Tyne pilot’s jetty brings back mixed memories
OUR striking past-meetspresent image takes us to the River Tyne at South Shields.
The focus of the photograph is the old pilot jetty which was in regular use during the river’s bustling maritime heyday as the location where the River Tyne pilots would moor their vessels.
The juxtaposition of old and new in one image is the creation of photographer and local historian Mick Ray, who runs the popular Facebook group Old Photos of South Shields and the North East and has kindly been sharing some of his work with The Chronicle.
Here, Mick in his own words recalls the pilot jetty as it was in the 1950s, and beyond: “For those of us that grew up in this area, a visit to the old pilot jetty today brings mixed emotions. It is in bad condition, weathering away on wind and tide, unused and dangerous but the memories it brings back are unforgettable. The walkways on the jetty were originally protected by wooden fencing along its length, which led to the mooring point of the pilot cutters, with stairs leading down to the boats at the far end.
“Although it was a working location, kids gathered here for all sorts of reasons. It was a great vantage point to watch the arrivals and departures of boats on the river, and also an excellent place to go ‘spratting’ or fishing. The small platform jutting out of the jetty was where we fished from. It too originally had fencing around it, but that didn’t stop many of us falling or jumping into the river.
“Out of sight to the left of the image was another prime fishing spot, on top of a T-shaped sewer outlet. We didn’t really worry about what was gushing out of the sewers. The sewer was also surrounded by wooden jetties. Giant water rats, some the size of cats, would roam the rafters and beams. The ‘T sewer’ is still there, but it’s crumbling away.
“The main purpose of the jetty was to give access to the cutters used by the Tyne pilots to travel out to ships, and aid their navigation in and out of the river. The history of the pilots goes back over 500 years. In later years, the pilots used rowing boats based at the Coble Landing, and would meet incoming vessels and offer their service (for a cost) to guide the vessel to a safe berth.
“Naturally, there was competition. The more work you did, the more you earned. The competition became quite fierce, and led to pilot boats venturing outside the relative safety of the river, looking for approaching vessels and obtaining their business in advance of the waiting pilots on the river.
“This, of course, was a lot more dangerous, exposing small boats to the extremes of weather and tidal conditions on the high seas. “