South Shields
 Roman Britain |
Although Hadrian's Wall lies exclusively to the north of the River Tyne, there are also the remains of a number of Roman forts not far to the south of the Tyne. One such is the fort of Concangium at Chester le Street. Another very important Roman fort was situated south of the river where the Tyne meets the North Sea, at South Shields.
Modern South Shields grew most rapidly in the Victorian 19 th century, but the town's origins can be traced back to Roman times, when it was the site of an important Roman fort called Arbeia . This garrison was linked to the Roman road running between Chester le Street and Newcastle by a second Roman road called Wrekendyke, which can still be traced through the town of Wrekenton near Gateshead.
Arbeia, built about AD128, served as the seaport and supply base for Hadrian's Wall, and in Roman times it was an important commercial centre with a large civilian settlement. Its Roman occupants included a small unit of bargemen from the Tigris River Valley (modern day Iraq), who were probably occupied in ferrying troops and stores up and down the River Tyne. The remains of the Roman fort at South Shields can be seen today near the area of high ground called the Lawe, where it overlooks the sea at the mouth of the Tyne. Arbeia is one of the best preserved and most extensively excavated Roman forts in Britain, and includes one of the biggest Roman reconstructions in the country. Completed in the 1980's, the reconstruction in question is of the massive entrance gateway leading to the Roman fort, constructed with the use of Roman stones reclaimed from old churches in the neighbourhood.
Little is known of South Shield's history in Anglo-Saxon times, though evidence suggests it may have been the site of a monastery belonging to St Hilda before she moved to Hartlepool and later Whitby. The monastery may well have stood on the site of South Shield's parish church, which is dedicated to St Hilda. The name of South Shields originates from the Anglo-Saxon period; Shields derives from Shieling, signifying a fisherman's hut.