This wonderful juxtaposition of old and new South Shields in one image has been created by photographer and local historian MICK RAY.
We see the town's main retail thoroughfare King Street as it was in the 1930s and the Market Place as it is today blended into one striking image, giving us a deeper understanding of the physical location - what was once there, and what's there now. Here in his own words, Mick tells the fascinating but also tragic story of the area over time.
Most of the buildings in the old part of the image either don’t exist now, or have been virtually rebuilt due to damage sustained in a World War II air raid - but more on that later. Centre stage is the Old Town Hall, in the middle of the Market Place. The Dean and Chapter of Durham (who ran the town for centuries) were responsible for the creation of the Market Place.
