Whitley Bay
Encyclopedia
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside
, in Tyne and Wear
, England. It is on the North Sea
coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats
in the south. The town, which has a population of 36,544, became a holiday destination for the people of North East England
and Scotland
and remained popular in this regard until the 1980s. The town is now widely seen as a dormitory town for Newcastle upon Tyne
.
conferred it with other possessions on the Priory of Tynemouth being referred to in ancient documents and maps before that date as Witelei, Wyteley, Hwyteleg, Witelithe, Wheteley, Wytheleye, Whitlaw, Whitlathe and Whitlag. Whitley is also referred to in the charters of King Henry II
, King Richard I
and King John
, confirming to the priors their possessions and liberties.
Whitley was connected with the Crusades
when Pope Nicholas IV
granted to Edward I
the first-fruits and tenths of all ecclesiastical possessions for six years to defray the expenses of an expedition to the Holy Land
. A valuation was made of the spiritual and temporal goods of the Priory on 26 March 1292, when the yearly rents from Whitley were returned as 20 shilling
s, and the tithe
s as 9 marks
.
About the beginning of the 14th century, the manor of Whitley was held from the Prior of Tynemouth by a singular feudal service called the Conveyes which seems to have originated from John de Whitley. Richard de Emeldon, eighteen times Mayor of Newcastle and seven times its representative in Parliament, was the Lord of the Manor
of Whitley in 1333.
On 9 April 1345, Edward III
granted to Gilbert de Whitley a licence to crenellate his manor house at Whitley.
To crenellate a house was to place battlements upon it. Before this could be done, the sanction of the Crown
was often sought. Although the battlements were largely symbolic, this practice is an indication of the degree of insecurity felt even this far south during the Edwardian wars with Scotland
. The licence and crenellations were a display of status. Only 2% of the small tower houses of the sort Gilbert built had licences. The 'sanction' of the crown was a sought-after bonus, but not a requirement. (Davis, 2006)
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, Whitley was held under the Crown for a time. By a grant of Edward VI dated 8 December 1551, it came into the hands of Dudley, Earl of Warwick
who was created Duke of Northumberland
. It remained in the Percy family until 1632 after which time the area appeared to be let at a yearly rental to various holders until it came into the possession of the Duke of Somerset
on his marriage in 1682 with Elizabeth, the heiress of Joscelyn, the 11th Earl of Northumberland. Whitley subsequently passed by inheritance to her granddaughter Elizabeth Seymour who had married Sir Hugh Smithson, a Yorkshire
baronet
, afterwards created Duke of Northumberland. Whitley has since been retained by descendants and the present Duke of Northumberland is the Lord of the Manor and principal landowner.
Monkseaton
, which forms the greater part of the north west of the district, is also very old and its industries were common with those of Whitley being chiefly coalmining and limestone
quarry
ing.
of Whitley and Monkseaton.
From the late 19th century and into the 20th century the adverse effects of the decline of local coalmining and dependent industries in the area were ameliorated by the emergence of Whitley as a seaside
holiday resort. Its popularity with holidaymakers was helped by the opening of the North Tyne Loop railway line in 1882, connecting the coastal villages to Newcastle. The line followed the route of the present Metro line, and necessitated the building of a new railway station in the centre of the town, as well as another at Monkseaton. Both stations are still in use as Metro stations.
The town was known as Whitley until the 1890s, by which time the confusion of the name with Whitby
, in Yorkshire
, was often causing mail to be misdirected. The final straw came when an ex-resident died in Edinburgh
and his body was to be buried in St Paul's churchyard, Whitley. Unfortunately, the body was transported to Whitby by mistake causing the funeral to be delayed. The council asked residents for suggestions for a new name, and the most popular choice was Whitley Bay. It has since been known as Whitley Bay, but many residents still refer to the town as 'Whitley'.
On 1 January 1944 the Whitley and Monkseaton Urban District became the Whitley Bay Urban District and on 5 March 1954 it was granted its Royal Charter
of Incorporation as the Borough of Whitley Bay. The charter was presented by HRH The Princess Royal
at a ceremony in the town held on 14 April 1954.
The Whitley Bay Parish Church
is St. Paul's Church
. The church was provided by the Duke of Northumberland when the old parish of Tynemouth was divided in 1860. It was consecrated in 1864.
The Local Government Act 1972
abolished the borough, with Hartley
in the north of the borough going to Blyth Valley
district in Northumberland
, and the main part including Whitley and Monkseaton forming part of the Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside in the Tyne and Wear
area. The town is in the constituency of Tynemouth
and as of June 2008 its MP
is Alan Campbell
for the Labour Party
. Councillors of the Whitley Bay ward of North Tyneside Council are Alison Austin, Michael McIntyre
and Margaret Marshall. The other wards which cover the town are Cullercoats, Monkseaton North, Monkseaton South and St. Mary's.
There are two high school
s in the town, Whitley Bay High School
and Monkseaton High School
.
ground, the Spanish City. A fairground returns to the town on bank holiday
weekends, the Easter
and summer holidays, but is now located on 'the Links', an expansive seafront park to the north of the original Spanish City site. The Spanish City Dome, which is a Grade II Listed building, is to become the centrepiece of a multimillion pound regeneration of the seafront complex, which will include hotel and leisure developments. Also in the town is St. Mary's Lighthouse
. The Spanish City is the subject of the Dire Straits
song Tunnel of Love, along with Whitley Bay and the nearby town Cullercoats
.
The ice rink
was also the region's premier concert venue until the Newcastle Arena (now Metro Radio Arena) opened in 1995. The venue played host to the top names in the music industry throughout the 1980s and 1990s, such as The Jam
in 1982, The Cure
in 1985, Oasis
in 1994 and The Stone Roses
in 1995, as well as a one-off night to the World Wrestling Federation
.
The Park View Shopping Centre was opened in 2004 after many years of deliberation, linking the many fine niche retailers on Park View with the high street
retailers in the town centre and with its rooftop car park also adding 173 much-needed car parking spaces. Shops with premises on this site include Iceland
, Superdrug
and Boots. However, the centre was badly hit by the closure of the Marks & Spencer
food outlet when the company cut back many stores at the height of the recession. The town suffered further impact from the closure of its large Woolworths
store and the long standing T&G Allan's store, which were opposite each other in the very centre of the town.
Whitley Bay is around nine miles from Newcastle upon Tyne and is connected to the Tyne and Wear Metro
, with stations at Whitley Bay
, Monkseaton
, West Monkseaton and Cullercoats
. It is about a 25 minute journey from Newcastle city centre on the Metro
.
The local newspaper, The News Guardian - owned by Johnston Press
- is published once a week from its offices in the town. It is printed on the presses of the Sunderland Echo
in nearby Sunderland. The alternative free weekly paper is the Chronicle Extra
, formerly known as the Herald and Post
. A satirical local newspaper, the Whitley Bay Citizen, started in 2000 but has since been discontinued.
and hen parties, especially on bank holiday weekends. This is the source of some consternation to local residents, many of whom believe that the town's nightlife brings with it an unsavoury reputation as well as disruption and anti-social behaviour
. Others see the boisterous nightlife of the town as a valuable source of revenue and as a source of excitement and interest for the now largely derelict seafront.
The principal nightlife location is South Parade, a street lined with bars, hotels, guesthouses and restaurants that curves down from the town centre to the seafront. Whitley Bay's two nightclubs are to be found on the seafront along with a number of hotels and restaurants.
In 2011, "Park View Collective" was established. Park View Collective are independent traders, businesses and service providers located in and around Park View in Whitley Bay. The collective was created to bring them all together under one umbrella to give a unified approach to letting people know about this area of Whitley Bay. Their website parkviewcollective.co.uk details the diversity of shops along one street.
On 20 February 2007, North Tyneside Council announced plans to regenerate the Spanish City and Whitley Bay. The proposed £60 million scheme envisaged the full refurbishment of the Whitley Bay Playhouse and the creation of a cultural hub within the iconic dome on the seafront although an alternative plan for regeneration has been proposed by a group called the Culture Quarter. A new skatepark
opened in the Panama Dip in 2008, following the creation of a new children's play park on Whitley Park the previous year. The swimming pool re-opened after a major refurbishment in March 2009 and the refurbished Playhouse re-opened in September 2009.
Plans for a new library and joint service centre on the site of Whitley Park have proved more controversial and are currently (March 2009) mired in the planning process. Plans for new housing on the site of the former Marine Park and Coquet Park schools, together with a site on the seafront presently occupied by two car parks, have fallen victim to the downturn in housing market and remain on hold.
play at the town's Hillheads Park, which is adjacent to the ice rink
. The Hillheads stadium is in the west of the town and holds approximately 4,500 spectators with 250 seats in the main stand. Now playing in the Northern League Division One, the club hit the national sports headlines in 2002 after winning the FA Vase
(amateur FA Cup
), beating Tiptree United
at Villa Park
, Birmingham
. The club had previously hit the headlines in 1990 after beating Preston North End
on the way to reaching the 3rd round proper of the FA Cup
. This feat was repeated in May 2009, when Whitley Bay beat Glossop North End
2 - 0 at Wembley to claim the Vase once again. This feat was recognised by a special hoarding on the face of the former T & G Allan's store in the town centre. They once again achieved this feat by beating Wroxham 6 - 1 at Wembley in the final of the 2009/10 FA Vase.
The club started the 2009/2010 season in excellent form, winning 11 of their first 12 matches and drawing one. They topped the table with 34 points, 2 points clear of nearest rivals Spennymoor FC
and with a game in hand - and 6 points further clear of third placed Penrith FC
.
is home of Whitley Warriors Ice Hockey Club. The team enjoyed great success together with local rivals Durham Wasps
at a national level during the 1980s and early 1990s.
in 1892, and producing a number of international players including E.W "Little Billy" Taylor, who captained England in the 1890s. The introduction of the league structures in the late 1980s saw the club climb into the north east leagues in the early 1990s, and the best known player of this era is Paul van Zandvliet who went on to play for the premiership winning Newcastle Falcons
. The club now plays in the Durham and Northumberland Division 2. Rockcliff also hosts an annual end of season 10 a-side rugby competition (the Super 10s), attracting touring sides from around the UK as well as from the local area.
Club was formed in 1950 and consisted of a 1st XI - played at Hillheads Grammar School (now Marden Bridge Middle School
and the present base). Founder members included Joan Walker - Secretary, Marjorie Sutcliffe, Jean Stockdale and Beryl Privett (who remained President of the club until 2008). Club's colours at that time were white teeshirt, navy shorts and the famous red and yellow hooped socks, all topped off with a red blazer
. Whitley Bay Ladies recently merged with the local men's team, Tynemouth Hockey Club in 2007, to form Whitely Bay & Tynemouth Hockey Club.
After a few seasons, the club moved its base to Churchill Playing Fields in Whitley Bay and stayed there until the mid-1980s until astro-turf took over and then the club was forced to move with the times and left the coast to play at Wallsend
Sports Centre. During that time, the club set up a second XI and played in the Northumberland League and various county tournaments with great success. The junior section trained bright and early on a Sunday morning at Valley Gardens and through this development saw the rise of some of our present senior players such as Sophie Berry, Katrina Barber, Angela Millen etc.
Through the 1980s and '90s, Whitley Bay continued to develop as a club and from the 1st XI winning the County League, they got promoted to the North Feeder League, then to North Division 2, Division 1 and in the 2005–06 season to the National League Division 2. A first for any women's hockey club in Northumberland. Another notable success in the club's history occurred in April 2000, when the 1st XI won their way through to the EHA Knockout Cup Final down in Milton Keynes
and played Birmingham University.
The club has continued to grow and has had to move home base again and for the last 6 years have gone a full circle and ended back up at the Hillheads site which is now Marden Bridge. They now run 3 senior teams and an under-19 team which competes in the Harper League at Westgate College.
The club has plans to merge with Tynemouth Men's Hockey Club, which currently has 5 teams and a junior section, to become the largest hockey club in the North East. This merger is planned to happen at the end of this 2006/2007 season and should be the start of another chapter in the club's long history.
North Tyneside
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall....
, in Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, England. It is on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats
Cullercoats
Cullercoats is an urban area of north east England, with a population 9,407 in 2004. It has now been absorbed into the North Tyneside conurbation, sitting between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. There is a semi-circular sandy beach with cliffs and caves, and the village is a popular destination for...
in the south. The town, which has a population of 36,544, became a holiday destination for the people of North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and remained popular in this regard until the 1980s. The town is now widely seen as a dormitory town for Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
.
Districts of Whitley Bay
- Beaumont Park
- BrierdeneBrierdeneBrierdene is a small residential area in the north of the town of Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England. The nearest city is Newcastle Upon Tyne.-Name:...
- Hillheads
- MonkseatonMonkseatonMonkseaton is a village near Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, in the northeast of England. It is in the north-east of the borough, less than a kilometre from the North Sea coast and around 5 km north of the River Tyne at North Shields...
- Red House Farm
- Rockcliffe
- WellfieldWellfieldWellfield and South Wellfield is an area of Whitley Bay, England, between West Monkseaton and Earsdon. It is a residential suburb built between the 1920s and 1950s. The older properties are towards Earsdon, the newer ones closer to West Monkseaton...
- West MonkseatonWest MonkseatonWest Monkseaton Metro station is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro in Monkseaton, North Tyneside, England, which was originally opened by the LNER in 1933...
- Whitley LodgeWhitley LodgeWhitley Lodge is an area of Whitley Bay, in Tyne and Wear in North East England. It is located to the north of the town, and is a residential suburb built in the 1950s....
History
The area is rich in history. Whitley was first mentioned about the year 1100 when King Henry IHenry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
conferred it with other possessions on the Priory of Tynemouth being referred to in ancient documents and maps before that date as Witelei, Wyteley, Hwyteleg, Witelithe, Wheteley, Wytheleye, Whitlaw, Whitlathe and Whitlag. Whitley is also referred to in the charters of King Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
and King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, confirming to the priors their possessions and liberties.
Whitley was connected with the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
when Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV , born Girolamo Masci, was Pope from February 22, 1288 to April 4, 1292. A Franciscan friar, he had been legate to the Greeks under Pope Gregory X in 1272, succeeded Bonaventure as Minister General of his religious order in 1274, was made Cardinal Priest of Santa Prassede and...
granted to Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
the first-fruits and tenths of all ecclesiastical possessions for six years to defray the expenses of an expedition to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. A valuation was made of the spiritual and temporal goods of the Priory on 26 March 1292, when the yearly rents from Whitley were returned as 20 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s, and the tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s as 9 marks
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
.
About the beginning of the 14th century, the manor of Whitley was held from the Prior of Tynemouth by a singular feudal service called the Conveyes which seems to have originated from John de Whitley. Richard de Emeldon, eighteen times Mayor of Newcastle and seven times its representative in Parliament, was the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Whitley in 1333.
On 9 April 1345, Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
granted to Gilbert de Whitley a licence to crenellate his manor house at Whitley.
To crenellate a house was to place battlements upon it. Before this could be done, the sanction of the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
was often sought. Although the battlements were largely symbolic, this practice is an indication of the degree of insecurity felt even this far south during the Edwardian wars with Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The licence and crenellations were a display of status. Only 2% of the small tower houses of the sort Gilbert built had licences. The 'sanction' of the crown was a sought-after bonus, but not a requirement. (Davis, 2006)
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, Whitley was held under the Crown for a time. By a grant of Edward VI dated 8 December 1551, it came into the hands of Dudley, Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
who was created Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....
. It remained in the Percy family until 1632 after which time the area appeared to be let at a yearly rental to various holders until it came into the possession of the Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...
on his marriage in 1682 with Elizabeth, the heiress of Joscelyn, the 11th Earl of Northumberland. Whitley subsequently passed by inheritance to her granddaughter Elizabeth Seymour who had married Sir Hugh Smithson, a Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, afterwards created Duke of Northumberland. Whitley has since been retained by descendants and the present Duke of Northumberland is the Lord of the Manor and principal landowner.
Monkseaton
Monkseaton
Monkseaton is a village near Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, in the northeast of England. It is in the north-east of the borough, less than a kilometre from the North Sea coast and around 5 km north of the River Tyne at North Shields...
, which forms the greater part of the north west of the district, is also very old and its industries were common with those of Whitley being chiefly coalmining and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing.
19th century to modern
1873 saw an event of importance in the town's history by the establishment of the Whitley and Monkseaton Local Board. The district of the Local Board became the Urban DistrictUrban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
of Whitley and Monkseaton.
From the late 19th century and into the 20th century the adverse effects of the decline of local coalmining and dependent industries in the area were ameliorated by the emergence of Whitley as a seaside
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
holiday resort. Its popularity with holidaymakers was helped by the opening of the North Tyne Loop railway line in 1882, connecting the coastal villages to Newcastle. The line followed the route of the present Metro line, and necessitated the building of a new railway station in the centre of the town, as well as another at Monkseaton. Both stations are still in use as Metro stations.
The town was known as Whitley until the 1890s, by which time the confusion of the name with Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, was often causing mail to be misdirected. The final straw came when an ex-resident died in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and his body was to be buried in St Paul's churchyard, Whitley. Unfortunately, the body was transported to Whitby by mistake causing the funeral to be delayed. The council asked residents for suggestions for a new name, and the most popular choice was Whitley Bay. It has since been known as Whitley Bay, but many residents still refer to the town as 'Whitley'.
On 1 January 1944 the Whitley and Monkseaton Urban District became the Whitley Bay Urban District and on 5 March 1954 it was granted its Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
of Incorporation as the Borough of Whitley Bay. The charter was presented by HRH The Princess Royal
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
The Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood was a member of the British Royal Family; she was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the sixth holder of the title of Princess Royal...
at a ceremony in the town held on 14 April 1954.
The Whitley Bay Parish Church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is St. Paul's Church
St Paul's Church, Whitley Bay
St Paul's Church is the parish church of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, United Kingdom. The church was founded in 1864. Strictly speaking, the church's official title is 'St Paul's Church, Cullercoats', however because it is in the town of Whitley Bay it is more commonly known as the...
. The church was provided by the Duke of Northumberland when the old parish of Tynemouth was divided in 1860. It was consecrated in 1864.
The Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
abolished the borough, with Hartley
Hartley, Northumberland
Hartley is a historic village in Northumberland, England. The village lies on the A193 road south of Blyth and 4 miles north of Tynemouth. It was a farming and later colliery village but today is part of Seaton Sluice. However it has given its name to the ward of Hartley which covers Seaton...
in the north of the borough going to Blyth Valley
Blyth Valley
Blyth Valley was a Local government district and borough in south-east Northumberland, England, bordering the North Sea and Tyne and Wear. The two principal towns were Blyth and Cramlington...
district in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, and the main part including Whitley and Monkseaton forming part of the Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside in the Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
area. The town is in the constituency of Tynemouth
Tynemouth
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...
and as of June 2008 its MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is Alan Campbell
Alan Campbell (politician)
Alan Campbell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Tynemouth since 1997. He served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office from 2008 until 2010, when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats came to power...
for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Councillors of the Whitley Bay ward of North Tyneside Council are Alison Austin, Michael McIntyre
Michael McIntyre (politician)
Michael McIntyre is a Conservative councillor for North Tyneside Council in the United Kingdom. He represents the Whitley Bay ward with Alison Austin....
and Margaret Marshall. The other wards which cover the town are Cullercoats, Monkseaton North, Monkseaton South and St. Mary's.
There are two high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s in the town, Whitley Bay High School
Whitley Bay High School
Whitley Bay High School is a foundation state school in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England.-Admissions:It is a mixed school with around 1600 pupils, 500 of these being in the school's Sixth Form. In 2006 the school was awarded Specialist College Status in Science & Humanities. The school has...
and Monkseaton High School
Monkseaton High School
Monkseaton Community High School is a mixed, comprehensive school situated in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England for 13-18 year olds. There are 800 students on roll, 280 of whom are in the sixth form...
.
Attractions
Whitley Bay was famous for its permanent seaside fairFair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
ground, the Spanish City. A fairground returns to the town on bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
weekends, the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
and summer holidays, but is now located on 'the Links', an expansive seafront park to the north of the original Spanish City site. The Spanish City Dome, which is a Grade II Listed building, is to become the centrepiece of a multimillion pound regeneration of the seafront complex, which will include hotel and leisure developments. Also in the town is St. Mary's Lighthouse
St. Mary's Lighthouse
St. Mary's Lighthouse is on the tiny St. Mary's Island, just north of Whitley Bay on the coast of North East England. The small rocky tidal island is linked to the mainland by a short concrete causeway which is submerged at periods of high tide....
. The Spanish City is the subject of the Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
song Tunnel of Love, along with Whitley Bay and the nearby town Cullercoats
Cullercoats
Cullercoats is an urban area of north east England, with a population 9,407 in 2004. It has now been absorbed into the North Tyneside conurbation, sitting between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. There is a semi-circular sandy beach with cliffs and caves, and the village is a popular destination for...
.
The ice rink
Whitley Bay Ice Rink
The Whitley Bay Ice Rink is an ice rink in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England and is the home of the Whitley Warriors ice hockey team. An additional team to played out of the ice rink,the Newcastle Vipers...
was also the region's premier concert venue until the Newcastle Arena (now Metro Radio Arena) opened in 1995. The venue played host to the top names in the music industry throughout the 1980s and 1990s, such as The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
in 1982, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
in 1985, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
in 1994 and The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
in 1995, as well as a one-off night to the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
.
The Park View Shopping Centre was opened in 2004 after many years of deliberation, linking the many fine niche retailers on Park View with the high street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
retailers in the town centre and with its rooftop car park also adding 173 much-needed car parking spaces. Shops with premises on this site include Iceland
Iceland (supermarket)
Iceland is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Iceland's primary product lines include frozen foods, such as frozen prepared meals and frozen vegetables - hence the name of the company...
, Superdrug
Superdrug
Superdrug Stores PLC is Britain's second-largest beauty and health retailer behind Boots. Superdrug - part of the AS Watson Group which in turn is part of the Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa - is a UK based company with over 890 stores, which since 2006, includes the Republic of Ireland...
and Boots. However, the centre was badly hit by the closure of the Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
food outlet when the company cut back many stores at the height of the recession. The town suffered further impact from the closure of its large Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
store and the long standing T&G Allan's store, which were opposite each other in the very centre of the town.
Whitley Bay is around nine miles from Newcastle upon Tyne and is connected to the Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
, with stations at Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay Metro station
Whitley Bay Metro station is a station on the Yellow line of the Tyne and Wear Metro network, in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England.The station dates from 1910 and is now a Grade II listed building.-Ticketing anomalies:...
, Monkseaton
Monkseaton Metro station
Monkseaton Metro station is a station on the Yellow line of the Tyne and Wear Metro network, in Monkseaton, North Tyneside, England. The station opened in 1915 to replace the former Whitley Junction station of 1860 which was situated in what is now Souter Park...
, West Monkseaton and Cullercoats
Cullercoats Metro station
Cullercoats Metro station is the Tyne and Wear Metro station serving Cullercoats on the North Tyneside coast. It was originally built by the North Eastern Railway as part of the North Tyneside Loop...
. It is about a 25 minute journey from Newcastle city centre on the Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
.
The local newspaper, The News Guardian - owned by Johnston Press
Johnston Press
Johnston Press plc is a newspaper publishing company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its flagship titles are The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post; it also operates many other newspapers around the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. It is the second-largest publisher...
- is published once a week from its offices in the town. It is printed on the presses of the Sunderland Echo
Sunderland Echo
The Sunderland Echo is an evening newspaper serving the Sunderland, South Tyneside and East Durham areas of North East England. The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey, Edward Backhouse, Edward Temperley Gourley, Charles Palmer, Richard Ruddock, Thomas Glaholm and Thomas Scott Turnbull in 1873,...
in nearby Sunderland. The alternative free weekly paper is the Chronicle Extra
Chronicle Extra
Chronicle Extra is a free newspaper delivered weekly to residents in the Tyne and Wear and Northumberland area. The paper includes general news and information about that area within the last week...
, formerly known as the Herald and Post
Herald and Post
The Herald and Post is the name given to various weekly freesheets that deliver to households in much of the United Kingdom. The title is published by a variety of publishers; each edition consisting mainly of advertising and promotional pieces, with news items often sourced from sister publications...
. A satirical local newspaper, the Whitley Bay Citizen, started in 2000 but has since been discontinued.
Nightlife
Whitley Bay is widely known throughout the UK as a destination for stagBachelor party
A bachelor party , also known as a stag party, stag night or stag do , a bull's party , or a buck's party or buck's night , is a party held for a man shortly before he enters marriage, to celebrate his "last night of freedom" or merely to spend...
and hen parties, especially on bank holiday weekends. This is the source of some consternation to local residents, many of whom believe that the town's nightlife brings with it an unsavoury reputation as well as disruption and anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
. Others see the boisterous nightlife of the town as a valuable source of revenue and as a source of excitement and interest for the now largely derelict seafront.
The principal nightlife location is South Parade, a street lined with bars, hotels, guesthouses and restaurants that curves down from the town centre to the seafront. Whitley Bay's two nightclubs are to be found on the seafront along with a number of hotels and restaurants.
Park View
Park View is a shopping street that runs roughly north to south parallel to the seafront. It is a continuation of Whitley Road, the town's principal thoroughfare, but is particularly well known locally for being the location of numerous independent shops, rather than chains or franchises, that cater for a wide variety of consumer demand.In 2011, "Park View Collective" was established. Park View Collective are independent traders, businesses and service providers located in and around Park View in Whitley Bay. The collective was created to bring them all together under one umbrella to give a unified approach to letting people know about this area of Whitley Bay. Their website parkviewcollective.co.uk details the diversity of shops along one street.
Regeneration
£60 million was earmarked by the government for a regeneration scheme in Whitley Bay. At the heart of the scheme is the redevelopment of the Spanish City site with its iconic dome, which was completed in 1912. For many years it was home to a theme park with rides and attractions for holiday makers until falling into decay following the closure of the theme park in the 1990s.On 20 February 2007, North Tyneside Council announced plans to regenerate the Spanish City and Whitley Bay. The proposed £60 million scheme envisaged the full refurbishment of the Whitley Bay Playhouse and the creation of a cultural hub within the iconic dome on the seafront although an alternative plan for regeneration has been proposed by a group called the Culture Quarter. A new skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
opened in the Panama Dip in 2008, following the creation of a new children's play park on Whitley Park the previous year. The swimming pool re-opened after a major refurbishment in March 2009 and the refurbished Playhouse re-opened in September 2009.
Plans for a new library and joint service centre on the site of Whitley Park have proved more controversial and are currently (March 2009) mired in the planning process. Plans for new housing on the site of the former Marine Park and Coquet Park schools, together with a site on the seafront presently occupied by two car parks, have fallen victim to the downturn in housing market and remain on hold.
Football
Whitley Bay F.C.Whitley Bay F.C.
Whitley Bay Football Club are an English football club based in the North-East of England. The present Whitley Bay Football Club was formed in 1950 and was known as Whitley Bay Athletic...
play at the town's Hillheads Park, which is adjacent to the ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
. The Hillheads stadium is in the west of the town and holds approximately 4,500 spectators with 250 seats in the main stand. Now playing in the Northern League Division One, the club hit the national sports headlines in 2002 after winning the FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
(amateur FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
), beating Tiptree United
Tiptree United F.C.
Tiptree United F.C. was an English football club based in Tiptree, Essex. Established in 1933, the club was absorbed into Maldon Town in 2010, creating Maldon & Tiptree.-History:...
at Villa Park
Villa Park, England
Villa Park is an association football stadium in the district of Witton, Birmingham, England with a seating capacity of 42,786. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897. The team previously played at Aston Park from 1874 to 1876 and Perry Barr from 1876 to 1897...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The club had previously hit the headlines in 1990 after beating Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
on the way to reaching the 3rd round proper of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. This feat was repeated in May 2009, when Whitley Bay beat Glossop North End
Glossop North End A.F.C.
Glossop North End A.F.C. are an English football club based in Glossop, Derbyshire. Former members of the Football League, they are currently in the North West Counties League and are members of the Derbyshire County Football Association. They play their home matches at Surrey Street, which has a...
2 - 0 at Wembley to claim the Vase once again. This feat was recognised by a special hoarding on the face of the former T & G Allan's store in the town centre. They once again achieved this feat by beating Wroxham 6 - 1 at Wembley in the final of the 2009/10 FA Vase.
The club started the 2009/2010 season in excellent form, winning 11 of their first 12 matches and drawing one. They topped the table with 34 points, 2 points clear of nearest rivals Spennymoor FC
Spennymoor
Spennymoor is a town in County Durham, England. It stands above the Wear Valley approximately seven miles south of Durham. The town was founded over 160 years ago...
and with a game in hand - and 6 points further clear of third placed Penrith FC
Penrith
Penrith may be:*Penrith, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia**Penrith Panthers, rugby league team**Penrith Stadium, home ground of the Penrith Panthers**Penrith Bears, ice-hockey team**City of Penrith, local government area...
.
Ice hockey
Whitley Bay Ice RinkWhitley Bay Ice Rink
The Whitley Bay Ice Rink is an ice rink in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England and is the home of the Whitley Warriors ice hockey team. An additional team to played out of the ice rink,the Newcastle Vipers...
is home of Whitley Warriors Ice Hockey Club. The team enjoyed great success together with local rivals Durham Wasps
Durham Wasps
The Durham Wasps was an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996...
at a national level during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Rugby Union
Whitley Bay Rockcliff RFC play at the Lovaine Avenue ground in Hillheads. Founded in 1887 as Rockcliff RFC, and still generally known as "Rockcliff", they were originally based on the seafront in the Rockcliff area of the town, prior to moving along the seafront to the site later occupied by the Spanish City. In 1907 they moved to the present site in Lovaine Avenue. The years immediately after formation and up to the First World War were the most successful in the club's history, when they were one of the strongest sides in England, beating the world famous BarbariansBarbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
in 1892, and producing a number of international players including E.W "Little Billy" Taylor, who captained England in the 1890s. The introduction of the league structures in the late 1980s saw the club climb into the north east leagues in the early 1990s, and the best known player of this era is Paul van Zandvliet who went on to play for the premiership winning Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
. The club now plays in the Durham and Northumberland Division 2. Rockcliff also hosts an annual end of season 10 a-side rugby competition (the Super 10s), attracting touring sides from around the UK as well as from the local area.
Speedway
The Rockcliff ground was the home of the short-lived Dirt Track or Speedway venture in the spring of 1929. The first venue on Tyneside, it was not as popular as the sister track at Gosforth Stadium which opened early summer and the Whitley Bay track was closed. About 12 meetings were staged.Field Hockey
Whitley Bay Ladies' HockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
Club was formed in 1950 and consisted of a 1st XI - played at Hillheads Grammar School (now Marden Bridge Middle School
Marden Bridge Middle School
Marden Bridge Middle School is a middle school taking pupils from year 5 to year 8 in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear.The building originally housed Whitley Bay's grammar school. In the 1960s this moved to the current Whitley Bay High School, and in the 1970s the middle school system was introduced....
and the present base). Founder members included Joan Walker - Secretary, Marjorie Sutcliffe, Jean Stockdale and Beryl Privett (who remained President of the club until 2008). Club's colours at that time were white teeshirt, navy shorts and the famous red and yellow hooped socks, all topped off with a red blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
. Whitley Bay Ladies recently merged with the local men's team, Tynemouth Hockey Club in 2007, to form Whitely Bay & Tynemouth Hockey Club.
After a few seasons, the club moved its base to Churchill Playing Fields in Whitley Bay and stayed there until the mid-1980s until astro-turf took over and then the club was forced to move with the times and left the coast to play at Wallsend
Wallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
Sports Centre. During that time, the club set up a second XI and played in the Northumberland League and various county tournaments with great success. The junior section trained bright and early on a Sunday morning at Valley Gardens and through this development saw the rise of some of our present senior players such as Sophie Berry, Katrina Barber, Angela Millen etc.
Through the 1980s and '90s, Whitley Bay continued to develop as a club and from the 1st XI winning the County League, they got promoted to the North Feeder League, then to North Division 2, Division 1 and in the 2005–06 season to the National League Division 2. A first for any women's hockey club in Northumberland. Another notable success in the club's history occurred in April 2000, when the 1st XI won their way through to the EHA Knockout Cup Final down in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and played Birmingham University.
The club has continued to grow and has had to move home base again and for the last 6 years have gone a full circle and ended back up at the Hillheads site which is now Marden Bridge. They now run 3 senior teams and an under-19 team which competes in the Harper League at Westgate College.
The club has plans to merge with Tynemouth Men's Hockey Club, which currently has 5 teams and a junior section, to become the largest hockey club in the North East. This merger is planned to happen at the end of this 2006/2007 season and should be the start of another chapter in the club's long history.
Famous residents past and present
- Gladstone AdamsGladstone AdamsCaptain Gladstone Adams was, at one time, the Chairman of Whitley Bay Urban District Council.In April 1908, he drove down to Crystal Palace Park in a 1904 Daracq-Caron motorcar to see Newcastle United play against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup final...
– inventor of the windscreen wiperWindscreen wiperA windscreen wiper or windshield wiper is a device used to remove rain and debris from a windscreen or windshield. Almost all motor vehicles, including trains, aircraft and watercraft, are equipped with such wipers, which are usually a legal requirement.A wiper generally consists of an arm,...
and former mayor - Michael BridgesMichael BridgesMichael Bridges is an English football striker who currently plays for A-League club, Newcastle Jets. Bridge has previously played over 200 Premier League games.-Sunderland:...
– former Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
player - Sydney DrysdaleSydney Drysdale'Sidney Drysdale is a former lawn bowls competitor for EnglandHe was captain of the winning team at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games fours bowls championship in 1962....
- international bowlsBowlsBowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
player - skippered the men's gold medal winning fours at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games1962 British Empire and Commonwealth GamesThe 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from 22 November-1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth....
held in Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia. - Vilyam Genrikhovich FisherVilyam Genrikhovich FisherVilyam Genrikhovich Fisher was a noted Soviet intelligence officer...
also known as Colonel Rudolf Abel – Soviet intelligence officer (attended Whitley Bay Grammar School, now Whitley Bay High SchoolWhitley Bay High SchoolWhitley Bay High School is a foundation state school in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England.-Admissions:It is a mixed school with around 1600 pupils, 500 of these being in the school's Sixth Form. In 2006 the school was awarded Specialist College Status in Science & Humanities. The school has...
) - Graham FentonGraham FentonGraham Anthony Fenton is an English professional footballer, currently playing for North Shields. He was also capped once by England at under-21 level.-Career:...
– footballer - Toby FloodToby FloodTobias Gerald Albert Lieven "Toby" Flood is an English rugby union player. He currently plays at fly half or inside centre for Leicester Tigers, having signed from Newcastle Falcons, and England.-Background:...
– England rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international - Steve FurstSteve FurstSteven Larry Furst is a comedian, actor and writer. Furst says his father told him that he arrived as an immigrant from Hungary with "nothing but a violin under my arm"...
- comedian - John Gilroy – artist of GuinnessGuinnessGuinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
advertisement fame - Robson GreenRobson GreenRobson Green is an English actor, singer–songwriter and presenter.-Biography:Robson Golightly Green was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, , and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly...
– actor - Denise WelchDenise WelchJacqueline Denise Healy is an English actress, dancer and television presenter.-Early life:Denise Welch was born in Ebchester, County Durham, to father Vin and mother Ann and has a younger sister Debbie...
- Tom HadawayTom HadawayTom Hadaway was born in North Shields in North East England. It was in the north-east that he began writing plays based on his experiences and observations of the region...
– playwright - Paul HarveyPaul Harvey (artist)Paul Harvey is a British musician and Stuckist artist, whose work was used to promote their 2004 show at the Liverpool Biennial. His paintings draw on pop art and the work of Alphonse Mucha, and often depict celebrities, including Madonna....
– musician and StuckistStuckismStuckism is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art...
artist - W. E. JohnsW. E. JohnsWilliam Earl Johns was an English pilot and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the name Captain W. E. Johns. He is best remembered as the creator of the ace pilot and adventurer Biggles.-Early life:...
– author of BigglesBiggles"Biggles" , a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns....
(c. 1925) - Ian La FrenaisIan La FrenaisIan La Frenais, OBE, , is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including, The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.They have also written various other work...
– comedy writer, (The Likely LadsThe Likely LadsThe Likely Lads was a black-and-white British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966...
, Porridge, Auf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
) - Graham LawsGraham LawsGraham Laws is an English association football referee who operates in the Football League, and has previously been a fourth official in the Premier League...
– Football LeagueThe Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
referee - Nick Martin – news correspondent, Channel 4 NewsChannel 4 NewsChannel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
– born and educated in Whitley Bay - John MiddletonJohn Middleton (actor)John Middleton is an English actor well known for his part in ITV's Emmerdale as Reverend Ashley Thomas...
– actor (EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
) - Peter RamagePeter RamagePeter Iain Ramage is an English footballer who plays for Crystal Palace on loan from Queens Park Rangers as a defender. He broke into the first team playing at centre back but is versatile enough to play at full back as well. Ramage began his career with Newcastle United as an academy player...
– Queens Park Rangers and former Newcastle United player. Also a former pupil at Whitley Bay High SchoolWhitley Bay High SchoolWhitley Bay High School is a foundation state school in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England.-Admissions:It is a mixed school with around 1600 pupils, 500 of these being in the school's Sixth Form. In 2006 the school was awarded Specialist College Status in Science & Humanities. The school has... - Lucy RatcliffeLucy RatcliffeLucy Ratcliffe is an English fashion model and the inaugural winner of Britain's Next Top Model.-Early life:Lucy is believed to have suffered from eczema whilst growing up in Cullercoats...
– won the first seriesBritain's Next Top Model, Cycle 1Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 1 was the first series of Britain's Next Top Model and it was broadcast on LIVINGtv.The international destination of the series was Milan, Italy...
of the Living TV programme Britain's Next Top ModelBritain's Next Top ModelBritain and Ireland's Next Top Model is a British reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of Britain's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modelling industry... - Andrea RiseboroughAndrea Riseborough-Early life:Riseborough grew up in Whitley Bay. In reference to The Long Walk To Finchley, she has described her parents as "working-class Thatcherites"....
– actress - Sid SmithSid Smith (author)Sid Smith is a freelance writer contributing music related articles and reviews to both national and regional press. He is the author of the critically acclaimed biography of King Crimson, In The Court Of King Crimson and Northstars, the book of Granada TV's award winning profile of musicians...
– writer - Laura Spence – schoolgirl at Monkseaton High SchoolMonkseaton High SchoolMonkseaton Community High School is a mixed, comprehensive school situated in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England for 13-18 year olds. There are 800 students on roll, 280 of whom are in the sixth form...
who was at the centre of a national political row about elitism in higher educationLaura Spence AffairThe Laura Spence Affair was a British political controversy in 2000, ignited after the failure of high-flying state school pupil Laura Spence to secure a place at the University of Oxford.-Background:...
in 2000 after being rejected by Oxford University - Andy TaylorAndy Taylor (guitarist)Andy Taylor is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station....
– Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
guitarist - Steven TaylorSteven Taylor (footballer)Steven Vincent Taylor is an English footballer, currently playing for Premier League club Newcastle United. He is a versatile central defender who can play at right back or, on rare occasions, at left back...
– Newcastle United defender. Also a former pupil at Valley Gardens Middle SchoolValley Gardens Middle SchoolValley Gardens Middle School is located in Monkseaton, Whitley Bay in North Tyneside, United Kingdom. The Headteacher is Michael Homer. It is the largest middle school in Whitley Bay, with about 730 pupils on roll and SATs results are significantly above the national average...
. - Hilton ValentineHilton ValentineHilton Valentine is an English musician, who was the original guitarist in the The Animals.-Biography:Valentine was influenced by the 1950s skiffle craze...
– The AnimalsThe AnimalsThe Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
– guitarist - Colin WatsonColin Watson (writer)Colin Watson was a British writer of detective fiction and the creator of characters such as Inspector Purbright and Lucilla Teatime. He is most famous for the twelve Flaxborough novels, typified by their comic and dry wit and set in a fictional small town in England which is closely based on...
– Detective novelist televised as series 'Murder Most English'. Lived for many years in Monkseaton. - Mike WilliamsonMike Williamson (footballer)Michael James "Mike" Williamson is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United, as a defender. He signed for Newcastle from Portsmouth on 27 January 2010.-Early career:...
- Newcastle United football player - Aileen Mills - Olympic 400m athlete. She now trains athletes and is a school teacher
- Emily Hilda Young – novelist
In fiction
- In the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television series Byker GroveByker GroveByker Grove was a British television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 and was created by Adele Rose. The show was broadcast at 5.10pm after Newsround on CBBC on BBC One...
, Dave Richmond, the leader of the rival youth club at Denton Burn, was a local drug dealer from Whitley Bay. His trademark act of violence was the "Whitley Smile".
- In the movie Purely BelterPurely BelterPurely Belter is a 2000 British comedy drama film directed by Mark Herman about two teenagers trying to get money, by any means necessary, in order to get season tickets for home games played by the FA Premier League football team Newcastle United.It is based on the novel The Season Ticket by...
, Gerry's drug-addicted-sister Bridget is hiding out from her family at The Spanish CityThe Spanish CitySting , who was born near Newcastle, wrote in his memoir that he whiled away afternoons and evenings in the Spanish City's amusement arcades when he should have been studying for his A levels....
funfair in one of the waltzer cars on the Whitley Bay seafront.
- In the BBC series Our Friends in the NorthOur Friends in the NorthOur Friends in the North is a British television drama serial, produced by the BBC and originally broadcast in nine episodes on BBC Two in early 1996...
, several scenes take place on or around the Whitley Bay seafront (such as the Rendezvous Cafe), it is also name checked several times
- Several episodes of the 1980s ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television programme SupergranSupergranSuper Gran is a 1980s children's television programme, about a grandmother with super powers. The show was adapted by Jenny McDade from books written by Forrest Wilson and was produced by Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV, with the titular character played by Gudrun Ure, and Iain Cuthbertson...
were filmed in Whitley Bay.
- The 2006 BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom Thin Ice was filmed in the town and at Whitley Bay Ice RinkWhitley Bay Ice RinkThe Whitley Bay Ice Rink is an ice rink in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England and is the home of the Whitley Warriors ice hockey team. An additional team to played out of the ice rink,the Newcastle Vipers...
.
- In comedy series 'The Fast Show', Paul WhitehousePaul WhitehousePaul Whitehouse is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He became known for his work with Harry Enfield and as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was in the top 50 comedy acts voted for by comedians and comedy insiders...
can be seen in one sketch, walking through the Spanish City and along the seafront.
- Spanish City is the title of a novel by the Tyneside-born author Sarah May. Although the novel is set in the fictional seaside town of Setton, this setting bears a number of striking resemblances to Whitley Bay, not least of which is the idea of a leisure complex named "Spanish City" that, after a period of relative prosperity in the mid-20th century, has fallen into disrepair. The novel begins when an elderly teacher is kidnapped by disgruntled ex-pupils. The rest of the novel is narrated mainly in flashback.
- There are numerous references to Whitley Bay in the 1970s sitcom Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a 1970s British sitcom broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It is the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais...
. The series was set in North-East England, and was written by Dick ClementDick ClementDick Clement, OBE is an English writer.Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, Clement was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and is best known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais. Generally, Clement and La Frenais write comedies, or dramas with a comic tone...
and locally-born Ian La FrenaisIan La FrenaisIan La Frenais, OBE, , is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including, The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.They have also written various other work...
.
- The song Chop That Child In Half by post-punk band The Mekons includes a reference to "the memory of a beach-hut in Whitley Bay".
- The music video for First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by duo Journey SouthJourney SouthJourney South are an English singing duo, consisting of brothers Andy and Carl Pemberton. They are originally from Middlesbrough, Teesside, and performed in pubs and clubs throughout the United Kingdom for over eight years, prior to achieving third place on the second UK series of television talent...
was filmed along the beach and seafront in Whitley Bay.
- The music video for Pray by Tina Cousins was filmed in Whitley Bay with scenes filmed at St. Mary's Lighthouse, along the seafront and Spanish City including the dome.
- In The Catherine Tate ShowThe Catherine Tate ShowThe Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC...
, Geordie Georgie tries to get her co-worker Martin to sponsor her and her friends to pull a Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
from Whitley Bay to Tynemouth using only the B roads.
- In the BBC sitcom, One Foot in the Grave, Victor's oddball friends Ronnie and Mildred are said to live in Whitley Bay. "Bugger off back to Whitley Bay the pair of you!"
- In the Geordie comic VizViz (comic)Viz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent storylines...
, Whitley Bay was occasionally mentioned, for example by Sid the SexistSid the SexistSid the Sexist is a character from the English comic book Viz. The strip was created and mostly drawn by Simon Donald until he left the magazine in 2003, when Paul Palmer took over as artist...
: "Less gann oorsel' doon Whitley Bay and see if wi canna pull oorsel' some forry hoops!"