Tynemouth Lighthouse

FURTHER UP THE HARBOUR ARE THE HIGH AND LOW LIGHTS, LARGE WHITE PAINTED MASONRY TOWERS WHICH ONCE GUIDED VESSELS INTO PORT. NO LONGER IN USE, THE HIGH LIGHT IS 39 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL AND THE LOW LIGHT IS 25 METRES. The origins of these lights are ancient. Their predecessors were located at the harbour entrance 450 years before the construction of the piers and their lighthouses were the only means of making a safe entry into the River Tyne clear of the Black Midden Rocks.

Together with navigational buoys, South Shields lighthouse, the Herd Groyne and Tynemouth lighthouse are fully functioning and operated by the Port of Tyne as a vital navigational aid for ships approaching and entering the River Tyne.

On the topside Tynemouth pier’s boardwalk is open to the public and provides a pleasant walk on a fine day. On the lee side is a lower level rail track, formerly used by trains and cranes for loading ships and at the seaward end is the lighthouse. For public safety the piers are closed in windy weather when the waves can break as high as the lighthouses.

Maintaining the piers is challenging and finding materials that fit the fabric of the structure can be difficult. The Port of Tyne remain the proud custodian of such great north eastern heritage and regular maintenance inspections are carried out to ensure the structure of the piers, lighthouses and underwater masonry are well-maintained.

TYNEMOUTH PIER AND LIGHTHOUSE FACTS • 1854 Foundation stones were laid • 1895 Pier was first completed • 1895 Lighthouse was built • 1896 Lighthouse began operating • 1897 Pier was almost destroyed • 1909 Reconstruction repairs completed and pier reopened • 26 metres Height of the lighthouse • 26 miles Distance the white navigation light which over-arcs the horizon (north light flashes and south light osculates) • 70,000 One enormous light bulb with 70,000 candle power (700 Watts) • 1 Foghorn on Tynemouth pier sounds every 10 seconds as an aid to navigation during periods where visibility is severely reduced • 2 The pier is Grade II listed by English Heritage • 3 million Tonnes of local stone was used in the piers construction • 100 Steps from the bottom of the lighthouse to the top • 899 metres Length of the pier • 724 metres Length of the tunnel below the pier • 360 metres Distance between the two roundheads • £1,018,000 Original cost to build and reconstruct (equivalent of about £12 million in today’s money) • £300,000 Approximate annual maintenance costs for both piers

Port of Tyne, Maritime House, Tyne Dock, South Shields, NE34 9PT @Port_of_Tyne In 1897 Tynemouth pier was almost destroyed in a storm

T. +44 (0) 191 455 2671 www.portoftyne.co.uk

Printed on 100% recycled paper

TYNEMOUTH LIGHTHOUSE

SOUTH SHIELDS

WELCOME TO TYNEMOUTH LIGHTHOUSE

PIER IS

1570

METRES LONG

TYNEMOUTH

PIER IS

899 METRES LONG

THE DANGERS OF THE NORTH EAST COAST HAVE BEEN LONG KNOWN AND BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PIERS THE MOUTH OF THE TYNE WAS EXPOSED TO THE FULL FORCE OF THE SEA AND MANY SHIPS WERE FREQUENTLY WRECKED. As a result during the early part of the 19th century, nine eminent engineers presented their designs for the north and south piers to the Tyne Improvement Commissioners – the predecessors of the Port of Tyne. The chosen design was by James Walker, President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1835-1845) and the foundation stones were laid in 1854.

The building of Tynemouth pier and South Shields pier has been recorded as one of the most difficult undertakings of its kind carried out in this country and for over 54 years it was an endless battle against the sea.

View from the top of the lighthouse

TYNEMOUTH PIER WAS FINALLY COMPLETED IN 1895 BUT IN 1897 THE ORIGINAL CURVED PIER WAS ALMOST DESTROYED IN A STORM AND ITS LIGHTHOUSE WAS LEFT DISCONNECTED FROM THE LAND, WITH LARGE SECTIONS OF THE WALKWAY HAVING COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED. The remaining parts of the pier were consequently demolished and rebuilt by 1909 to a straighter line designed by John Wolfe-Barry, who is probably best known for designing and constructing Tower Bridge in London.

For over 100 years Tynemouth pier’s mass of stone has protected the river extending 899 metres from the foot of Tynemouth Priory out to sea.

The original cost of Tynemouth pier was £568,000 and South Shields pier was £526,000. However, the reconstruction of Tynemouth pier was an extra £450,000 taking the total build cost to £1,544,000.

Over 3,000,000 tonnes of stone work was used in construction of both Tynemouth and South Shields piers and the stone used on the lower courses, facings and both lighthouses was magnesium limestone quarried at the Tyne Commissioners Trow Quarry situated nearly one mile from the South Shields pier.

Mirrors and prisms around the light

Both lighthouses were built of radial blocks sawn and dressed at

the South Shields pier block yard and erected on the pier heads in 1895. Installation of the lanterns added an extra eight months to complete construction.

The Tynemouth lighthouse lantern houses a considerably large lens for a harbour light, which rotates to give a group of 3 white flashes every 10 seconds. The glass prisms and ornate glass around the light are mounted in a glass frame and float on a bed of mercury; the light was originally mechanically wound by hand and resulted in a lead weight being dropped down a tube in the centre of the lighthouse. A foghorn is also mounted on the tower giving one blast every 10 seconds as an aid to navigation during periods of severely reduced visibility.

Tynemouth lighthouse is 26 metres high and has a white navigation light over-arcing the horizon for a distance of 26 miles. South Shields lighthouse is 15 metres high and has white, red and green navigational lights over-arcing the horizon for distances of 13, 9 and 8 miles respectively. Within the harbour entrance on the Herd Groyne is a small red lighthouse which is 13 metres high.

SOUTH SHIELDS

WELCOME TO TYNEMOUTH LIGHTHOUSE

PIER IS

1570

METRES LONG

TYNEMOUTH

PIER IS

899 METRES LONG

THE DANGERS OF THE NORTH EAST COAST HAVE BEEN LONG KNOWN AND BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PIERS THE MOUTH OF THE TYNE WAS EXPOSED TO THE FULL FORCE OF THE SEA AND MANY SHIPS WERE FREQUENTLY WRECKED. As a result during the early part of the 19th century, nine eminent engineers presented their designs for the north and south piers to the Tyne Improvement Commissioners – the predecessors of the Port of Tyne. The chosen design was by James Walker, President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1835-1845) and the foundation stones were laid in 1854.

The building of Tynemouth pier and South Shields pier has been recorded as one of the most difficult undertakings of its kind carried out in this country and for over 54 years it was an endless battle against the sea.

View from the top of the lighthouse

TYNEMOUTH PIER WAS FINALLY COMPLETED IN 1895 BUT IN 1897 THE ORIGINAL CURVED PIER WAS ALMOST DESTROYED IN A STORM AND ITS LIGHTHOUSE WAS LEFT DISCONNECTED FROM THE LAND, WITH LARGE SECTIONS OF THE WALKWAY HAVING COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED. The remaining parts of the pier were consequently demolished and rebuilt by 1909 to a straighter line designed by John Wolfe-Barry, who is probably best known for designing and constructing Tower Bridge in London.

For over 100 years Tynemouth pier’s mass of stone has protected the river extending 899 metres from the foot of Tynemouth Priory out to sea.

The original cost of Tynemouth pier was £568,000 and South Shields pier was £526,000. However, the reconstruction of Tynemouth pier was an extra £450,000 taking the total build cost to £1,544,000.

Over 3,000,000 tonnes of stone work was used in construction of both Tynemouth and South Shields piers and the stone used on the lower courses, facings and both lighthouses was magnesium limestone quarried at the Tyne Commissioners Trow Quarry situated nearly one mile from the South Shields pier.

Mirrors and prisms around the light

Both lighthouses were built of radial blocks sawn and dressed at

the South Shields pier block yard and erected on the pier heads in 1895. Installation of the lanterns added an extra eight months to complete construction.

The Tynemouth lighthouse lantern houses a considerably large lens for a harbour light, which rotates to give a group of 3 white flashes every 10 seconds. The glass prisms and ornate glass around the light are mounted in a glass frame and float on a bed of mercury; the light was originally mechanically wound by hand and resulted in a lead weight being dropped down a tube in the centre of the lighthouse. A foghorn is also mounted on the tower giving one blast every 10 seconds as an aid to navigation during periods of severely reduced visibility.

Tynemouth lighthouse is 26 metres high and has a white navigation light over-arcing the horizon for a distance of 26 miles. South Shields lighthouse is 15 metres high and has white, red and green navigational lights over-arcing the horizon for distances of 13, 9 and 8 miles respectively. Within the harbour entrance on the Herd Groyne is a small red lighthouse which is 13 metres high.

FURTHER UP THE HARBOUR ARE THE HIGH AND LOW LIGHTS, LARGE WHITE PAINTED MASONRY TOWERS WHICH ONCE GUIDED VESSELS INTO PORT. NO LONGER IN USE, THE HIGH LIGHT IS 39 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL AND THE LOW LIGHT IS 25 METRES. The origins of these lights are ancient. Their predecessors were located at the harbour entrance 450 years before the construction of the piers and their lighthouses were the only means of making a safe entry into the River Tyne clear of the Black Midden Rocks.

Together with navigational buoys, South Shields lighthouse, the Herd Groyne and Tynemouth lighthouse are fully functioning and operated by the Port of Tyne as a vital navigational aid for ships approaching and entering the River Tyne.

On the topside Tynemouth pier’s boardwalk is open to the public and provides a pleasant walk on a fine day. On the lee side is a lower level rail track, formerly used by trains and cranes for loading ships and at the seaward end is the lighthouse. For public safety the piers are closed in windy weather when the waves can break as high as the lighthouses.

Maintaining the piers is challenging and finding materials that fit the fabric of the structure can be difficult. The Port of Tyne remain the proud custodian of such great north eastern heritage and regular maintenance inspections are carried out to ensure the structure of the piers, lighthouses and underwater masonry are well-maintained.

TYNEMOUTH PIER AND LIGHTHOUSE FACTS • 1854 Foundation stones were laid • 1895 Pier was first completed • 1895 Lighthouse was built • 1896 Lighthouse began operating • 1897 Pier was almost destroyed • 1909 Reconstruction repairs completed and pier reopened • 26 metres Height of the lighthouse • 26 miles Distance the white navigation light which over-arcs the horizon (north light flashes and south light osculates) • 70,000 One enormous light bulb with 70,000 candle power (700 Watts) • 1 Foghorn on Tynemouth pier sounds every 10 seconds as an aid to navigation during periods where visibility is severely reduced • 2 The pier is Grade II listed by English Heritage • 3 million Tonnes of local stone was used in the piers construction • 100 Steps from the bottom of the lighthouse to the top • 899 metres Length of the pier • 724 metres Length of the tunnel below the pier • 360 metres Distance between the two roundheads • £1,018,000 Original cost to build and reconstruct (equivalent of about £12 million in today’s money) • £300,000 Approximate annual maintenance costs for both piers

Port of Tyne, Maritime House, Tyne Dock, South Shields, NE34 9PT @Port_of_Tyne In 1897 Tynemouth pier was almost destroyed in a storm

T. +44 (0) 191 455 2671 www.portoftyne.co.uk

Printed on 100% recycled paper

TYNEMOUTH LIGHTHOUSE