Dunston Staiths, one of the River Tyne’s most striking landmarks, needs your support; quite literally. The Staiths, a proud symbol of Gateshead’s industrial heritage, has stood since 1893, and is in need of repair, starting at the very beginning, with Frame 1.

This grand, Grade II listed timber structure and Scheduled Ancient Monument is the last remaining staith on the Tyne and is thought to be the largest wooden structure in Europe. Staiths were large structures built onto river banks to allow coal to be transferred from trains to collier ships. Since it closed in 1980, Dunston Staiths has become a haven for local wildlife and a popular visitor attraction.

When coal trucks came through Teams from the coal fields of County Durham, they entered the Staiths at the west end, onto the timber platform on the top deck. And the very first frame supporting that platform was Frame 1. You’ll pass by it as you walk or cycle beneath the Staiths near the bridge over the River Team and, as you’ll see, it needs some love and care. The base of the frame is rotten, and the estimated cost to repair it is £6,500.

We’re running a fundraising campaign to make this work possible. Your donations here will go directly towards repairing Frame 1. We’ll share our running total as we go along so you can keep up with how close we are to achieving our target.

You can find out more about Dunston Staiths by visiting the Tyne Derwent Way hub on Staithes Road in Dunston, or at https://www.twbpt.org.uk/building/dunston-staiths.