Odd tops No. 6

Kirkpatricks, Ocean Road

The Kirkpatrick pub in Ocean Road, South Shields is perhaps one of our finest buildings, along with the museum and the Town Hall. It occupies the former Marine School founded by Dr. Thomas Winterbottom in 1837, the forerunner of the world renowned Marine College at Westoe. The Kirkpatrick takes it’s name from the bronze statue of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, the South Shields born Aussie war hero, stood outside.

The building is solid, well decorated, with enough Victorian flare from their master masons to attract the attention.

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 35mm lens, 1/60 second, f6.7, iso 200

Map

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Old buses

Tyne Tees Run 2008

Part of the collection of privately owned old buses that took part in the 2008 Tyne Tees Run from Stockton on Tees to South Shields. The Bents Park was full of interest for those seeking to look at transport from years gone by, but the weather was quite awful.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 28mm lens, 1/60 second, f8.0, iso 200

Map

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

The Vets

Tyne Tees Run 2008

The annual Tyne Tees Run for historic commercial vehicles took place on Sunday when scores of commercial and military vehicles travelled from Stockton on Tees to the Bents Park in South Shields.

These guys are veterans of a number of these rallies and were enjoying showing off their military trucks despite the rotten weather (it was grey and quite wet.) Also on show were a number of vintage aged buses, ambulances, fire tenders, police cars, haulage trucks, and small vans.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 28mm lens, 1/45 second, f5.6, iso 200

Map

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Odd tops No. 5

1908

Here’s our next and rather glorious “odd top” in South Shields, a piece of architectural grandeur in King Street that could easily pass for a town hall, a court room, or a mansion house. Built in 1908 judging by the Roman numerals etched above it’s perpendicular columns, this building now houses a branch of Lloyds TSB bank, not knowing it’s history it may well have been banking premises from the day it was built.

As an example of Edwardian public building it stands as one of the finest in our town centre.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 64mm lens, 1/180 second, f8.0, iso 200

Map

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Bridging past and present

Jarrow Bridge

Just along the road from South Shields is the ancient monastic church of St. Paul, Jarrow, consecrated in AD685 originally as part of the twin Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey founded by Benedict Biscop. The monastery at Jarrow was supervised by Ceolfrid who brought twenty monks from St. Peter in Monkwearmouth (including the young Bede.)

The Venerable Bede grew up here and made it the cradle of English art and literature, it was from a tiny cell in this monastery that he dictated the writing of his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum . (The ruins of the original monastery still exist next to the church.) St. Paul, with St. Peter in Monkwearmouth are candidates for World Heritage Site status.

The bridge in the foreground was originally built in the 18th. century to provide a foot crossing over the River Don to new industrialised sites on the south side of the Tyne at Jarrow Slake, it was widened in the 19th. century and restored by South Tyneside Council in 1999.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 28mm lens, 1/90 second, f6.7, iso 200

Map