Photographs Of Newcastle: Whitley Bay Seafront

Whitley Bay is a town on the North Sea coast and boasts a fine stretch of beach of golden sand forming a Bay stretching from St Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south. The town, which has a population of about 35,000, became a holiday destination for the people of North East England and Scotland and remained popular in this regard until the 1980's.

Text courtesy of Wikipedia.

7th July 2023

Parade Nightclub.

High Point View.

1st September 2022

Whitley Bay Beach.

Grants Clock.

There is a clock with 2 faces located on the Promenade in Whitley Bay, close to the junction with South Parade. The clock stands on a large column, set in a semi-circular viewing area, overlooking the Central Lower Promenade and beach. The clock was unveiled by Councillor James Hamilton Grant on the 12th April 1933. The column was originally painted white, and the clock was described as a 'little sister' to St Mary's Lighthouse, which can be seen in the distance.

The clock was damaged by Storm Arwen on 27th November, 2021. The clock is included in the List of Buildings, Parks and Gardens of Special Local Architectural or Historic Interest ('Local List') from North Tyneside Council.

Source: Co-Curate.

The Links.

Renewed Central Lower Promenade.

Whitley Bay Promenade.

Whitley Bay South Promenade.

War Memorial.

War Memorial and dwarf walls, steps and piers surrounding. Circa 1919. Granite memorial with bronze decoration and plaques; granite piers. Tall tapered square column. Bronze wreath decoration beneath Scotia-moulded and banded coping. 3 bronze plaques on projecting panels on each face of base bear names of dead of both world wars and commemorate building of memorial paid for by £7,000 public subscription and £1,000 from local authority funds; 90% of endowment fund for dependants of dead.

Dwarf walls and semi-circular steps; flat-coped circular walls on east and west and 3 steps on north and south; low square piers flank steps. 20 tapered square piers in outer circle formerly held chain.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

Spanish City.

Originally theatre, and eight shops, converted to amusement arcade, bar and bingo hall, now a mix of restaurants, café, micro pub and three shops. 1908-10 by Cackett and Burns Dick for Whitley Pleasure Gardens Ltd; LG Mouchel engineers using Hennebique patent 'ferro-concrete' (reinforced concrete); bronze statues. Free Baroque style.

Two storey three bay main block flanked by three storey towers and single storey four bay wings. Central block: seven wide steps to three double doors under bracketed keyed arch with deep panelled coffering. Either side single shops with bracketed fascias defined by pilasters with garland and wreath ornament. Above nine windows divided by single pilasters and entablature into three groups with renewed windows. Tower doors have bracketed canopies under lunettes; two upper stages contain sash window in architrave and slit windows. Cornice.

One storey wings have pilasters defining four shop windows on either side plus wreaths to fascias. Central dome has colonnaded lantern and iron finial; drum has twelve round windows in projecting panels. Other roofs flat. Either side single simplified towers crowned by bronze statues of cymbal players. Door head in right tower and pilasters in right wing obscured by signs at time of survey. Restored in 2018.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Historic England.

May 2018

Credit to the authorities involved as the seafront is looking very clean and tidy. Not that you can make it out much due to the mist when I visited.

June 2017

30th September 2014

Promenade.

Central Lower Promenade.

The Central Lower Promenade at Whitley Bay opened June 6th 1914 to the design of Mr A J Ronsell. This was due to the increased numbers of people taking day trips and holidays to the coast. In 1910 a new railway station was erected as well as an expansion in the number of hotels, tearooms and other recreational facilities such as Spanish City. Works were carried out by Mr Davidson of Newcastle for £3750 with labour from shipyard and engineering workers unemployed during the Depression.

The promenade was built to offer protection and improvement to the Links. It was originally 2953m long and contained a central shelter to accommodate 600 people with a terrace on its roof. The complex was intended to be the first installment of what was planned to be an extensive promenade. The Lower Promenade suffered more severe tidal damage in 1925.

Between 1960 and 1990 most of the original shop fronts were replaced and a brick frontage was added as a replacement in a number of bays. The business units of the promenade gradually fell out of use and into disrepair in line with the decline of British Seaside Resorts. The last business moved out c.2005. Soon after the concrete sea wall at beach level was deemed unsound and was replaced in brick. However, the decision has since been taken to demolish the promenade. Features of particular interest internally included the original public toilets, a large safe and surviving original windows.

Source: Sitelines.

Whitley Bay Beach.

South Promenade.

Browns Bay.

Brown's Bay is a small coastal bay located between the bays of Whitley Bay and Cullercoats. At the north of Brown's Bay are Table Rocks and to the south is Brown's Point. There are substantial coastal defences here, forming a promenade area, and a small beach, depending on the tide.

Brown's Bay is a popular scuba dive site, in part, because there are three ship wrecks here. The 'Warkworth Castle' cargo vessel ran aground at Browns Point 16th November 1876. The 'SS Butetown' coal/cargo vessel was wrecked here during sorms on the 4th December 1917. The Greek steamship 'Zephyros' ran aground at Brown’s Point on the 26th February 1947.

Source: Co-Curate.

15th May 2014

Marine Avenue.

Promenade Regeneration.

Promenade.

Spanish City.

War Memorial.

Grants Clock.

Central Lower Promenade.

South Promenade.

Browns Bay.

12th September 2013

Whitley Bay Playhouse.

A 630 seater theatre/auditorium. The Playhouse underwent a major refurbishment by North Tyneside Council in 2009. The playhouse has an interesting history: "The Kursall opened on 24th March 1913. It had live performances and concerts. The German name Kursall became unpopular during World War I and it became the Playhouse. Films were shown the 1920’s and it was damaged by a serious fire in the late-1920’s. The theatre was rebuilt, with the auditorium reversed and a raked floor installed and a fire-proof projection box was provided, although live shows were initially produced here. It opened as the Playhouse on 18th May 1931, with a seating capacity of 1,044.

Source: Co-Curate.

Marine Avenue.

Promenade.

Brierdene.

Brierdene Burn is a stream in North Tyneside, which arises to the west of Shiremoor and flows eastwards to discharge into the North Sea at Whitley Bay. The burn has a catchment area of about 9.7 km2 and is 6.8 km long. The dene is a site is of ecological significance neutral semi-improved grassland and scrub habitat, covering over 5 hectars, with 985 different species of plants, birds, mammals and invertebrates being recorded. The dene was designated as an SNCI (Site of Nature Conservation Importance) in October 1992.

Source: Co-Curate.

14th May 2013

Spanish City.

Panama Skate Park.

Whitley Bay Beach.

Rendezvous Cafe.

The iconic Art Deco style cafe at Duke's Walk by the North Promenade was built in June 1930 by Whitley Bay and District Council, and originally called Garden Restaurant. It was refurbished and renamed as the Rendezvous Café in 1957 when the Arnone family took ownership. The family-run cafe has been modernised, whilst carefully retaining the original features and is on the local heritage list for being a "perfect example of a traditional seaside ice cream parlour". The cafe has featured in a prime-time TV advert for BP, it has also been one of the venues for the Whitley Bay Film Festival.

Source: Co-Curate.

Brierdene.

The North Promenade.

5th September 2010

Whitley Bay Beach.

Brierdene.

Spanish City.

15th August 2007

Whitley Bay Beach.

Whitley Bay Northern Promenade.

Rendezvous Cafe, Northern Promenade.

Promenade Shelter, Northern Promenade.

Three concrete shelters shown on the third edition Ordnance Survey of 1919. Simple three sided shelters, open to the sea, with timber roofs (covered by felt) supported on decorative cast iron brackets. Originally the sides were open, supported by cast iron columns, but apart from one side wall of the middle shelter, these side walls have been blocked in. The north and south shelters retain both columns, the middle shelter only retains one of them. Only the south shelter retains a full length of bench seating.

Source: Sitelines.