This church, featuring gorgeous layers of decorative brick giving it some real texture, was the home of the South Shields' Unitarians. The Unitarians had a strong presence on Tyneside from the 1830s and were one of the more progressive and liberal protestant denominations. Some shunned traditional Anglicanism in favour of the ingrained battle for working class rights and abolitionist principles of this movement. In fact people like Locke, Newton & Dickens would be cited as Unitarians, even if not formally. The decorative flare of this building matches the spirit of Unitarianism.

It was built in 1873, some 6 years after the Unitarians established a presence at Shields. It featured the church on the ground floor with room for 250 persons, as well as a basement featuring the school room, vestry and kitchen. They were still relatively small in the area, but a place of worship was bound to attract attention.

At the consecration a certain William Henry Channing was present - an American Reverend whose family led the movement over the ocean. He was an active proponent of the women's rights movement in the 1850s and was what we would define today as a socialist, calling for social reorganisation and such. There's no wonder they were popular on the banks of the Tyne.

The man who designed this chapel was Mr T A Page, a local architect whose work was more domestic than what we'd come to expect from this construction. Dwellings and warehouses around Shields were his meat and potatoes.

Religious work continued into the 1960s. From there it was used as a community centre and a Mental Health organisation, but more recently has become a private dwelling.