View source for Tynemouth

{{Short description|Town in Tyne and Wear, England}}
{{For|the parliamentary constituency of Tynemouth|Tynemouth (UK Parliament constituency)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Tynemouth
| country                  = England
| region                   = North East England
| static_image_name        = Tynemouth Festival - geograph.org.uk - 1803180.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Front Street, Tynemouth 
| population               = 60,605
| population_ref           = (Built-up area, 2021)<ref name=ONS/>
| os_grid_reference        = NZ367694
| coordinates              = {{coord|55.017|-1.423|type:city(70000)_region:GB-NTY|display=inline,title}}
| post_town                = NORTH SHIELDS
| postcode_area            = NE
| postcode_district        = NE30
| dial_code                = 0191
| constituency_westminster = [[Tynemouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Tynemouth]]
| metropolitan_borough     = [[North Tyneside]]
| metropolitan_county      = [[Tyne and Wear]]
}}

'''Tynemouth''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|aɪ|n|m|aʊ|θ}}) is a coastal town in the [[metropolitan borough]] of [[North Tyneside]], in [[Tyne and Wear]], England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the [[River Tyne, England|River Tyne]], hence its name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/UK_Distance_Result.asp?fromplace=Tynemouth,+UK&toplace=Newcastle+upon+Tyne,+UK&dt1=ChIJ-ZkSVb9ufkgRXbw_ebUVvW8&dt2=ChIJzWRvDH6FfUgRkWGncrBS4gs|title=Distance between Tynemouth, UK and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (UK)|website=distancecalculator.globefeed.com}}</ref> It is {{convert|8|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=in}} east-northeast of [[Newcastle upon Tyne]]. The medieval [[Tynemouth Priory and Castle]] stand on a headland overlooking both the mouth of the river and the [[North Sea]], with the town centre lying immediately west of the headland.

Historically part of [[Northumberland]] until 1974, the town was a [[county borough]] which included the nearby town of [[North Shields]].

At the 2021 census the Tynemouth built-up area as defined by the [[Office for National Statistics]] (which also includes North Shields) had a population of 60,605.<ref name=ONS>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> The population of Tynemouth itself at the [[2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses|2021 census]] was 10,256.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tynemouth |url=https://censusdata.uk/e05001130-tynemouth |website=2021 Census Data |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=17 June 2025}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|Tynemouth Priory and Castle}}
[[File:Tynemouth Castle 12th September 1917.jpg|thumb|175px|left|An aerial shot of [[Tynemouth Castle]], taken in 1917, which was a major coastal fortress and the control centre of the Tyne defences, which stretched from Sunderland to Blyth.]] 
The headland towering over the mouth of the [[River Tyne]] has been settled since the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1015519|desc=Tynemouth Iron Age and Romano-British settlements, monasteries, site of lighthouse, cross, motte, enclosure and artillery castles and later coastal defences|access-date=13 November 2019}}</ref> The Romans may have occupied it as a signal station, though it is just north of the [[Hadrian's Wall]] frontier (the Roman fort and supply depot of [[Arbeia]] stands almost opposite it on the southern headland of the Tyne). In the 7th century a monastery was built in Tynemouth and later fortified. The headland was known as ''Pen Bal Crag''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://roundaboutpublications.co.uk/feature/features/local-history/local-history-local-place-names-part-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231123926/http://roundaboutpublications.co.uk/feature/features/local-history/local-history-local-place-names-part-2/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=31 December 2019|title=Local History: Local Place Names Part 2 – Roundabout Publications|website=roundaboutpublications.co.uk}}</ref> {{blockquote|The place where now stands the Monastery of Tynemouth was anciently called by the Saxons Benebalcrag|[[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] at the time of [[Henry VIII]]}} The monastery was sacked by the Danes in 800, rebuilt, and destroyed again in 875, but by 1083 it was again operational.<ref>Pevsner, Buildings of England, Northumberland</ref>

Three kings are reported to have been buried within the monastery: [[Oswine of Deira|Oswin]], King of [[Deira]] (651); [[Osred II of Northumbria|Osred II]], King of [[Northumbria]] (792); and, for a time, [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm III]], King of Scots (1093).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hodstw.org.uk/north_tyneside_history|title=Welcome to Heritage Open Days in Tyne and Wear - www.hodstw.org.uk|website=hodstw.org.uk|access-date=12 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820055731/https://www.hodstw.org.uk/north_tyneside_history|archive-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> Three crowns still adorn the North Tyneside coat of arms. (North Tyneside Council, 1990).

The queens of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] and [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] stayed in the Castle and Priory while their husbands were campaigning in [[Scotland]]. [[King Edward III]] considered it to be one of the strongest castles in the Northern Marches. After the [[Battle of Bannockburn]] in 1314, Edward II fled from Tynemouth by ship.

A village had long been established in the shelter of the fortified Priory, and around 1325 the prior built a port for fishing and trading. This led to a dispute between Tynemouth and the more powerful Newcastle over shipping rights on the Tyne, which continued for centuries. For more history see [[North Shields]].

[[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]] landed at Tynemouth in August 1642 on his way to fight in the [[English Civil War]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier |last= Spencer|first= Charles|year=2015 |publisher=W&N |isbn= 978-0-753-82401-6 |page=55}}</ref>

Tynemouth was an [[ancient parish]]. It was divided into eight [[Township (England)|townships]], being [[Chirton, Tyne and Wear|Chirton]], [[Cullercoats]], [[Monkseaton]], [[Murton, Tyne and Wear|Murton]], [[North Shields]], [[Preston, Tyne and Wear|Preston]], [[Whitley Bay|Whitley]] and a Tynemouth township covering the area around the original settlement. Such townships were also made [[civil parish]]es in 1866.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tynemouth Ancient Parish / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10329206 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> In the 19th century North Shields rapidly expanded from a small fishing village into a town, overtaking Tynemouth itself to become the largest settlement in the parish. North Shields was given [[improvement commissioners]] in 1828 to administer the growing town; the commissioners' district covered the whole of the North Shields township and parts of the Chirton, Preston and Tynemouth townships.<ref>{{cite web |title=North Shields Improvement Act 1828 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo4/9/37/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Northumberland Sheet LXXXIX, 1865 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346464 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref>

In 1832 a [[parliamentary borough]] (constituency) called [[Tynemouth and North Shields (UK Parliament constituency)|Tynemouth and North Shields]] was created, covering the whole of the townships of Tynemouth, North Shields, Chirton, Cullercoats and Preston.<ref>{{cite book |title=Parliamentary Boundaries Act |date=1832 |page=353 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uq0uAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA353 |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=First Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales |date=1835 |page=59 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXBTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA59 |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> The same area was made a [[municipal borough]] in 1849, which was just called Tynemouth despite North Shields being the larger settlement within the borough.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Northumberland |date=1894 |location=London |page=407 |url=https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/320146/rec/5 |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> The first town clerk was Thomas Carr Leitch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/thomas-carr-lietch-1815-or-18161876-first-town-clerk-of-tynemouth-57587|title = Thomas Carr Lietch (1815 or 1816–1876), First Town Clerk of Tynemouth &#124; Art UK}}</ref>

The borough council based itself at [[Tynemouth Town Hall]] at the junction of Howard Street and Saville Street in North Shields, which had been built for the old North Shields improvement commissioners in 1844/5.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Former North Shields Municipal Complex|num=1299975|grade=II|access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> In 1904 the borough was elevated to become a [[county borough]], making it independent from [[Northumberland County Council]] for local government purposes, whilst remaining part of Northumberland for judicial and [[Lord-lieutenant|lieutenancy]] purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tynemouth Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10061982#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> The county borough was abolished in 1974, when the area became part of North Tyneside in the new [[metropolitan county]] of Tyne and Wear.<ref>[[Local Government Act 1972]]</ref>

Tynemouth was listed in the 2018 ''Sunday Times'' report on best places to live in Northern England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/homes-and-gardens/six-yorkshire-postcodes-appear-sunday-times-best-places-live-guide-2018-321251|title=Six Yorkshire postcodes appear in Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide for 2018|website=yorkshirepost.co.uk}}</ref>

==Climate==
Tynemouth has a very moderated [[oceanic climate]] heavily influenced by its position adjacent to the North Sea. As a result of this, summer highs are subdued and, according to the Met Office 1981–2010 data, average around {{convert|18|C|F}}. Due to its marine influence, winter lows especially are very mild for a Northern English location. Sunshine levels of 1515 hours per annum are in the normal range for the coastal North East, which is also true for the relatively low amount of precipitation at {{convert|597.2|mm|in}}.<ref name="metoffice1">{{cite web
| url =http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcybzz9xh | title = Tynemouth climate information | access-date =13 August 2015|publisher = [[Met Office]]}}</ref>

{{Weather box
 | width       = auto
 | metric first = yes
 | single line = yes
 | location    = Tynemouth (1991–2020)
 | Jan high C = 7.4
 | Feb high C = 7.9
 | Mar high C = 9.3
 | Apr high C = 10.8
 | May high C = 13.3
 | Jun high C = 16.0
 | Jul high C = 18.4
 | Aug high C = 18.3
 | Sep high C = 16.2
 | Oct high C = 13.5
 | Nov high C = 10.0
 | Dec high C = 7.7
 | year high C = 12.4
 | Jan low C = 2.5
 | Feb low C = 2.5
 | Mar low C = 3.5
 | Apr low C = 5.1
 | May low C = 7.3
 | Jun low C = 10.3
 | Jul low C = 12.5
 | Aug low C = 12.4
 | Sep low C = 10.6
 | Oct low C = 7.8
 | Nov low C = 5.1
 | Dec low C = 2.8
 | year low C = 6.9
 | rain colour = green
 | Jan rain mm = 45.8
 | Feb rain mm = 40.8
 | Mar rain mm = 39.2
 | Apr rain mm = 43.4
 | May rain mm = 41.5
 | Jun rain mm = 55.7
 | Jul rain mm = 51.8
 | Aug rain mm = 64.4
 | Sep rain mm = 45.2
 | Oct rain mm = 55.2
 | Nov rain mm = 70.5
 | Dec rain mm = 54.7
 | year rain mm = 608.3
 | unit rain days = 1 mm
 | Jan rain days = 10.4
 | Feb rain days = 9.2
 | Mar rain days = 7.8
 | Apr rain days = 8.2
 | May rain days = 8.5
 | Jun rain days = 9.8
 | Jul rain days = 9.7
 | Aug rain days = 9.9
 | Sep rain days = 8.6
 | Oct rain days = 11.4
 | Nov rain days = 12.2
 | Dec rain days = 10.7
 | year rain days = 116.3
 | Jan sun = 63.1
 | Feb sun = 85.6
 | Mar sun = 123.5
 | Apr sun = 160.8
 | May sun = 200.2
 | Jun sun = 185.7
 | Jul sun = 187.4
 | Aug sun = 174.2
 | Sep sun = 141.8
 | Oct sun = 103.8
 | Nov sun = 68.7
 | Dec sun = 56.1
 | year sun = 1551.1
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref name="MetOffice">{{cite web
|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcybzz9xh
|title = Tynemouth - Climate Station (North Tyneside) UK climate averages - Met Office
|publisher = Met Office
|access-date = July 7, 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Attractions and amenities ==

===Beaches===
[[File: Short Sands and King Edward's Bay (geograph 7751036).jpg |thumb|left|King Edward's Bay]]
In the late 18th century, sea-bathing from Tynemouth's east-facing beaches became fashionable. King Edward's Bay and Tynemouth Longsands are very popular with locals and tourists alike.

King Edward's Bay (possibly a reference to Edward II) is a small beach on the north side of the Priory, sheltered on three sides by cliffs and reached by stairways or, by the fit and adventurous who understand the weather and tides, over the rocks round the promontories on the north or south sides.
[[File: Longsands, Tynemouth (geograph 6913231).jpg |thumb|left|Longsands]]
Longsands is the next beach to the north, an expanse of fine sand {{Convert|1200|yd|m|round=50|abbr=off}} long, lying between the former Tynemouth outdoor swimming pool and Cullercoats to the north. The outdoor pool opened in 1925 and was considered a major tourist attraction in its heyday.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-20532133|title=Hot spring hope to restore Tynemouth Outdoor Pool|work=BBC News|date=7 December 2012}}</ref>

In 2013, Longsands was voted one of the best beaches in the country by users of the world's largest travel site [[TripAdvisor]]. TripAdvisor users voted the beach the UK's fourth favourite beach in its 2013 Travellers' Choice Beaches Awards. The beach was also voted the 12th best in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chronicle |first=Evening |url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/communities/tynemouth/2013/02/21/tynemouth-beach-voted-one-of-uk-s-best-72703-32854927/ |title=Tynemouth beach voted one of UK's best |date=21 February 2013 |publisher=Chronicle Live |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref>

[[File: Prior's Haven (geograph 7751460).jpg |thumb|right| Prior's Haven]]
Prior's Haven is a small beach within the mouth of the Tyne, sheltered between the Priory and the Spanish Battery, with the pier access on its north side. It was popular with Victorian bathers<ref>{{cite web|last=Henderson |first=Tony |url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/still-guarding-river-tyne-century-4468517 |title=Still guarding River Tyne a century after repairs |publisher=The Journal |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref> and is now home to [[Tynemouth Rowing Club]] and the local sailing club.

===[[Tynemouth Priory and Castle]]===

A medieval Benedictine priory at the mouth of the Tyne. Founded in the 7th century, a castle was added around 1095.  The priory was surrendered to the king during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539  A lighthouse was built in the 1660s and it was adapted as a barracks in the 18th century. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Tynemouth priory and castle |url=https://historiette.co.uk/2020/07/18/tynemouth-priory-and-castle/}}</ref> New buildings for breech loading guns were built at the end of the 19th century.  These  can be seen during a visit to the site.  The Priory and Castle is now run by English Heritage. <ref>{{Cite web |title=History of tynemouth priory |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tynemouth-priory-and-castle/history/}}</ref>

===Front Street===

A statue of [[Queen Victoria]] by Alfred Turner, unveiled on 25 October 1902, is situated at the edge of the Village Green<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/9539/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222104407/http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/9539/ |archive-date=2015-12-22 |title=Monument to Queen Victoria |website=Public Monuments & Sculpture Association |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref> which is home to the War Memorials for the residents of Tynemouth lost during the [[Second Boer War]] of 1899–1902. Designed by A.B. Plummer, it was unveiled on 13 October 1903 by [[William Brodrick, 8th Viscount Midleton]].

The larger central memorial is made of white [[granite]] with a cruciform column rising from between four struts in a contemporary design for its time. The front face has a relief sword and wreath carved onto it with the inscription below. The other three faces hold the honour roll for those lost during both World Wars. It was unveiled in 1923. DM O'Herlihy was named as the original designer but a press report stated that a Mr Steele designed the monument and credited O'Herlihy with preparatory works on the village green.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=9034 |title=North East War Memorials Project |publisher=Newmp.org.uk |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref> The 82 names from World War II were added in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=366 |title=War Memorials Trust |publisher=Warmemorials.org |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref>

Tynemouth Clock Tower on Front Street was erected in 1861 by William Scott, esq., a native of the town. Designed by Oliver and Lamb with carvings by [[Robert Beall (sculptor)|Robert Beall]], the tower housed a clock by [[J. B. Joyce & Co|Joyce of Whitchurch]]. At ground level there were drinking fountains (and drinking troughs for dogs) on the north and south sides, a marine barometer (by [[Negretti and Zambra]]) to the west and an access door to the east.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Clock-Tower, Tynemouth |journal=The Illustrated London News |date=21 December 1861 |volume=XXXIX |issue=1122 |page=625}}</ref> Made of [[Polychrome brickwork|polychrome bricks]] and [[ashlar]], the tower (which has been [[Grade II listed]] since 1986) is described as being in the [[Venetian Gothic architecture|Venetian Gothic]] style.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Clock Tower, Front Street |num=1184619 ||access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref>

===Kings Priory School===
{{Main|Kings Priory School}}
[[File:Tynemouth - King's School - geograph.org.uk - 807020.jpg|thumb|right|Kings Priory School]]
Located on Huntingdon Place, [[Kings Priory School]] (formerly The King's School and Priory Primary School) is a co-educational academy with over 800 pupils aged between 4 and 18. Though founded in [[Jarrow]] in 1860, the school moved to its present site in Tynemouth in 1865 originally providing a private education for local boys. The school has an Anglican tradition, but admits students of all faiths. Formerly a fee-paying independent school, in 2013 the school merged with the local state Priory Primary School to become a state [[Academy (English school)|academy]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/aug/12/private-school-debts-academy-free-school | title=Education in brief: Private school's £5m debts paid off as it becomes an academy| newspaper=The Guardian| date=12 August 2013| last1=Mansell| first1=Warwick}}</ref>

Former King's School was named in reference to the three ancient kings buried at Tynemouth Priory: Oswin, Osred and Malcolm III. Its most famous old boy is [[Stan Laurel]], one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Henderson |first=Tony |url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/stan-laurels-letter-friends-wife-7770496 |title=Stan Laurel's letter to his friend's wife on Tyneside goes under the hammer |publisher=The Journal |date=2014-09-15 |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref> Hollywood film director Sir [[Ridley Scott]], and racing driver [[Jason Plato]] also attended the school.

=== Tynemouth Pier and lighthouse ===
[[File:Tynemouth North Pier - geograph.org.uk - 326313.jpg|thumb|left|Wide view of Tynemouth pier and lighthouse]]
{{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q28465875
| yearbuilt       = 1864 (first)
| yearlit         = 1903 (current)
| shape           = tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern<ref>{{Cite rowlett|engne|access-date=2016-05-06}}</ref>
| lens            = rotating catadioptric lens (6 panels in 2 groups of 3)
| fogsignal       = 1 blast every 10s.
}}
This massive stone breakwater extends from the foot of the Priory some 900 yards (810 metres) out to sea, protecting the northern flank of the mouth of the Tyne. It has a broad walkway on top, popular with Sunday strollers. On the lee side is a lower level rail track, formerly used by trains and cranes during the construction and maintenance of the pier. At the seaward end is a lighthouse.

The pier's construction took over 40 years (1854–1895).<ref name="northtyneside1">{{cite web|url=http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/browse-display.shtml?p_ID=532486&p_subjectCategory=1432 |title=Heroes and Shipwrecks - North Tyneside Council |publisher=Northtyneside.gov.uk |date=1999-07-01 |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref> In 1898 the original curved design proved inadequate against a great storm and the centre section was destroyed. The pier was then rebuilt in a straighter line and completed in 1909.<ref name="chroniclelive.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/local-news/ten-interesting-facts-tynemouth--1342151|title=Ten interesting facts about Tynemouth & Cullercoats|first=Evening|last=Chronicle|date=1 January 2012}}</ref> A companion pier at [[South Shields]] protects the southern flank of the river mouth.

[[File:003216-Tynemouth lighthouse and pier Tynemouth Unknown c.1900.jpg|thumb|left|The old lighthouse and storm-damaged pier, {{circa|1900}}.]]
A lighthouse had built on the old North Pier (first lit in 1895, it displayed three lights mounted vertically: green over white over red, with a range of {{convert|7|nmi|km|0|disp=or|spell=in}});<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26679|page=6104|date=12 November 1895}}</ref> however, when the pier had to be rebuilt to a new design, an entirely new lighthouse was required. The work was undertaken by [[Trinity House]], beginning in 1903; the lighthouse was finished before the pier itself, and was first lit on 15 January 1908.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Robin|title=Lighthouses of the North East Coast|date=2014|publisher=Halsgrove|location=Wellington, Somerset}}</ref> The revolving [[Fresnel lens|optic]], manufactured by [[Barbier, Benard, et Turenne|Barbier, Bénard, et Turenne]], displayed a flash three times every ten seconds; it remains in use today.<ref>[http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid={58E08A8B-ADBC-42C8-A4E0-97D0D715519A} Images]</ref> The light source was an [[Kerosene lamp|incandescent oil vapour lamp]], which (together with the optic) produced a 70,000-candlepower light with a range of {{convert|15|nmi|km|0|abbr=off}}.<ref name="Engineers1931">{{cite journal |title=Tyne Piers and Lighthouses |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers |date=19 September 1931 |volume=58 |pages=875–876}}</ref> The lighthouse was also equipped with a [[Reed pipe|reed]] [[fog signal]], powered by compressed air, which was mounted 'on the cupola'; it sounded one long blast every ten seconds.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28099|page=327|date=14 January 1908}}</ref> It was manned by four keepers, with two on duty at any one time.<ref name="Engineers1931" /> In September 1961 a new, more powerful electric light was installed by the Tyne Improvement Commissioners (powered from the [[Mains electricity|mains]]).<ref>{{cite journal |title=More Efficient Tynemouth Light |journal=Shipbuilding & Shipping Record |date=1961 |volume=58 |page=255}}</ref> Then in 1967 the lighthouse (by then staffed by six keepers on rotation) was automated; a diesel generator was installed along with an electric foghorn.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Modernised Light for Tyne |journal=Shipbuilding & Shipping Record |date=1967 |volume=109 |page=499}}</ref>

Before the pier was built, a lighthouse stood within the grounds of [[Tynemouth Priory and Castle]]. It was demolished in 1898.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.twsitelines.info/SMR/730|title=Tynemouth lighthouse|date=26 May 2021}}</ref> It stood on the site of the now-disused [[Her Majesty's Coastguard|Coastguard]] Station.

In October 2023 the pier was damaged by [[Storm Babet]] (with winds of up to 70 knots), which left 'large sections of stone walls, handrails, block paving and coping stones washed into the sea'.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Younger |first1=Owen |title=Port of Tyne piers to undergo extensive £4.5 million repairs after storm damage |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/port-tyne-piers-undergo-extensive-29805012 |access-date=4 April 2025 |work=Chronicle Live |date=24 August 2024}}</ref>

=== The Spanish Battery ===
[[File:002614- Tynemouth The Spanish Battery C1870.jpg|thumb|left|The Spanish Battery {{circa|1870}}.]]
The headland dominates the river mouth and is less well known as Freestone Point. Settlements dating from the Iron Age and later have been discovered here.<ref>Jobey, G 1967 'Excavation at Tynemouth Priory and Castle [Normumberland]' Archaeol Aeliana</ref> The promontory supposedly takes its name from Spanish mercenaries who manned guns there in the 16th century to defend Henry VIII's fleet. Most of the guns had been removed by 1905.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/browse-display.shtml?p_ID=532487&p_subjectCategory=1432 |title=Priors, Kings and Soldiers - North Tyneside Council |publisher=Northtyneside.gov.uk |date=1999-07-01 |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref> It is now a popular vantage point for watching shipping traffic on the Tyne.

=== The Collingwood Monument ===
[[File:The Collingwood Monument (geograph 2479077).jpg|thumbnail|[[Collingwood Monument|The Collingwood Monument]]]]
Beyond the Battery, and commanding the attention of all shipping on the Tyne, is the giant memorial to [[Lord Collingwood]], the [[Collingwood Monument]]. Collingwood was [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson]]'s second-in-command at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]], who completed the victory after Nelson was killed in action. Erected in 1845, the monument was designed by [[John Dobson (architect)|John Dobson]] and the statue was sculpted by [[John Graham Lough]]. The figure is some {{convert|23|ft}} tall and stands on a massive base incorporating a flight of steps flanked by four cannons from [[HMS Royal Sovereign (1786)|HMS ''Royal Sovereign'']] – Collingwood's ship at Trafalgar.<ref>Pevsner: Buildings of England, Northumberland</ref>

=== The Black Middens ===
{{main|Black Middens}}
These rocks in the Tyne near the Monument are covered at high water, and the one rock that can sometimes be seen then is called Priors Stone. Over the centuries they have claimed many ships whose crew "switched off" after safely negotiating the river entrance. In 1864, the Middens claimed five ships in three days with many deaths, even though the wrecks were only a few yards from the shore. In response a meeting was held in North Shields Town Hall in December 1864 at which it was agreed that a body of men should be formed to assist the Coastguard in the event of such disasters.  This led to the foundation of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade.<ref name="northtyneside1"/>

===Tynemouth Aquarium===
[[File:Blue Reef Aquarium, Tynemouth - geograph.org.uk - 1633538.jpg|thumb|left|Blue Reef Aquarium]]
Undersea aquatic park, containing seahorses, sharks, giant octopus, frogs, otters and many other creatures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tynemouthaquarium.co.uk/creatures/|title = About Our Creatures &#124; Tynemouth Aquarium|date = 10 March 2016}}</ref> Its '''Seal Cove ''' is a purpose-built outdoor facility providing an environment for a captive-bred colony of harbour seals. The {{Convert|500000|l|impgal|adj=on}} pool includes rocky haul-out areas and underwater caves, specially created to ensure marine mammals are kept in near natural conditions. It was previously known as the Blue Reef Aquarium Tynemouth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitnorthtyneside.com/activities/activity/28/|title = Tynemouth Aquarium &#124; Visit North Tyneside}}</ref>

==Transport==
{{main|Transport in Tyne and Wear}}
Maintaining transport links between Tynemouth and Newcastle is [[Tynemouth Metro station]], originally opened in 1882 as a mainline station catering for the thousands of holiday-makers who flocked to the Tynemouth beaches. Its ornate Victorian ironwork canopies have earned it Grade II listed status. They were restored in 2012, and the station now provides a venue for a weekend "flea market", book fairs, craft displays, coffee shops, restaurants, exhibitions and other events.<ref>{{cite news|title=Before and after: historic buildings restored and transformed|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/renovatinganddiy/9943413/Before-and-after-historic-buildings-restored-and-transformed.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322044716/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/renovatinganddiy/9943413/Before-and-after-historic-buildings-restored-and-transformed.html|archive-date=2013-03-22|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>

Tynemouth is the end point for the {{convert|140|mi|km|0|adj=mid|-long}} [[Coast to Coast Cycle Route]] from [[Whitehaven]] or [[Workington]] in [[Cumbria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk/index.htm|title=Coast to Coast guide|access-date=19 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426211723/http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk/index.htm|archive-date=26 April 2006}}</ref>

==Demographics==
In 2011, Tynemouth had a population of 67,519, compared to 17,056 a decade earlier.<ref name="ons.gov.uk">[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-the-north/urban-areas-in-the-north-part-1.pdf Office for National Statistics : ''Census 2001 Key Statistics - Urban areas in the North Part 1''] Retrieved 2014-10-11</ref> This is mainly because of boundary changes rather than an actual population increase: for example, [[North Shields]] was a separate urban subdivision in 2001 and had a population of over 36,000. [[Shiremoor]] was also a different urban subdivision, with a population of almost 5000 in 2001.<ref name="ons.gov.uk"/> The 2011 definition of the town of Tynemouth includes North Shields along with some areas in the north west of the town such as Shiremoor or [[West Allotment]]. However using 2011 methodology boundaries Tynemouth had a population of 60,881 in 2001 based on the 2011 boundaries. Thus Tynemouth has become larger in both area and population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-northeastengland.php?cityid=E35001354|title=Tynemouth (Tyne and Wear, North East England, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics and Location in Maps and Charts|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=2016-03-25}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Tynemouth compared in 2011
|-
!  !! Tynemouth !! North Tyneside
|-
| White British || 94.7% || 95.1%
|-
| Asian || 2.0% || 1.9%
|-
| Black || 0.3% || 0.4%
|}

<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks201ew|title=KS201EW (Ethnic group) - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics|website=nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/north-tyneside-e08000022#sthash.C7MTghix.dpbs|title=North Tyneside - UK Census Data 2011|website=UK Census Data}}</ref>

== Religion ==
Tynemouth's Parish Church is the Church of the Holy Saviour in the Parish of Tynemouth Priory. It was built in 1841<ref>{{cite web|title=Holy Saviours - Our Story|url=http://www.holysaviours.org.uk/pb/wp_75d34eb8/wp_75d34eb8.html|publisher=The Church of the Holy Saviour Tynemouth Priory}}</ref> as a chapel of ease to the main Anglican church in the area, [[Christ Church, North Shields]].  In Front Street there were two other churches, the Catholic Parish of [[Our Lady and St Oswin Church, Tynemouth|Our Lady & St Oswin's]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tynemouthcatholic.org/|title=The Parish of Our Lady & St. Oswin's, Tynemouth and St Mary's, Cullercoats Welcome|publisher=Tynemouth & Cullercoats Catholics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625230212/http://tynemouthcatholic.org/|archive-date=25 June 2013}}</ref> opened in 1899, and also Tynemouth Congregational Church, which closed in 1973<ref>{{cite web|title=The United Reformed Church in North Shields - Church History|url=http://northshields.urc.org.uk/?page_id=29|publisher=St Columba's URC}}</ref> and is now a shopping arcade.

==Notable residents==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2021}}
*[[Harriet Martineau]]  – sociologist and writer<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue plaque |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/bolckow/22008351586}}</ref>
*[[Susan Mary Auld]] – naval architect<ref>{{cite web|last=Henderson |first=Tony |url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/tyneside-shipbuilding-history-saved-dumpster-1404893 |title=Tyneside shipbuilding history is saved from dumpster |date=27 September 2011 |publisher=Chronicle Live |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref>
*[[Norah Balls]] (1886–1980), suffragette, women’s right campaigner, magistrate and councillo, co-founder of the Girl Guides movement in Northumberland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Norah Balls 1883-1980 |url=https://bamburghbones.org/norah-balls-1883-1980/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=bamburghbones.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Thomas Bewick]] – engraver, spent many holidays at Bank Top and wrote most of his memoirs there in 1822
*[[Septimus Brutton]] – played a single [[first-class cricket]] match for [[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]] in 1904
*[[Toby Flood]] – England rugby player, was a pupil at The King's School<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/newcastle-falcons-sign-toby-flood-13009090|title=Newcastle Falcons sign Toby Flood: Former England star rejoins from Toulouse|first=Stuart|last=Jamieson|date=9 May 2017|website=ChronicleLive}}</ref>
*[[Ralph Pake]] –  professional footballer<ref>{{cite book|first=Michael|last=Joyce|title=Football League Players' Records 1888-1939|year=2004}}</ref>
*[[Ray Slater]] - (1931–2005), professional footballer<ref>{{Hugman|18144|Ray Slater|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
*[[Andy Taylor (guitarist)|Andy Taylor]] – former lead guitarist for the [[New wave music|new wave]] group [[Duran Duran]] was born in Tynemouth in 1961 at the [[Tynemouth Jubilee Infirmary]].<ref name="Taylor2008">{{cite book|author=Andy Taylor|title=Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xViayChxEwAC&pg=PT9|date=9 September 2008|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|isbn=978-0-446-54606-5|pages=9–}}</ref>
*[[John of Tynemouth (canon lawyer)]] – (died 1221), Canon lawyer, author, teacher at [[Oxford University]] later canon and judge.<ref name=ODNBJoTG />
*[[John of Tynemouth (chronicler)]] – ({{fl.|{{circa|1350}}}}), vicar of Tynemouth, author of world history and of British hagiography.<ref>{{cite ODNB |author=Taylor, John |title=Tynemouth [Tinmouth], John |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/27466}}</ref>
*[[John of Tynemouth (geometer)]] – ({{fl.|early 13th century}}), author of a book on geometry later relied on by [[Adelard of Bath]] and [[Roger Bacon]].  Possibly the same man as the canon lawyer.<ref name=ODNBJoTG>{{cite ODNB |author= Knorr, Wilbur R. |title=Tynemouth, John of |year= 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/52685}}</ref>

==Notable visitors==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2021}}
[[Charles Dickens]] visited Tynemouth and wrote in a letter from Newcastle, dated 4 March 1867:

'We escaped to Tynemouth for a two hours' sea walk. There was a high wind blowing, and a magnificent sea running. Large vessels were being towed in and out over the stormy bar with prodigious waves breaking on it; and, spanning the restless uproar of the waters, was a quiet rainbow of transcendent beauty. the scene was quite wonderful. We were in the full enjoyment of it when a heavy sea caught us, knocked us over, and in a moment drenched us and filled even our pockets.'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/9420054.charles-dickens-worlds-first-pop-idol/|title = Charles Dickens... The world's first pop idol| date=14 December 2011 }}</ref>

[[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] sailed into the mouth of the River Tyne in 1854 and briefly stayed in Huntingdon Place. The house is marked by a commemorative plaque.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://openplaques.org/plaques/8453|title=Giuseppe Garibaldi blue plaque}}</ref>

[[Lewis Carroll]] states in the first surviving diary of his early manhood, that he met 'three nice little children' belonging to a Mrs Crawshay in Tynemouth on 21 August 1855. He remarks: 'I took a great fancy to Florence, the eldest, a child of very sweet manners'.

[[Algernon Charles Swinburne]] arrived hot foot from [[Wallington Hall]] in December 1862 and proceeded to accompany [[William Bell Scott]] and his guests, probably including [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]] on a trip to Tynemouth. Scott writes that as they walked by the sea, Swinburne declaimed his ''Hymn to Proserpine'' and ''Laus Veneris'' in his strange intonation, while the waves 'were running the whole length of the long level sands towards Cullercoats and sounding like far-off acclamations'.

[[Peter the Great]] of Russia is reputed to have stayed briefly in Tynemouth while on an incognito visit to learn about shipbuilding on the Tyne. He was fascinated by shipbuilding and Western life. Standing {{convert|6|ft|8|in|cm}} and with body-guards, he would not have been troubled by the locals.<ref>Story told by Russian guide in St. Petersberg, 1998</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2016}}

==Festivals==

===Mouth of Tyne festival===

The [[Mouth of the Tyne Festival]] currently continues the local festival tradition. This annual free festival is held jointly between Tynemouth and South Shields and includes a world-class open-air concert at Tynemouth Priory.

===Tynemouth pageant===
Tynemouth Pageant is a community organisation in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, devoted to staging an open-air dramatic pageant every three years in the grounds of Tynemouth Castle and Priory, by kind permission of English Heritage who run the historic monastic and defensive site at the mouth of the River Tyne.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tynemouthpageant.org/home.html |title=Tynemouth Pageant |website=www.tynemouthpageant.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050326024600/http://www.tynemouthpageant.org/home.html |archive-date=26 March 2005}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery
|File:Statue of Queen Victoria, Tynemouth 2.jpg|The Statue of Queen Victoria 
|File:Tynemouth Lighthouse, 2006.jpg|Tynemouth Pier
|File:Tynemouth Pier (7923685072).jpg|Tynemouth Pier looking out to the North Sea
|File:Tynemouth War Memorial, July 2015.JPG|Tynemouth War Memorial 
|File:Monument morts Afrique Sud Tynemouth North Tyneside 5.jpg|Tynemouth Boer War Memorial
|File:Tynemouth - Front Street view from the Salutation Inn - geograph.org.uk - 805848.jpg|The view of Front Street from the Salutation Inn
|File:Tynemouth Castle and Priory (7352532508).jpg|King Edward's Bay with Tynemouth Priory above the cliff
|File:Tynemouth Metro station March 2005 - platform 2.jpg|Tynemouth Metro Station
|Clock tower, Tynemouth geograph-5819385-by-Jim-Osley.jpg|Tynemouth Clock Tower
}}

==In popular culture==
{{in popular culture|section|date=January 2021}} 
*Many of the books of prize-winning children's author [[Robert Westall]] are set in Tynemouth.<ref name="chroniclelive.co.uk"/>
* ''The Fire Worm''. London: Gollancz, 1988. {{ISBN|0-575-04300-8}}, a book by prize-winning [[science fiction]] author [[Ian Watson (author)|Ian Watson]] is set in Tynemouth,<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ewHW0IIVPokC&q=the+fire+worm+tynemouth&pg=PT93 |title = The Fire Worm|isbn = 9780575114661|last1 = Watson|first1 = Ian|date = 29 September 2011}}</ref> and is based on the [[Lambton Worm]] legend.
*The 1980s television series ''[[Supergran]]'' was predominantly filmed in Tynemouth and the flying bicycle and other artefacts used in filming were until 2006 on display in the '''Land of Green Ginger''' (converted Congregational Church) on Front Street.<ref name="chroniclelive.co.uk"/>
*Many scenes from the 1961 film [[Payroll (film)|''Payroll'']] are set in Tynemouth.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.playhousewhitleybay.co.uk/events/whitley-bay-film-festival-presents-payroll-1961-pg/ | title=Whitley Bay Film Festival presents PAYROLL (1961) (PG)}}</ref>
* Several scenes from the TV series [[Vera (TV series)|Vera]] have been shot in and around Tynemouth.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/update/2016-09-19/other-movies-shot-in-our-region-who-knew/ |title = Other movies shot in our region - who knew?!}}</ref>
*A short [[Manga]] [[comic]], written by Japanese animator [[Hayao Miyazaki]], entitled '''A Trip To Tynemouth''' was released in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/12/in-case-youre-wondering-what-hayao-miyazaki-is-up-to/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213054829/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/12/in-case-youre-wondering-what-hayao-miyazaki-is-up-to/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 December 2014 |title=In Case You're Wondering What Hayao Miyazaki Is Up To... |publisher=[[Kotaku Australia]] |date=2014-12-02 |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref>
*The [[BBC Radio 4]] drama series ''[[Home Front (BBC radio series)|Home Front]]'', comprised 561 episodes broadcast between the centenary of the outbreak of the [[First World War]] on 4 August 2014, and the centenary of the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|1918 Armistice]] on 11 November 2018. The series was mostly set in Tynemouth and Folkestone, with links between characters related to each other in the two towns. It focused on the people involved in the war, those who stayed at home, and the industries that they worked in.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06gqysf | title = Home Front on Tyneside | date = 2 February 2015 | publisher = BBC Radio 4 | access-date = 26 March 2023}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Tynemouth}}
{{Commons category|Tynemouth}}
* [http://www.tynemouth.frankgillings.com/ Tynemouth, in video and pictures] (personal website)
* [https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/tynemouth-priory-and-castle/ Tynemouth Priory at the English Heritage website]
* [http://www.tynemouthmarket.co.uk/ A guide to Tynemouth market]
* [http://www.tynemouth.info/ Tynemouth shops, bars, cafes and events]

{{Coastal settlements
|place         = Tyne and Wear
|settlement    = Tynemouth
|anticlockwise = [[Cullercoats]]
|clockwise     = [[South Shields]]
}}
{{T&W places}}
{{Tyne and Wear}}
{{Lighthouses in England}}
{{Portal bar |United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control | additional=Q28465875}}

[[Category:Tynemouth| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Tyne and Wear]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Tyne and Wear]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Surfing locations in England]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Tyne and Wear]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Tyne and Wear]]
[[Category:Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside]]