeological Practice, 2002, Shipbuilding on Tyne and Wear - Prehistory to Present. Tyne & Wear Historic Environment Record; TWM Archaeology, 2010, Swan hunter Shipyard - archaeological assessment & recording; White Young Green, 2008, Swan Hunter Shipyard, Wallsend - Archaeological Assessment; Pre-Construct Archaeology, 2013, Former Swan Hunter Site, Station Road, Wallsend - Archaeological Evaluation