North Shields Fish Quay is a fishing port located close to the mouth of the River Tyne, in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, North East England, 8 miles (13 km) east of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The quay began life in 1225 as a simple village of shielings (seasonal huts used by hunters or fishermen – the term appears in place names throughout Northumberland) around the Pow Burn (stream or river) 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 original site is now largely derelict industrial land which lately belonged to the original Tyne Brand canning company.The pow Burn runs from nearby Northumberland Park and disappears underground at Tynemouth Road and the Metro urban transport line. It eventually reappears at the ‘Gut’ at the eastern end of the Fish Quay flowing into the Tyne.
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 and its Trade Guilds resented trade outside of the city, so much so that coal mined in North Shields within 300 ft of the river had to be transported on land 8 miles to Newcastle to be loaded onto boats.
The most striking buildings are the now defunct High Lights and Low Lights lighthouses which, in the 18th and 19th centuries, provided a line of sight for vessels entering a fairly treacherous river mouth. Until the north and south piers were built many ships foundered on the treacherous rocks known as the ‘Black Middens’ which lie to the east of the quay and can be seen daily at low tide.
The site actually has an original Old High Lights and Low Lights as well as a slightly differently positioned later High Lights and Low Lights, so called because they were positioned low (at river level on the quay) and high (on the bank top some 150 ft higher.
The quay is still a working fishing port with a trade fish market. Its proximity to the Dogger Bank has meant that a number of fishing boats from Whitby and elsewhere on the north east coast have relocated there.
Adjacent shops include many fresh fish outlets and fish processing, mainly crab and prawn, continue in industrial units.
The Quay was once the biggest kipper producer in the UK, but the fall in herring stocks has reduced the trade to a single smokery. A number of traditional smokehouses still exist but have been converted to other uses.
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. The old Low Lights building has been converted into a heritage centre as part of the recent improvement of Cliffords Fort.