A short history of Dunston Staithes and ...When were the last coals shipped from Newcastle?

Dunston Coal Staiths

Dunston Coal Staiths, first opened in 1893 to load coal from the North Durham coalfield onto ships. The staiths are reputed to be the largest wooden structure in Europe

In the 1920s, 140,000 tons of coal per week were loaded from the staiths, and they continued to be used until the 1970s. At the coal industry's peak around 5.5 million tons of coal was moved this way each year.

The staiths were also a shipping point for coke produced at the nearby Norwood Coke Works, as well as pencil pitch manufactured at the Thomas Ness Tar Works using by-products from the Norwood plant and the Redheugh Gasworks. Throughout their working life, motive power for shunting wagons on the staiths and in their extensive sidings known as the Norwood Coal Yard came in the form of locomotives from Gateshead MPD.

For many years, the men who worked on the staiths, known as teemers (the men who released the coal from the wagons and operated the loading chutes and conveyors) and trimmers (who had the dangerous job of ensuring the stability of the colliers by levelling the load in their holds as they were filled), had their own room in the nearby Dunston Excelsior Club.

A Sad Decline

As the coal industry declined during the latter part of last century, so too did Dunston Staiths, eventually falling into serious disrepair. Some reprieve came from the National Garden Festival held in Gateshead in 1990, which saw extensive restoration work carried out, with the Staiths taking a leading role as a key installation with performance space and an art gallery.

Sadly, the landmark structure's luck didn't hold. A serious fire in 2003 inflicted extensive damage putting the Staiths on Historic England's 'At Risk Register'.

The Beginnings of a Reprieve

The staiths are a Scheduled Monument, Grade II listed and is owned by registered charity Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust. Fortunately, TWBPT succeeded in raising the funds required to kick start the ongoing restoration which has seen it transformed into an exciting and sustainable visitor attraction.

Funding from Historic England enabled installation of a scaffold bridge over the burnt section of the walking loop, this meant that Staiths was able to open for Heritage Open Days in 2021.

The Trust and Staiths Friends are working in partnership with the National Trust to devise a strategy for the Staiths to create an income for the structure and sustain access in future.

Last Coals From Newcastle?

The last ever shipment of coal from Newcastle (12,000 tons aboard the ship Longwave) left the Tyne shortly before midnight on 18 February 2021, bringing centuries of North East history to an end.

Sunset Over Dunston Staithes