South Shields: St Mary Tyne Dock
Overview
Grid reference: NZ 357 653
The church, in spite of its unfinished tower, is placed on a relatively high area of ground and forms a landmark for the area. Its considerable height gives it a certain dignity and the details such as the window tracery and doorways are all careful and scholarly.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Nave of four bays with aisles and one bay without, the aisles standing under their own gables; west porch and vestry; north-west tower chancel with south vestry.
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was designed in 1860 by John Dobson of Newcastle. The foundation stone was laid on 22 October 1861, and the building was consecrated on 22 October 1862 by the Bishop of Durham. The building contractor was Joseph Elliott of North Shields and the cost was £4,800 to which the Dean and Chapter of Durham contributed greatly. A parish (taken out of Holy Trinity) was assigned to the church in 1864. Later alterations to the building were the lengthening of the chancel by 15 feet in 1913 (although the stonework of the old east wall and the window tracery were re-used), the foundation stone having been laid on the Feast of St. Anne (26 July) 1913, and at the same time the choir vestry was added at the south- west corner of the nave. The last alteration was the capping of the unfinished tower with a parapet (using stone from the old boundary walls) at a cost of £2,100 in 1958 (the original tower was to have been about 100ft. high).
Exterior Description
The church, in spite of its unfinished tower, is placed on a relatively high area of ground and forms a landmark for the area. Its considerable height gives it a certain dignity and the details such as the window tracery and doorways are all careful and scholarly. The west front has two lancets with trefoiled heads in the gable of the nave and a wheel window above. To the south is the west end of the south aisle, a blind wall, and to the north the low tower of three stages. The lowest has a two-light window in the north wall and then the middle stage has a single trefoiled lancet (although there are two of these in the west wall). In the uppermost stage, which was recast in 1958, there are three narrow round-headed lancets under a straight parapet. At the foot of the tower on the west front there is a porch, and a pent roof under the west gable of the nave (which houses the baptistery) links this to a similar building added in 1913 west of the south aisle which forms a vestry.
The north and south sides of the church are roughly symmetrical with the exception of the placing of the tower at the west end of the north aisle and a vestry south of the chancel. Each bay of the aisle walls is divided from the next by a buttress and the windows are all of three lights, tall with differing tracery designs and roll mouldings along all the edges. The moulded hoods have stops carved as heads. The east wall of the north aisle has two two-light windows, one above the other. The chancel is quite long (since its extension westwards by fifteen feet in 1913), and the foundation stone for this work is to be found on the south side near the vestry door. The walls are for the most part blind to north and south but there are two two-light windows in each set at a high level. On the south side the vestry has a gable at right angles to the chancel, with two windows in it and a chimney between. The east window of the chancel (the original one re-used) is very tall, of five lights with Decorated tracery.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
c.1914
Only the east window, a large five-light composition.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior of the church has plastered walls which have been whitewashed leaving the stonework round the windows exposed. It is normally reached by a porch on the north side of the west front which leads through the ground floor of the tower (where there is a stone staircase leading up to the west gallery) and thence into a space at the west end of the nave under the gallery. The floors in the alleys are of stone flags and are boarded under the pews. The arcades are carried on tall, very slender octagonal pillars with moulded and square capitals carrying double-chamfered arches. The roof of the nave, which continues without a break over the chancel, is characterised by scissor braces. The aisles have plainer roofs of similar construction.
The chancel floor is entirely covered by carpets but is probably laid with tiles underneath. At the east end of the north aisle there is an altar and at the east end of the south aisle a doorway leads into the vestry. This room also communicates with the chancel through a smaller doorway by the communion rails. It has a scissor braced roof and is provided with a piscina. The windowless lower parts of the chancel wall and the great height of the east window all serve to emphasise the tall, narrow proportions of this part of the church.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
1913
The altar is of oak with a panelled front embellished with the sacred monogram surrounded by a crown of thorns.
Reredos
1913
The reredos is in a Bodleyesque style with filigree cresting and small wings at each end; there are three broad and four narrow panels with blind tracery in the heads, all of unpolychrome oak.
Pulpit
The pulpit is of stained deal, with open paired arches in each face in the Early English style.
Lectern
The lectern is an oak eagle, large and rather turkey-like, on a triple column.
Font (object)
The font is a big plain stone octagon with a flat oak cover.
Organ (object)
The organ was built in 1864 by Edmund Schultze of Paulinzelle.
Churchyard
Grid reference: NZ 357 653
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
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