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St Mary’s Heritage Centre

This iconic Gateshead landmark has been in place since at least 1300 and has a very storied past. The building was deconsecrated as a church in 1979 but continues to be an important place for people to gather, celebrate, and learn about the area’s rich heritage.

At a glance

  • The first recorded building on this site dates to at least 1080 when a likely wooden structure was burned down by Anglo-Saxons in retaliation to Norman invaders.
  • The church was rebuilt in stone by the end of the twelfth century and still features some Norman architectural features.
  • The building would undergo many disasters in the centuries to come, being hit by The Great Fire of Gateshead in 1854 and a further 2 fires in 1979 and 1983.
  • It was after the 1979 fire that the dwindling congregation left St. Mary’s and the building ceased to be an active church.
  • Today, the building hosts school trips, operates as the starting point of the Tyne Derwent Way and as a venue space for hire – get in touch here to hire the space

1080 – 2000

History

The first recorded church on this site originates in the eleventh century – the time of the Norman Conquest. We only really know about a building being on this site so early because of descriptions of it being burned down! Having invaded in 1066, the Normans were still very unpopular amongst the Anglo-Saxons in the region by 1080. It was in 1080 that Bishop Walcher, the Prince-Bishop of Durham journeyed up to Gateshead to try to restore peace after a recent revolt. These peace negotiations went very badly and the bishop and his men sought shelter at St. Mary’s. In response, the Anglo-Saxons lit the building on fire so the men would have to retreat.

Recovering from the first of many fires, the first fully stone structure of St. Mary’s was complete by the end of the twelfth century. Whilst a Norman arch and some stonework still survives to this day, much of the present building dates to the fourteenth century. These most recognisable older parts of the building – including some detailed thirteenth and fourteenth century grave markers – can be seen in the porch area to the south east.

This first version of the stone church structure was fairly plain but had an ornate south doorway and a bell tower. It would be this church that saw Gateshead through a plague epidemic in 1636, so bad that the area lost over half its population and grass began to grow in the streets as they were no longer used, Civil War bombardment in 1644, and witch trials echoing those over in Newcastle in 1649. It was also in 1649 that a new rector, Thomas Weld was appointed at St. Mary’s. Weld was a very strict Puritan and excluded all but 10 of his congregation from attending services here!

The late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw more peaceful times for St. Mary’s and the people of Gateshead – perfect timing for some improvement works. A new tower was added to the building in 1739, a new clock in 1755, and a new gallery in 1762.

The local community funded further repair and improvement works throughout the early nineteenth century, some of which uncovered a – likely Roman or Anglo-Saxon- stone coffin that now stand on the south wall of the building.

By 1853, all of the repair work was paid for and completed, burials stopped in the graveyard as it was now at capacity, and St. Mary’s seemed back on track.

Then, in the early hours of the 6th of October 1854, disaster struck. Two warehouses on the quayside just below St. Mary’s caught fire. Both gaslit throughout and one filled with explosives, the buildings were soon ablaze.  Local women worked with church staff to fill pails and dishes with water as the flames quickly approached the church. A regiment of soldiers soon arrived and began to set up a hose nearby when there was suddenly a catastrophic explosion at 3am. The explosives in the second warehouse had ignited and the blast spread the fire and debris over the river into Newcastle. Overall,  it took 2 days to extinguish all of the flames and St. Mary’s was heavily affected. The chancel and other sections of the building were severely damaged, and the windows smashed.

The building was eventually redesigned by local architect John Dobson who had lost his son Alexander to the fire. Dobson reversed earlier changes to the building, hoping to make it more closely resemble its medieval appearance, but also added more gothic and ‘medievalesque’ features like the carved stone faces surviving mostly around the exterior of the building.

Further repairs and improvements happened throughout the twentieth century but, by this time, the congregation was already declining. Then, in 1979, the building was hit by another fire. This damage was compounded in 1983 by a further fire, both were suspected to be arson. This coupled with the changing landscape around the building signalled the end of its use as a church.

Through the 80s, there were extensive repairs to the roof and windows, and the interior had to be gutted.

Spending some time in the 90s as home to Phillips Auctioneers, the building would begin its new life as a heritage centre in the 2000s.

A view of St Mary’s from the High Level Bridge in the early twentieth century. As you can see, the surrounding area has changed a lot since!
Another perspective of the construction of the Tyne Bridge.
St Mary’s overlooking a stunning quayside view.
The Trollope Mausoleum in the churchyard is a Scheduled Ancient Monument in its own right.
During the construction of the Tyne Bridge in 1927. Sections of the original churchyard and boundary walls were removed.
The ornate windows and altar in the chancel prior to the 1979 fire.
Dunston Staiths

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