Free entry to heritage and top floor galleries on Saturday 10 September and Saturday 17 September from 10am to 3pm. Visitors will be able to view:
- ‘Folk who Shaped Shields’, an exhibition about the works and achievements of four inspirational people – John Dobson, John Foster Spence, Richard Irvin and Sir James Knott who made significant contributions to the town and whose legacies have far outlived their own lifetimes.
- A display about North Tyneside suffragette and community activist Norah Balls, an active member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), led nationally by Emmeline Pankhurst, who later became involved in many other aspects of community life supporting and improving the lives of girls, women and families.
- Old maps of the area, display boards about the history of Old Low Light, the oldest surviving building on the fish quay and once a leading light guiding ships through the treacherous mouth of the Tyne, as well as navigational aids and artefacts from a former quayside pottery.
- Highlights from a range of previous exhibitions telling stories about the fish quay, river, town and people who have lived and worked in North Shields.
On the top floor there is also a viewing platform with fantastic views of the river mouth and Collingwood’s monument at Tynemouth.