55º00N 1º43W, pop (2000e) 83 400. Town in Tyne and Wear, NE England, UK; seaside town on the R Tyne; the harbour was used by the Romans as a supply base for the construction of Hadrian's Wall; named South Shields (1245) by the prior and convent of Durham; former important trading port and shipbuilding town; birthplace of Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer, Dame Flora Robson, Ridley Scott; Marine College (1837); tourism.
South Shields is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne, with a population of about 90,000.
Overview
The town was once famous for its shipyards and its coal mines, but the last ship builder (Readheads) closed in 1984 and the last pit (Westoe Colliery) in 1991. For many years South Tyneside had the highest unemployment rate in mainland Britain, but between December 2002 and June 2004 unemployment fell by 24%, so the borough climbed up to 21st in the highest unemployment table. There has been extensive work to the town centre of South Shields (2005 - 2006) to bring it back to its former glory, financed by grants from central govenment and the European Regional Development Fund.
The South Tyneside College Planetarium and Observatory is a significiant attraction.
South Shields has six miles of coastline and three miles of river frontage, dominated by the massive piers at the mouth of the Tyne.
The town has extensive beaches and the Leas, which stretches along more than three miles of the town's coastline, is a National Trust protected area.
The Grotto, a pub built into the cliff opposite Marsden rock, is the only pub/restaurant of its type in Europe.
As well as being the largest town in South Tyneside, South Shields is also the region's most popular seaside resort, a status it has built up thanks to marketing itself as Catherine Cookson Country.
History
A large Roman fort, Arbeia, has been excavated in South Shields on the Lawe Top, overlooking the River Tyne.
Bede mentions a nunnery founded in AD 648 by Hild. Halfdene and his host in AD 872 wintered on the Tyne and raided North Northumbria (Bernicia) and Scotland before occupying and partitioning South Northumbria (Deira) in Yorkshire.
The first reference to 'Scheles' (fishermens' huts) occurs in 1235, and the town proper was founded by the Prior and Convent of Durham in 1245. South Shields then developed as a fishing port.
Salt panning along the Tyne began in 1499, and achieved major importance; South Shields had the largest alkali works in the world.
In 1644, Cromwell's Scots allies under Colonel Stewart captured the fort on the site of Arbeia.
Turner made an engraving of Shields on the River Tyne in 1823.
The town became famous for its maritime industries and the Marine School was founded by Dr Thomas Winterbottom in 1837.
The world's first self-righting lifeboat was designed and built in South Shields by William Wouldhave.
South Shields was able to elect an MP after the Great Reform Act of 1832 and was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1850 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. It became a county borough in 1889 with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888, and remained as such until 1974 when it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of South Tyneside in the County of Tyne and Wear.
The Shields Gazette, founded in 1881, is the oldest provincial evening newspaper in the country.
The impressive Town Hall of 1910 bears a copper weather vane in the form of a lifeboat. The town's crest (pre-1974) featured the lifeboat and the associated motto - Always Ready - which was later adopted as the motto of South Tyneside.
Zeppelin airships raided the Tyne in World War I and the town's seafront amusement park was attacked in 1915. In World War II, South Shields suffered well over 200 air raid alerts and 156 people were killed.
Regional Identity
Most residents of South Shields also identify themselves as "Geordie", a term commonly associated with all residents of North East England.
A less commonly used colloquial term, specifically for people from South Shields, is Sandancer (sometimes written as Sand-Dancer or Sanddancer).
People
Famous Residents (past and present)
A full list of famous residents of South Shields can be found here.
Eminent sports writer Richard Mason was born in the town in 1983.
Yemeni community
South Shields has been home to a Yemeni community since the 1890s. At the end of the war, the Yemeni population of South Shields had swelled to around 3000.
Disputes over jobs led to resentment that would fuel one of the first race riots in the UK in 1919.
After World War II, the Yemeni population declined, partly due to migrations to industrial areas such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield. Today, the Yemeni population of South Shields numbers around 1000.
Culture and sport
Football
South Shields FC is the town's main football team. In 1922, Warney Cresswell moved from South Shields to Sunderland AFC for a then-world record fee of £5,500.
The team reformed and played in various leagues until it became a founding members of what was to become the Unibond League.
A new side was formed from the ashes and competed sucesfully in the Northern Alliance and Wearside League before finally gaining promotion to the Northern League.
Politics
South Shields is a safe Labour Party Parliamentary seat, currently held by cabinet minister David Miliband. South Shields has never elected a Conservative MP and is the only seat in the country not to have done so.
The borough council (South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council) is also controlled by Labour.
The town also has a local independent political party, the Progressives. The Progressives have no representation beyond South Shields. Having controlled the old County Borough of South Shields council until 1974, they still hold several seats on the borough council.
Public transport
The Tyne and Wear Metro links South Shields to Newcastle and Sunderland city centres, and Newcastle Airport. There is a Metro station in South Shields town centre (on King Street), with further stations at Chichester, Tyne Dock and Brockley Whins.
There is a pedestrian ferry service connecting the town to North Shields, on the opposite bank of the Tyne.
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