The Shields Ferry operates across the
River Tyne, between
North Shields
North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth.
Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...
and
South Shields in
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newc ...
, England. The service is operated by the
Nexus
NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members of the program can avoid waits at border ...
, the Tyne and Wear
PTE. Prior to takeover by the PTE in 1972, it was known as the Market Place Ferry.
History
Records suggest that there have been ferries operating across the
River Tyne since 1377. By 1929, there were a total of eleven ferries crossing the River Tyne between
Newburn
Newburn is a semi rural parish, former electoral ward and former urban district in western Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. Situated on the North bank of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river. It is situated ...
and
Tynemouth. Following the opening of the Tyne Tunnel between
Jarrow and
Howdon
Howdon is a largely residential area in the eastern part of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. It consists of High Howdon and the smaller settlement of East Howdon. Much of the High Howdon area was formerly called Willington prior to post-World W ...
in October 1967, ferry traffic saw a significant decline. Today, the Shields Ferry is the only ferry service that remains.
The service provides a viable alternative to travelling by
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
via
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, or by road via the Tyne Tunnel. The ferry can be used by cyclists, and is part of the
National Cycle Route 1
The cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom.
Route
Dover to Canterbury
Dover , Deal , Sandwich , Canterbury
Links with National Cycle Route 2, Regional route 16, and Regional route 17 in Dover. Leaves Dover passing Dover Castle. S ...
. All vessels in service are also fully wheelchair-accessible.
The ferry service makes just under 25,000 journeys and carries in the region of 500,000 passengers each year. Two vessels currently operate the service, ''Pride of the Tyne'' and ''Spirit of the Tyne''.
In August 2008, the service's first female general manager, Carol Timlin, was appointed. Seven years later, in November 2015, Nicola Peach was appointed as the service's first female crew member. Peach was later promoted to be the company's first female captain in May 2016, after obtaining her boat master's licence.
Service
Usually, only one ferry is in operation at a time, although both are used during peak periods. The service typically operates half-hourly, with a seven minute crossing time.
Vessels
''Freda Cunningham'' (1972–1993)
''Freda Cunningham'' was commissioned in 1972, as a replacement for the steamship ''Northumbrian''. It was the first diesel ferry to be commissioned, and had a reputation for unreliability. The ferry's name came from the wife of North East
Labour Party leader
Andy Cunningham, who was later jailed for corruption. She was also the mother of politician and
cabinet minister,
Jack Cunningham.
The vessel was sold in 1993, when the ''Pride of The Tyne'' entered service.
''Shieldsman'' (1976–2007)
''Shieldsman'' was constructed by Hancock Shipbuilders,
Pembroke Dock, and entered service in 1976.
The ferry is double-ended and could operate either way, however she typically worked one way and turned around during the crossing. She could carry 350 passengers in public service, or a reduced capacity of 250 on private hire. The ''Shieldsman'' was retired early in 2007 to be replaced by the new ''Spirit of the Tyne'', and is now a
houseboat on the
River Adur
The Adur ( or ) is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th c ...
in
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...
.
''Pride of the Tyne'' (1993–present)
''Pride of the Tyne'' was built by
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, is a shipbuilding design, engineering, and management company, based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England.
At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three powe ...
,
Wallsend
Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne.
History Roman Wallsend
In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...
, at a cost of £1.5 million. It entered service in 1993, and was constructed as a modified version of ''Shieldsman''.
The vessel also has a bar, ''The Admirals Locker'', that is available on private hire trips. The vessel was the first river ferry to incorporate all of the new safety features introduced following the
Marchioness disaster
The ''Marchioness'' disaster was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours of 20 August 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people. The pleasure steamer ''Marchioness'' sank after being hit twice by ...
in August 1989.
''Spirit of the Tyne'' (2007–present)
''Spirit of the Tyne'' entered service in May 2007, as a replacement for ''Shieldsman''.
The ferry is an "off-the-shelf" product and differs greatly from its predecessors. It was built in
Harlingen, Netherlands, and fitted out in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. The design was adapted from the Gosport ferries:
''Spirit of Gosport'' and ''
Spirit of Portsmouth
MV ''Spirit of Portsmouth'' is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd
The Gosport Ferry is a ferry service for pedestrians and cyclists operating between Gosport and Portsmouth in Hampshire, southern England. It is currently operated ...
''.
Landings
North Shields
The ferry landing at
North Shields
North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth.
Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...
was opened in July 2004, providing better accessibility and passenger waiting facilities than its predecessor.
Passengers at North Shields Ferry Landing can travel to the town centre b
19o
317bus. Alternatively, it is a ten minute walk to the town centre via Borough Road.
Future developments
In November 2018,
North Tyneside Council
North Tyneside Council is the local authority of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in Tyne and Wear and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of lo ...
announced plans to consider the feasibility of moving the ferry landing at North Shields. An award of £200,000 was made to North Tyneside Council by the
North of Tyne Combined Authority in March 2019, to develop a regeneration master plan for North Shields.
Following storm damage to the ferry landing at North Shields, the Shields Ferry was suspended between 11 November and 21 December 2019, whilst repairs were undertaken.
In August 2020, it was confirmed by the
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local governme ...
that it was allocating £47 million to the North East Local Enterprise Partnership from the Get Building Fund for 18 major projects in the region, to help boost the local economy following the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, a total of £8.8 million funding was secured, with the project being partly financed (£5.5 million) by the fund.
In July 2021, it was announced that due to the time constraints of the project, funding from the Government's Getting Building Fund was no longer available. As a result of this, the redevelopment project has been pushed back until at least 2023.
South Shields
The ferry landing at
South Shields was opened in July 1999, with construction commencing once there was sufficient room for redevelopment of the area, following the closure of Harton Low Staithes in July 1993. It served as a replacement for the previous landing which opened in 1898,
and provides three berths as well as an indoor waiting room, and offices and break rooms for crew.
Parts of the old ferry landing signage survives in storage at South Shields Museum.
At South Shields Ferry Landing, it is a five minute walk to the recently reconstructed
South Shields Interchange
South Shields Interchange is the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive ran transport hub which serves the coastal town of South Shields, South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England.
History
The station, which was originally located on Mi ...
, which provides connections with bus and
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
.
Ticketing
As of April 2022, a single ticket is £2.10 and a day ticket is £3.40. Tickets are purchased from a conductor when boarding the ferry.
As the Shields Ferry is operated by Nexus, who also operate the Tyne and Wear Metro, ticketing is integrated with the Metro network. A range of Metro tickets are valid on the Ferry, including all-zone Metro day, week, month and annual tickets, and Transfare tickets, which allow for one-way travel on the Shields Ferry and either a bus or Metro.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{River item box
, River =
River Tyne
, upstream =
Tyne Pedestrian & Cycle Tunnel
, downstream = None
, downsub = North Sea
, type = pedestrian crossing
, table = end
, location =
Ferry transport in England
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Crossings of the River Tyne
North Shields
Transport in South Shields