Coal Staiths

[Ivan Cloherty]

Was watching a re-run of "Get Carter" last night, (shot in late 60's/early 70's ?) mainly set in Wallsend, Wear and Tyneside. Many scenes involved the river, the Wallsend-Wear Ferry, shipbuilding yards, ships fitting out and the coal Staiths, such a lot of memories came flooding back. It brought back my time on coasters and colliers, but it was only last night I realised how huge and complicated these wooden structures were and what a lot of effort had gone into their design so that they would work with the minimum of mechanical engineering but maximising the natural forces of gravity..typical Victorian engineering, well thought out and virtually unbreakable. The ships looked miniscule compared to them. Another aspect was the black waters of the shoreline caused by the overhead cable cars dumping coal slag straight into the North Sea. Sailing away from these coal loading ports I remember the number of people on these black beaches with baskets, and some even with donkeys and carts roaming the beach for the coal washed clean by the sea, and in those days no one stopped them taking it. Today you can get fined for taking pebbles off the beach (which kids have always done) in some places within the UK.

[Captain Kong]

There was a big ESSO VLCC moored alongside. I think it was the ESSO Hibernia, ?

[j.sabourn]

Clever lads them Geordies. John Sabourn

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, Sea coal was used in Cardiff to warm people homes in winter and drift-wood some children use to pick it up on the weekends on fore-shore {now private property} sell it round the streets you could earn a few bob, if you had a set of pram wheels and a big plank and sack for the coal , and for a few coppers for some sweets you had boys to help push it for you. Sea - coal is not very good to burn its too quick goes to ash ,but drift wood had tar ? and was smokey to burn but people would buy it.

[Don Rafferty]

',but drift wood had tar ? and was smokey to burn but people would buy it.'


I think that would depend on the origin of the driftwood, a tree falling into a river and getting washed out to sea and subsequently coming ashore as driftwood, wouldn't have any tar but sleepers and telegraph poles etc., certainly would.

A cousin who lived at Millport, can remember rowing to the Wee Cumbrae and loading the dinghy with driftwood, anything too big was towed.

[Tony Frost]

To think every things gone now accept the place names,mainly shot in and around Tyne-side Newcastlle, Gateshead ,Heburn/Wasend(ferry) and Blyth(No Mackems were used or hurt during the filming)

[Albert Bishop]

I learned to swim off the coal staithes in North Shields The state of the Tyne in those days I'm suprised I'm still here. Happy Days though! Albi

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, Hi don you are right but most of the drift-wood came of the rail yard ,and docks, dont remember any trees, only branches , and large blocks of soaking heavy wood with splinters, pick it up on fore shore