The Tyne Dock Arches were once one of the most prominent and unique streetscapes on Tyneside - now virtually unrecognisable.

The whole point of these huge structures were to link collieries across Gateshead, Washington & North Durham with the Tyne Dock. They were opened in February 1859 by the North Eastern Railway as a mega-complex to transport coal to modern and gargantuan staiths to accommodate even the largest of ships. It was originally planned in 1838, but George Hudson finally obtained consent in 1847. Ballast from the hills at South Shields were used to construct the foundations.

The dock when completed had a basin of 50 acres at a depth of 24ft to accommodate a maximum of 500 vessels. The Dock and likely the staiths were designed by T E Harrison, also known locally for many of the viaducts up the Newcastle to Berwick Line, the Victoria Viaduct and the Monkwearmouth Railway Bridge.

The opening was reported in newspapers nationally. The Liverpool Daily Post notes the opening day was made a local holiday in both neighbouring boroughs to allow attendance. The public dinner celebrating it was held at the Golden Lion Hotel at South Shields alongside a larger gathering at the Central Station Hotel in Newcastle. A steamboat was provided for the occasion, which adorned the corporation banner alongside national and "other emblematic flags". The coal spouts were also decorated with flags. The dock had been partially open for a month by this stage with the first ship arriving on the 22nd January and those still moored "hoisted their gayest colours".

It resulted in a hugely complex string of 4 staiths with marshalling yards stretching from West Harton to the Dock, and a somewhat incredible sight of these monoliths towering over the lane from Jarrow to Shields. Its zenith was in 1913, when 7 million tons of coal were exported to London, Europe and the empire. The 2 central of the staiths however were decommissioned by the mid 20th century, likely due to declining traffic.

The arches were demolished from the late 70s, with the basin infilled right through to the late 2010s. The whole site is now heavy industrial, though very much without coal over the past few years.