North Shields, North Tyneside
House of Correction, North Shields
Last Updated:
10 Sept 2020
North Shields, North Tyneside
This is a
House of Correction
55.013944, -1.433833
Founded in
Current status is
Extant
Designer (if known):
Listed Grade II
'A Court House and House of Correction on Tynemouth Road were built in 1792. The development contained a Governor’s House and 14 cells for minor offenders, as more serious offenders were sent to the county gaol in Morpeth. Neighbouring Tynemouth Lodge Hotel was built around 1799, trading as a pubic house and hotel. Judges regularly stayed at the hotel whilst undertaking their duties at the Court House and meals for prisoners were prepared in the cellar kitchens and carried through an underground tunnel to the inmates. The Court House and House of Correction were converted to a laundry at the beginning of the 20th Century and are now in use as workshops. '
North Tyneside Council, 'Tynemouth Village Conservation Area Character Appraisal', 2010, p.9.
Listing Description (if available)
The two maps above illustrate North Shields throughout the latter half of the 19th century. The House of Correction can more clearly be seen on the 1865 map, as it is labelled close to the Blyth & Tyne North Shields Terminus and the Master Mariners Asylum. The town of North Shields was concentrated under Tynemouth Road, and little development took place above it apart from a couple of farmsteads and the railways.
The 1898 map is a different story, and the settlement boomed in part thanks to its industrial base and expanding shipyards. The House of Corrections is still extant, though by this point was on its last legs as a legal institution, and was used as a laundry not long after.
The 1921 Ordnance Survey shows an ever expanding and dense town. The House of Corrections is unlabelled on this map also, as it was in use for general domestic purposes at this point. The infectious diseases hospital near the Low Lights had closed, though more housing had been built to the north west of the town.
Photograph of the House of Corrections while in use as a laundry in 1905. Its easy to see its previous purpose, with its small windows high up the wall. Two maids are stood in front of the site.
Retrieved from Tynemouthlodgehotel.net
