The earliest known users of the Strand Slipway were the Crown family, sometimes pronounced Crone. James Crone is known to have built on the North Sands (https://www.northeastheritagelibrary.co.uk/shipbuilding-archive/sun010/north-sands-shipyard) next to a John Storey, however I cannot confirm whether he ever utilised the land next to Strand Street. He may have.

Luke Crown is the first confirmed occupier I can find in 1822 (though undoubtedly shipbuilding took place previous to this for many decades if not centuries. If I can verify any that were here, I will add in due course). Luke operated from here since at least 1822, but the family were building around here from as early as the mid 18th century. Luke is seamlessly mentioned as a builder at Monkwearmouth Shore in the 1820s, and his first recorded vessel is a Brigantine under the name of "Pomona" for a Byker merchant Robert Johnson. It appears he focused on ships for the coal trade between the Tyne & Wear for London, Europe and across the Atlantic to Canada. Almost all of their vessels appear to have wrecked at some stage, which is either indicative of the fraught dangers of the time or the craftsmanship of Crown ships!

Luke's last documented vessels built here were in 1838 - The John & Isabella and the Flower of Ugie, the latter built of "African & English oak, American elm and white pine" built for J Bruce of Peterhead. They carried general merchandise like rice and hemp with voyages into deep Asia.

Sources contradict what occurred next. Many online state this yard went on to be operated by John Candlish, the well known Sunderland man who was lesser a shipbuilder but an industrialist and politician. He certainly may have built ships here alongside at Southwick in the 1840s (https://www.northeastheritagelibrary.co.uk/shipbuilding-archive/swi001/low-southwick-slipway), however Luke certainly came first, but I think John continued building here after Luke who may have retired or died. The Maria Whitfield is listed as being built by J Crown in 1839 carrying coal, glass and timber as well as Sarepta, a snow which also took the Canadian route.

Sources are pretty consistent that the yard was in the firm ownership of John Crown after 1847. After this year they operated under a number of guises and company names, notably the Strand Slipway Co. It was at this time the yard expanded to service metal and later steel, producing steamers rather than solely timber ships. We also get a glimpse of the yard on the 1857 Ordnance Survey town plan. There was a really quite large slipway facing directly south, complete with multiple saw pits, sawmills, workshops, a store house, smithy and engine house. It dominated the riverside line others didn't thanks to the slipway. Steamers were built for countries around the North Sea as well as merchants across the east coast of England. Lightships for Trinity House, ferries and carriers were also built, garnering a solid reputation through the decades.

They became a limited liability company in 1903 after their stint as the Strand Slipway Co. It was named John Crown & Sons Ltd., with focus placed on building and repairing colliers are coasters - slightly more tame than some of the vessels built previously. Work continued on coasters & steamers through WWI too, with at least 1 built for the Shipping Controller. The yard closed for a number of years in the inter-war period thanks to the 1929 crash and subsequent depression. Work was undertaken again from around 1933 but only for repairs. Contracts were few and far between until the war, though a few pleasure ferries were built and a water tank vessel "Fountain" was the first launch of 1939.

The war saw a raft of orders from the Admiralty though, notably with Corvettes built for convoys. The slipway was extended to construct ships up to 300ft in length. Various tugs, barges and naval landing craft were also constructed for the war effort.

After the war, the Crown yard was taken over by J L Thompson. They swallowed up basically every inch of the north shore and developed a superyard for some years. The yard was subsequently developed, modernised and refined to allow the construction of tankers and larger bulk carriers. These will however be covered in a separate entry for Thompson in due course.

The yard, as part of Thompson's, eventually closed in 1986.