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Shipbuilding Archive.
The North East was the engine of the world. It powered the planet with its coal, but transported it with its ships. Though the docks are filled in, the collective memory of the hard graft and creaking hulls live on.
The Shipbuilding Archive is an ongoing, long term project to uncover and document every known shipyard in the North East and its location. From medieval times to the 18th and 19th centuries, pinning names and stories to our to our river banks provides even greater meaning to the landscapes around us.

WQ001
Tyne
Clelands Yard
Wallsend
Willington Quay
H English (1836), William Cleland (1866-1872), William Cleland & Co. Ltd. (1872), Clelands Graving Dock and Slipway Co Ltd., Clelands (Shiprepairers) Ltd (1920-1932), Clelands (Successors) Ltd. (1932-1934), Craggs family (1934), Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd. (1967-1977), British Shipbuilders (1977)
Created:
9 Jun 2023
Updated:
11 Jul 2025
Background photo: Readhead's Shipyard c1960 by Ronald Sanderson, copyright free from Tyne and Wear Archives
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