Northumberland County Council

Listed building outline: Coal Staithes At Blyth Power Station 1041382

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Coal Staithes At Blyth Power Station 1041382

• geometry: MULTIPOLYGON (((-1.522666 55.141882,-1.521637 55.140533,-1.521588...
• entry-date: 2013-01-29
• listed-building: 1041382
• name: Coal Staithes At Blyth Power Station
• notes: Listing revised 24-JUN-2008 from Grade II* to Grade II. Coal staithes constructed between about 1910-1923 for the North Eastern Railway Company, altered in about 1994. MATERIALS: timber, the lower level of a set of coal staithes about 375m long of traditional braced timber construction. The structure is formed of substantial timber piles driven into the sea bed carrying a timber deck. The staithes were originally 500m long and comprised three decks with gantries. HISTORY: Blyth initially developed as a fishing port with ancillary salt pans, but during the later 19th and 20th centuries it became Northumberland's premier coal port and for a brief period in the mid 20th century it shipped more coal than any port in Europe. At its peak, the harbour had several sets of staithes, which allowed coal arriving by wagon way and later railway to be dropped from wagons directly into ships. The coal staithes at Blyth power station, known formerly as West Staithes, were the last of the traditional staithes to be built on the River Blyth. Their construction began in about 1910 for the North Eastern Railway Company, but the First World War intervened and they were completed in 1923. The original upper two decks were demolished and the whole structure truncated in 1994/5. REASON FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: these early 20th century coal staithes are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: although they have been compromised by partial demolition, these coal staithes retain special historic interest in a national context; there are only three listed coastal/estuarine coal staithes in England and this example at Blyth is therefore a very rare survival; the structure bears witness to the once nationally significant sea-borne coal trade; they reflect the importance of the Port of Blyth as the one time largest coal port in Europe.
• reference: 1041382
• start-date: 1986-12-18