New plea to restore Grade II listed staiths

A new campaign to kickstart major repairs to a Grade II structure on the River Tyne has been launched.

Dunston Staiths, in Gateshead, is in need of significant maintenance to combat age-related wear as well as damage from arson attacks.

As local preservation teams pursue a multi-million pound cash injection for the landmark, a fundraising effort has been set up to begin the first stage of essential repairs required to keep Dunston Staiths open to the public.

The structure is more than 130 years old and was previously used to load coal on to ships during north-east England's industrial heyday.

A funding bid has been lodged for more than £4m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, but campaigners are now appealing for the public's help to pay to repair rotten timber at the base of its first frame.

It is estimated this repair will cost about £6,500.

Tyne Derwent Way's Bev Robinson said the decay and damage to the wood was "not surprising on a wooden structure of this age and in a riverside location where it's fully exposed to the winter weather".

The structure closes to the public over winter to provide a sanctuary for roosting birds.

"We were able to carry out some short-term repairs so that we could open the staiths safely to the public over the summer, but this is just the start of a longer-term programme of repairs," Robinson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She added the National Heritage Lottery Fund bid will "help us preserve this iconic symbol of Gateshead's industrial heritage for generations to come".

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