'Coal Staiths of the Tyne' exhibition

An exhibition of rarely-seen photographs by one of Tyneside’s most important documentary photographers opens at St Mary’s Heritage Centre in Gateshead on Wednesday 9 September.
‘Coal Staiths of the Tyne‘ features photographs by Finnish photographer Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, who is best known for her 1983 book ‘Byker’, a portrait of a Newcastle community which was soon to be relocated by the Byker Wall.
This audio slide show offers a sneak preview of the exhibition, and is accompanied by a soundtrack in which Sirkka talks about the inspiration behind her photographs and the process of capturing the images.

[@capybara8868]

Fantastic - thank you.

[@yvonnesimpson4584]

Brilliant video and memories of growing up in Dunston.

[@fatwalletboy2]

Fascinating pics.

[@toonmag50]

A living record of industry at the time.
Now a history of times gone .

[@jonathansimmonds5784]

Did you get to know how the staithes worked? The clever way the coal trucks got from pit head to riverside, the coal from truck to ship? I experienced it as a boy of nine in 1963 on my first sea voyage taking coal from Dunston to Battersea power station. I have a question, what are those shaped pieces of wood so in abundance between the rails under the trucks? I don't remember seeing those at the time.

[@jimmyoconnell6167]

Grew up in Dunston in the 60s 70s remember all the coal ships

[@davene4507]

I played there as a child but back then all the tracks and fittings were gone