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Development confirmed for former Tyne Brand factory
A key part of the North Shields’ fishery heritage is set to disappear. Tony Henderson looks back at the days of the seemingly limitless shoals of herring.
A culture of song and poetry has grown up around the days of the herring boats which landed huge catches of the then abundant fish.
The women who followed the fleet along the coast and joined the locals in gutting and packing the fish into barrels are celebrated in the recent installation of a herring girl sculpture on North Shields Fish Quay.
Now the last major surviving reminder of those days of plenty is about to vanish.
The Tyne Brand factory, which began life on the Fish Quay canning vast volumes of herring is in line for demolition early next year with the site the subject of a proposals for up to 140 homes.
The long-derelict factory, which closed in 1976 , once employed a mainly female workforce of 750 and was a major part of North Shields fishing heritage.
The nearby Old Low Light Heritage Centre on the Fish Quay staged an exhibition on the Tyne Brand factory.
Nina Brown, who with fellow heritage centre volunteers organised the exhibition, said: “At the Old Low Light we aim to preserve and celebrate the history of North Shields, particularly the Fish Quay.
“Tyne Brand was one of the biggest employers in the area and we wanted to make sure that its history wasn’t lost.
“When we called for help with our exhibition, we were delighted to hear from people who gave us some lovely stories and information about the factory as well as photographs and artefacts.”
The company had its origins in the early 1900s as a way of using the excess fish from the huge herring catches, which were the norm before over-exploitation collapsed stocks.
Around three billion herring were landed along the east coast of England and Scotland in an average season, with 6,000 tons coming to North Shields in any six-month period.
By 1929 the company was capable of processing half-a-million herrings a day. Machines at the factory, each operated by two women, cleaned 6,000 fish an hour.
The fish in tomato sauce were sealed in their oval can at a rate of one per second and cooked in ovens.
Tyne Brand advertised widely, including a 1930s newspaper example showing a young couple on an idyllic countryside picnic with eyes not for each other but instead for their can of herrings.
In the days before domestic fridges, customers were told that the canned herrings would “keep any length of time, the flavour improves with age” and that each tin was a “full meal” for four with the fish “cooked and ready for instant use – a splendid meal and no trouble”.
During the First World War, the factory was directed to supply canned meat, paste, and puddings for the forces.
Then it was back to the fish. A 1920 Tynemouth and North Shields visitor guide advert extolling “a dish of silvery North Sea herrings, with a tempting dressing of rich tomato sauce. Take them to your holiday apartment, where a pound of ready-cooked daintiness makes an ideal meal for a family with tea, bread and butter. They are the wealth of the sea in tins”.
By the 1930s, Tyne Brand products were stocked by 40,000 grocers. A 1932 advert declared: “The fascination of the easy opening of a jar of Tyne Brand potted meat or fish paste is only surpassed by the excellence of the unassailable quality inside.”
It shipped large quantities of its products to Canada, Africa, America, Australia, Europe and China. in 1964 the company won the Prix d’Honneur in Paris for its tinned sliced roast beef.
The Spillers Group acquired Tyne Brand in 1967 and turned the factory over to pet food production in 1973. Three years later the works closed with the loss of 300 jobs.
A planning application for the site is due to be lodged by Newcastle-based Lugano Property Group, working with the charity the King’s Foundation, which aims to create sustainable communities.
The Foundation acts as custodian of historic Royal sites including Highrove Gardens in Gloucestershire and the Castle and Gardens of Mey in Caithness, Scotland.
A spokesperson for the Foundation said: "The King's Foundation has been commissioned by Lugano Developments to create a masterplan vision for the disused brownfield site formerly occupied by Tyne Brand. The aim of the project is to bring the area back into beneficial use, with input from the local community."
The listed building opposite the site, which was the headquarters of a trawler business, has already been converted into apartments.
It was built in 1913 for Richard Irvin and Sons Ltd, which owned a fleet of over 30 fishing boats, and were fish salesmen and auctioneers. Irvin was a pioneer of steam trawling.
The Low Lights Tavern, dating from the 18th century and where Sam Fender played his music before the big time arrived, is on the fringe of the site but is not part of the scheme.
The developers plan to provide the pub with a beer garden, as well as a new public square at the bottom of Brewhouse Bank.
Norr Architecture, Engineering and Interior Design, which has a base in Percy Street in Newcastle, is working on the Tyne Brand scheme.
Its mission statement is to “create socially aware, environmentally responsible, and financially viable architecture and engineering design solutions.”
Lugano is a privately owned land and property development, management and investment business with a particular focus on the North East.
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