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All the United Kingdom England Gateshead Dunston Staiths
AO Edited

Dunston Staiths

The largest timber structure in Europe.

Gateshead, England

Added By
Alan Newman
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Dunston Staiths   Mike Quinn
Dunston Staiths   Mike Quinn
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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View from north bank of the Tyne showing recent fire damage   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Information board   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Dunston Staiths   Andrew Curtis
Dunston Staiths   Oliver Dixon
Dunston Staiths   Graham Robson
The toppled crane   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
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Section damaged by arson in 2019   katielou106 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The term "staith" is used in northeastern England to describe a ship or boat loading structure. They are usually served by rail lines and contain loading chutes for bulk minerals.

Dunston staiths is a 19th-century coal loading structure on the River Tyne near Gateshead, England. From here, millions of tons of coal per year from the highly productive coalfields of the area were once loaded onto ships for export to other parts of the country and beyond.

The structure was constructed by the North Eastern Railway. The wood used for the staith was primarily pitched pine balks, imported from the United States. In recent years, repairs were necessary after the structure was damaged in several fires. Red ironwood was used during repairs, as pitch pine was no longer considered stable. 

The staiths are more than 1,000 feet (526 meters) long with four railway tracks and six loading bays. The structure is said to be the largest timber structure in Europe.

Today, this magnificent feat of architecture stands as a tribute to the ambition of British engineers during the Victorian period. The staiths stopped working in 1977, however, it's currently a listed structure under ownership of the local authority.

Unfortunately, following arson attacks in 2019 and 2020, Staiths Friends is currently still trying to raise funds to repair the fire damage that occurred to the structure. 

Related Tags

Woodwork History & Culture Architecture Design

Know Before You Go

 There is a car park on Staithes Road, from where you can walk over the bridge to the staiths. When the structure is closed, you can reach the far end via the riverside walk. If you have to ask for directions the local pronunciation of "staiths" is "steeths”.

Alternatively, you can view the far side from the other bank of the river, where Hadrian's Wall Path meets Monarch Road.

You can find the link to donate towards the restoration of the staiths on the website and here if you wish to support them: 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?campaignId=74

 

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

katielou106, jooniur, Big Northumbrian, SEANETTA

  • katielou106
  • jooniur
  • Big Northumbrian
  • SEANETTA

Published

November 13, 2020

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Dunston Staiths
72 Michaelmas St
Gateshead, England, NE8 2GF
United Kingdom
54.95803, -1.634971
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Nearby Places

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Newcastle upon Tyne, England

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Gateshead

Gateshead

England

Places 2

Nearby Places

Neville Hall

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

miles away

Blackfriars Friary

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

miles away

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Newcastle upon Tyne, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Gateshead

Gateshead

England

Places 2

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