Thomson Spirit 2015 Cruise (Thomson Cruises) - Simplon Postcards

The earliest records of a ferry between North and South Shields are from 1377. In 1588 the Old Landing Ferry was running from the Coble Landing area of eastern South Shields. the North Shields landing was west of Cliffords Fort and later Clive Street. Most ferries were passenger only, but a 'horse boat' was ordered in 1588. There have been numerous proposals to bridge the Tyne near North & South Shields, but none came to anything. Following the failure of an 1826 bridge proposal, alternatives were sought. The Shields Ferry Act of 1829 established the North & South Shields Ferry Company, to convey passengers, carriages, horses, cattle and goods. Regular services began in July 1830 between market Street/New Quay in South Shields to Ferry Street/Market Place in North Shields, both close to the current pier locations. The first steamboat Baron Rewcastle proved to be inadequate, and a second vessel Durham (1), of unusual catamaran form with a single central paddle wheel, was possibly little better. A third boat Northumberland (1), replacing the Baron Rewcastle in 1830, proved to be unstable, but ran until 1883. Both Durham (1) and Northumberland (1) had a tendency to run aground.

Competition arrived in 1847 when the Tyne Direct Ferry Company was formed, running the Percy between the New Quay to Kinton's Quay in North Shields. The Direct Ferry was known as the Ha'penny Dodger, from the fare charged and the way it dodged between other river traffic. Amalgamation of the two companies followed in 1949. A third service was run in from 1856 between Whitehill Pont and West Holborn using the steamer Favourite. The Tyne Improvement Commission was empowered by an act of Parliament to buy the Tyne ferries, and acquired the Shields Ferry for £39,000 in 1863. At this time the fleet was the horse & cart ferries Durham (1) and Northumberland on the Market Place ferry, and the Tyne on the Jarrow Ferry. Passenger vessel Percy ran the Direct Ferry and Favourite worked the Whitehill route. New ferries followed the takeover with the vehicle ferries Durham (2) in 1866, Tyne (2) in 1869 and Tynemouth (1) in 1883, all used on the Market Place ferry. New passenger ferries included the Shields (1868) and J.R.Proctor (1890) for the Whitehill Point route, plus the Collingwood (1)  (1896) for the Direct Ferry.

There was a failed scheme to build a transporter bridge in 1901, after which Tyne Improvement Commission promoted a Parliamentary Bill to enable it to improve the ferries. This was enacted in 1902 with the provision of two new, larger pontoons at North Shields, one serving the market Place ferry and the other for the Direct Ferry and Tyne General ferry Company's steamers (which provided services along the river). Similar improvements were made at the Market Place terminal. New ferries built were the passenger boats George Armstrong (1904) for the Direct Ferry, plus Thomas Richardson and U.A.Ritson in 1906 for the Market Place route. The new vehicle ferry South Shields was built for the Market Place route in 1911. She survived until 1968. Further new vehicle ferries were the Tynemouth (2) of 1925 and the Northumbrian in 1930. These vessels continued running the ferries for many years, despite increasing complaints about the service. A new Collingwood (2) was acquired in 1939, replacing the original Collingwood (1)  on the Direct Ferry. The Whitehill Point service ceased in 1941 due to war damage. It was briefly reinstated on an experimental basis in 1951 using the steam launch Osmia, but ceased permanently the following year once Parliamentary permission had been obtained. The next ferry to close was the Direct route in 1954, the Collingwood (2) being sold for conversion into a yacht. The Market Place ferry was still busy, carrying around 400,000 vehicles a year. This traffic almost disappeared as soon as the Tyne Tunnel was built in 1967. The 1911 South Shields was withdrawn in March 1968 and broken up, followed in April by the 1925 Tynemouth (2) . Northumbrian continued alone until the arrival of the first modern ferry in 1972.

The Shields Ferry operates across the River Tyne, England, between North Shields and South Shields. The service is operated by Nexus (The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) and is part of the Tyne and Wear Metro System. It was known as The Market Place Ferry until takeover by the PTE in 1972. Modern passenger ferries used have been the Freda Cunningham  (1972-1994), Shieldsman  (1976-2008), Pride of the Tyne (1993), and Spirit of the Tyne (2007), the latter two maintaining the service in 2017.

More images of old & new Tyne Ferries: - www.simplonpc.co.uk/TyneFerries.html

Simplon - The Passenger Ship Website - www.simplonpc.co.uk Simplon Home - www.simplonpc.co.uk - Simplon facebook - Recent Updates - Search Simplon - Copyright Information - Contact Simplon - www.pocruises.com This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation - There are no postcards or images for sale on this website

	Thomson Celebration Thomson Cruises - Highland Fling Cruise IMO number: 8027298 - Name of ship: THOMSON CELEBRATION Gross tonnage: 33933 - DWT: 4217 - Year of build: 1984 - Flag: Malta Each image links to a larger copy which opens in a new window/tab
	This page shows images from a short cruise from Newcastle to Leith, Invergordon, Dundee and back to Newcastle on Thomson Celebration..

	Sections on this Page Newcastle - 24th-25th August 2017 Leith - 26th August 2017 Invergordon- 27th August 2017 Dundee - 28th August 2017 Newcastle - 29th August 2017 Ships on this Page:- Akcakoca - Bodrum Thomson Celebration - Newcastle Associated Pages:- Cruise Ships Ocean Liners UK Excursion Vessels World Ferry Fleets Simplon Postcards. Home Page Simplon Postcards - Recent Updates - Simplon Postcards facebook page	References Click on images for more details - www.overviewpress.co.uk - info@overviewpress.co.uk Contacts Thomson Cruises - www.thomson.co.uk/cruise Simplon Facebook Pages:- - Simplon Ship Postcards facebook page - Simplon Main Line Railways facebook page - Simplon Minor Railways facebook page - Simplon Piers & Lighthouses facebook page - Simplon Tramways facebook page - Simplon Cliff Lifts facebook page
- Search the Simplon Website