A Tyneside tradition stretching back hundreds of years resumed on Monday morning, with the Shields Ferry finally back in action.
After almost three months of the ferry being suspended due to storm damage at its north landing, the service has welcomed back passengers for the first time since January.
Ferries are thought to have been crossing the Tyne since at least the 14th century and played a key role transporting workers to the factories and shipyards that once dominated the river.
But the Shields Ferry is now the last such service and its absence since Storm Chandra hit has been keenly felt by residents and businesses on both sides of the river.
On board the busy Spirit of the Tyne on a sunny Monday, families, dog walkers, and cyclists were thrilled to have the connection between North and South Shields restored.
Enjoying the return of the ferry
Michelle Start and son Jude, aged two, enjoyed making the trip from South to North Shields.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It is good to have something different to do with the kids again. It has been a loss to the area.
“Sometimes we come down and have a little trip on the ferry, then go to the library afterwards. It gives the kids a good experience.
“It is a part of Shields and I know a lot of the businesses have missed it.”
A bus replacement service via the Tyne Tunnel was running while engineers repaired the damaged North Shields landing at Smiths Dock, but that journey was considerably slower than the seven-minute boat journey.
Cyclist impact
Cyclists who previously used the ferry also faced a longer trip via the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel, which is further up river between Jarrow and Howdon.
Roy and Sam Johnson cycled down from Benton on Monday and were delighted to have the ferry back.
Roy, 72, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are really happy it is back, we missed it. It is a fantastic trip. We cycled down from Benton to the Tyne, across the pedestrian tunnel and to the ferry landing in South Shields, then we will get the ferry across and go back up.
“It is really good and I’m so happy it is back on.
“This was a route for people working on the shipyards back in the day, but now it is more of a leisure activity. You would worry if it was off for a length of time whether it would be reinstated.
“I think they need more activities around it, more heritage things to attract people to the river.”
History of the Shields Ferry
There have been recorded ferry crossings over the Tyne dating as far back as 1377, when small rowing boats transported people across the water.
Steam ships known as the ‘Penny Ferries’ began to operate the route in 1828, while a paddle steamer service with 21 stops going as far up the Tyne as Elswick ran from 1862 to 1908.
When the Tyne Tunnel opened in 1967, it led to a big reduction in ferry traffic. Prior to that, three boats were in operation – carrying about 400,000 cars each year, as well as countless pedestrians.
The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, today known as Nexus, then took what was called the Market Place Ferry under its control in 1972.
Lynne and Paul Airey came down from Cramlington on Monday to spend the day with grandson Hunter, aged three.
Paul said: “He loves the boats, so we thought now that it is back open we would bring him on. The views when you are on the ferry are fantastic; the Victorian houses, the river mouth, it is beautiful.
“I bet there are a lot of people who live nearby and have missed it a lot. It is great that it is back open.”
Rita Holmes took the opportunity to take dog Nellie for a walk on the north side of the river for the first time in months. The 67-year-old, who lives in South Shields, said: “It is such a beautiful day and we have really missed the ferry. We have not gone over the river at all since it has been off, so that is why I thought we would go today.
“We will go to a café and in some shops, and you can get fantastic fish over there [at the North Shields Fish Quay].”
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