Tynemouth
Tynemouth is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is east-northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. The medieval Tynemouth Priory and Castle stand on a headland overlooking both the mouth of the river and the North Sea, with the town centre lying immediately west of the headland.
Historically part of Northumberland until 1974, the town was a county borough which included the nearby town of North Shields.
At the 2021 census the Tynemouth built-up area as defined by the Office for National Statistics had a population of 60,605. The population of Tynemouth itself at the 2021 census was 10,256.
History
The headland towering over the mouth of the River Tyne has been settled since the Iron Age. The Romans may have occupied it as a signal station, though it is just north of the Hadrian's Wall frontier. In the 7th century a monastery was built in Tynemouth and later fortified. The headland was known as Pen Bal Crag. The monastery was sacked by the Danes in 800, rebuilt, and destroyed again in 875, but by 1083 it was again operational.Three kings are reported to have been buried within the monastery: Oswin, King of Deira ; Osred II, King of Northumbria ; and, for a time, Malcolm III, King of Scots. Three crowns still adorn the North Tyneside coat of arms..
The queens of Edward I and Edward II stayed in the Castle and Priory while their husbands were campaigning in Scotland. King Edward III considered it to be one of the strongest castles in the Northern Marches. After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Edward II fled from Tynemouth by ship.
A village had long been established in the shelter of the fortified Priory, and around 1325 the prior built a port for fishing and trading. This led to a dispute between Tynemouth and the more powerful Newcastle over shipping rights on the Tyne, which continued for centuries. For more history see North Shields.
Prince Rupert of the Rhine landed at Tynemouth in August 1642 on his way to fight in the English Civil War.
Tynemouth was an ancient parish. It was divided into eight townships, being Chirton, Cullercoats, Monkseaton, Murton, North Shields, Preston, Whitley and a Tynemouth township covering the area around the original settlement. Such townships were also made civil parishes in 1866. In the 19th century North Shields rapidly expanded from a small fishing village into a town, overtaking Tynemouth itself to become the largest settlement in the parish. North Shields was given improvement commissioners by the North Shields Improvement Act 1828 to administer the growing town; the commissioners' district covered the whole of the North Shields township and parts of the Chirton, Preston and Tynemouth townships.
In 1832 a parliamentary borough called Tynemouth and North Shields was created, covering the whole of the townships of Tynemouth, North Shields, Chirton, Cullercoats and Preston. The same area was made a municipal borough in 1849, which was just called Tynemouth despite North Shields being the larger settlement within the borough. The first town clerk was Thomas Carr Leitch.
The borough council based itself at Tynemouth Town Hall at the junction of Howard Street and Saville Street in North Shields, which had been built for the old North Shields improvement commissioners in 1844/5. In 1904 the borough was elevated to become a county borough, making it independent from Northumberland County Council for local government purposes, whilst remaining part of Northumberland for judicial and lieutenancy purposes. The county borough was abolished in 1974, when the area became part of North Tyneside in the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear.
Tynemouth was listed in the 2018 Sunday Times report on best places to live in Northern England.
Climate
Tynemouth has a very moderated oceanic climate heavily influenced by its position adjacent to the North Sea. As a result of this, summer highs are subdued and, according to the Met Office 1991–2020 data, average around. Due to its marine influence, winter lows especially are very mild for a Northern English location. Sunshine levels of 1551 hours per annum are in the normal range for the coastal North East, which is also true for the relatively low amount of precipitation at.Attractions and amenities
Beaches
In the late 18th century, sea-bathing from Tynemouth's east-facing beaches became fashionable. King Edward's Bay and Tynemouth Longsands are very popular with locals and tourists alike.King Edward's Bay is a small beach on the north side of the Priory, sheltered on three sides by cliffs and reached by stairways or, by the fit and adventurous who understand the weather and tides, over the rocks round the promontories on the north or south sides.
Longsands is the next beach to the north, an expanse of fine sand long, lying between the former Tynemouth outdoor swimming pool and Cullercoats to the north. The outdoor pool opened in 1925 and was considered a major tourist attraction in its heyday.
In 2013, Longsands was voted one of the best beaches in the country by users of the world's largest travel site TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor users voted the beach the UK's fourth favourite beach in its 2013 Travellers' Choice Beaches Awards. The beach was also voted the 12th best in Europe.
Prior's Haven is a small beach within the mouth of the Tyne, sheltered between the Priory and the Spanish Battery, with the pier access on its north side. It was popular with Victorian bathers and is now home to Tynemouth Rowing Club and the local sailing club.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
A medieval Benedictine priory at the mouth of the Tyne. Founded in the 7th century, a castle was added around 1095. The priory was surrendered to the king during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 A lighthouse was built in the 1660s and it was adapted as a barracks in the 18th century. New buildings for breech loading guns were built at the end of the 19th century. These can be seen during a visit to the site. The Priory and Castle is now run by English Heritage.Front Street
A statue of Queen Victoria by Alfred Turner, unveiled on 25 October 1902, is situated at the edge of the Village Green which is home to the War Memorials for the residents of Tynemouth lost during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. Designed by A.B. Plummer, it was unveiled on 13 October 1903 by William Brodrick, 8th Viscount Midleton.The larger central memorial is made of white granite with a cruciform column rising from between four struts in a contemporary design for its time. The front face has a relief sword and wreath carved onto it with the inscription below. The other three faces hold the honour roll for those lost during both World Wars. It was unveiled in 1923. DM O'Herlihy was named as the original designer but a press report stated that a Mr Steele designed the monument and credited O'Herlihy with preparatory works on the village green. The 82 names from World War II were added in 1999.
Tynemouth Clock Tower on Front Street was erected in 1861 by William Scott, esq., a native of the town. Designed by Oliver and Lamb with carvings by Robert Beall, the tower housed a clock by Joyce of Whitchurch. At ground level there were drinking fountains on the north and south sides, a marine barometer to the west and an access door to the east. Made of polychrome bricks and ashlar, the tower is described as being in the Venetian Gothic style.
Kings Priory School
Located on Huntingdon Place, Kings Priory School is a co-educational academy with over 800 pupils aged between 4 and 18. Though founded in Jarrow in 1860, the school moved to its present site in Tynemouth in 1865 originally providing a private education for local boys. The school has an Anglican tradition, but admits students of all faiths. Formerly a fee-paying independent school, in 2013 the school merged with the local state Priory Primary School to become a state academy.Former King's School was named in reference to the three ancient kings buried at Tynemouth Priory: Oswin, Osred and Malcolm III. Its most famous old boy is Stan Laurel, one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Hollywood film director Sir Ridley Scott, and racing driver Jason Plato also attended the school.
Tynemouth Pier and lighthouse
This massive stone breakwater extends from the foot of the Priory some 900 yards out to sea, protecting the northern flank of the mouth of the Tyne. It has a broad walkway on top, popular with Sunday strollers. On the lee side is a lower level rail track, formerly used by trains and cranes during the construction and maintenance of the pier. At the seaward end is a lighthouse.The pier's construction took over 40 years. In 1898 the original curved design proved inadequate against a great storm and the centre section was destroyed. The pier was then rebuilt in a straighter line and completed in 1909. A companion pier at South Shields protects the southern flank of the river mouth.
A lighthouse had built on the old North Pier ; however, when the pier had to be rebuilt to a new design, an entirely new lighthouse was required. The work was undertaken by Trinity House, beginning in 1903; the lighthouse was finished before the pier itself, and was first lit on 15 January 1908. The revolving optic, manufactured by Barbier, Bénard, et Turenne, displayed a flash three times every ten seconds; it remains in use today. The light source was an incandescent oil vapour lamp, which produced a 70,000-candlepower light with a range of. The lighthouse was also equipped with a reed fog signal, powered by compressed air, which was mounted 'on the cupola'; it sounded one long blast every ten seconds. It was manned by four keepers, with two on duty at any one time. In September 1961 a new, more powerful electric light was installed by the Tyne Improvement Commissioners. Then in 1967 the lighthouse was automated; a diesel generator was installed along with an electric foghorn.
Before the pier was built, a lighthouse stood within the grounds of Tynemouth Priory and Castle. It was demolished in 1898. It stood on the site of the now-disused Coastguard Station.
In October 2023 the pier was damaged by Storm Babet, which left 'large sections of stone walls, handrails, block paving and coping stones washed into the sea'.