North Shields Fish Quay
Encyclopedia
North Shields Fish Quay a fishing port located close to the mouth of the River Tyne
, in North Shields
, Tyne and Wear
, North East England
, 8 miles (12.9 km) east of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne
.
The quay began life in 1225 as a simple village of shielings (huts) from which the town of North Shields takes its name. The quay was originally located here to serve the nearby Tynemouth Castle and Priory
.
The growth of North Shields was at one time restricted due to fear that it would take trade from neighbouring Newcastle upon Tyne
, which was the region's leading port at the time.
Clifford's Fort, located on the Fish Quay was built in the 17th century (1672) as a coastal defence against the Dutch
. The Fort also played a role during the Napoleonic Wars
. The fort was named after Lord Clifford of Cabal. It is now a scheduled Ancient Monument.
Every Spring Bank Holiday (since 1987) the Fish Quay hosts a mammoth free family festival, with hundreds of stalls and entertainments stretching the full length of the Quay. The Fish Quay Festival generally has several stages featuring different styles of music from the area and around the world, along with copious amount of food, and the traditional "blessing of the fleet". The Festival was sponsored by the mobile phone company Orange in 2001 and 2002 and was known as the Orange WOW (Window on the World) festival at that time but they discontinued their support. Jack Gibbon, the original founder of the Fish Quay Festival quoted when he first started this to the local newspaper the Evening Chronicle, that he was "extremely delighted" with how the festival went, and hoped it could turn into an annual event.
The 2001 was held over the weekend of 26-28 May. The line up included The Levellers and Arthur Brown.
The 2002 line up included performances from over 80 artists and bands from all over the world, including Bob Geldof and Iona. There were five stages of music - Jazz, Dance, World Music, folk music and local bands. It was the biggest free festival in Europe, attracting thousands of visitors.
Other headline acts over the years have included Jools Holland (1999 - aired on Radio 2), Eddi Reader, Paul Young and Asian Dub Foundation.
The festival was scaled back in 2003.
In 2006 North Tyneside Council decided not to hold the Fish Quay Festival, due mainly to the long-term redevelopment work (including construction work) that was ongoing on the Fish Quay. A council report recommended that the future of the festival should be heritage based. The building work in the Fish Quay area is still ongoing (March 9). The Mouth of The Tyne festival currently continues the local festival tradition. This annual free festival is held jointly between Tynemouth and South Shields and includes a world class open air concert at Tynemouth Priory.
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
, in North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, 8 miles (12.9 km) east of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
.
The quay began life in 1225 as a simple village of shielings (huts) from which the town of North Shields takes its name. The quay was originally located here to serve the nearby Tynemouth Castle and Priory
Tynemouth Castle and Priory
Tynemouth Castle is located on a rocky headland , overlooking Tynemouth Pier . The moated castle-towers, gatehouse and keep are combined with the ruins of the Benedictine priory where early kings of Northumbria were buried...
.
The growth of North Shields was at one time restricted due to fear that it would take trade from neighbouring Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, which was the region's leading port at the time.
Clifford's Fort, located on the Fish Quay was built in the 17th century (1672) as a coastal defence against the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The Fort also played a role during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The fort was named after Lord Clifford of Cabal. It is now a scheduled Ancient Monument.
Every Spring Bank Holiday (since 1987) the Fish Quay hosts a mammoth free family festival, with hundreds of stalls and entertainments stretching the full length of the Quay. The Fish Quay Festival generally has several stages featuring different styles of music from the area and around the world, along with copious amount of food, and the traditional "blessing of the fleet". The Festival was sponsored by the mobile phone company Orange in 2001 and 2002 and was known as the Orange WOW (Window on the World) festival at that time but they discontinued their support. Jack Gibbon, the original founder of the Fish Quay Festival quoted when he first started this to the local newspaper the Evening Chronicle, that he was "extremely delighted" with how the festival went, and hoped it could turn into an annual event.
The 2001 was held over the weekend of 26-28 May. The line up included The Levellers and Arthur Brown.
The 2002 line up included performances from over 80 artists and bands from all over the world, including Bob Geldof and Iona. There were five stages of music - Jazz, Dance, World Music, folk music and local bands. It was the biggest free festival in Europe, attracting thousands of visitors.
Other headline acts over the years have included Jools Holland (1999 - aired on Radio 2), Eddi Reader, Paul Young and Asian Dub Foundation.
The festival was scaled back in 2003.
In 2006 North Tyneside Council decided not to hold the Fish Quay Festival, due mainly to the long-term redevelopment work (including construction work) that was ongoing on the Fish Quay. A council report recommended that the future of the festival should be heritage based. The building work in the Fish Quay area is still ongoing (March 9). The Mouth of The Tyne festival currently continues the local festival tradition. This annual free festival is held jointly between Tynemouth and South Shields and includes a world class open air concert at Tynemouth Priory.