The second half of the 19th century saw the railway system spread across Britain like wildfire.
Tynemouth station opened in 1882, paving the way for thousands of day trippers and holidaymakers who flocked to the fine beaches. Today as a busy commuter stop, it operates as a Metro station, with its ornate Victorian ironwork canopies having helped earn it Grade II-listed status.
Our main image shows the interior of the station with its striking dual staircases and glass roof as it was 45 years ago in August 1977, three years before it became one of the first stops to be used on the new Tyne and Wear Metro. Local historian Charlie Steel, who specialises in the history of North Tyneside, has written about the station.
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He points out Tynemouth over time has been home to five stations - including three specialising in freight. The first passenger station opened in the town's Oxford Street in 1847, remaining in use solely as a goods yard until 1959. The current, well-renowned station, built to a design by William Bell, the chief architect of the North Eastern Railway, began operating just over 140 years ago in July 1882.
The external façade of the station on Station Road was built into three blocks with a glazed central awning. Trains arrived and departed from two large platforms, and there were six bays with separate platforms for goods and special excursions.
There were offices and waiting rooms complete with detailed and intricately designed windows and doors, and a large passenger area and concourse. The roof was made up of 25 bays of ridged and glass roofing, while much of the elaborate design work and supporting pillars were gothic in style. Two internal passenger footbridges featured floral displays, and there were flower baskets hanging from the roofs. A tiled wall map of the former railway system can still be seen on the east platform.
For decades, thousands of day trippers from industrial Tyneside would flock to the coast during the summer months. Our recent ChronicleLive story recalled one blazing June day in 1957 when “the number of people travelling by train from Newcastle to Tynemouth was 24,762".
The railway station reached the end of the line with the arrival of the Metro system in 1980 when public transport on Tyneside was revolutionised. The very first Metro services ran between Tynemouth and Newcastle Haymarket on August 11 that year. By then, areas of the old station had fallen into disrepair, and work is ongoing to restore the building to its former glory.
Tynemouth station was awarded Grade II-listed status in 1978 - and in 1987 a voluntary group, Friends of Tynemouth Station, was formed. On Saturdays and Sundays, thousands flock to the station which becomes home to a bustling market, while a popular craft bar called Platform 2 also operates there.
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