The Herring Girl by Ray Lonsdale
Western Quay NE30 1HE
North Shields’ historic Fish Quay is home to a statue honouring the hardworking Herring Girls who were once a regular sight there.
It was created by artist Ray Lonsdale, the man behind the poignant Fisherman on Fiddlers Green, who sits a short distance away.
North Shields’ Fishermen’s Heritage Project raised funds for the statue, with support from North Tyneside Council.
The sculpture depicts a life-sized traditional herring girl sitting on a barrel holding a fish in each hand.
The herring girls played an important role on the bustling quay, following the route of the herring as they moved south, gutting and salting the fish that were caught.
Fish sculpture, wall artwork and monkey’s fist knot sculptures by Colin Davies
North Shields Transport Hub and Thomas Brown Square, NE29 6RS
Three artworks inspired by North Shields’ maritime heritage can be found at North Shields Transport Hub and Thomas Brown Square.
Created by local artist Colin Davies as part of an 18-month project funded by a government grant, they have been made using sustainable and environmentally-sound materials.
Inside the Transport Hub, more than 2,000 fish are suspended on a wire sculpture from the ceiling.
Along the wall is another artwork based on fishermen’s synoptic weather maps, using morse code to spell out a poem about life at sea.
Outside in Thomas Brown Square, a marble monkey’s fist knot sculpture sits on concrete plinth.
Our Woven Voices by Aaron Li-Hill with Laura Brenchley and Helix Arts
North Shields' Magistrates' Courts NE30 1AG
Our Woven Voices is a new major community art sculpture featuring the artwork and dance movements of the people of North Shields. The sculpture was made by internationally renowned Canadian artist Aaron Li-Hill, who worked with fellow artist Laura Brenchley to engage local people during numerous community art sessions.
The unique sculpture sits outside North Shields Magistrates Court. It represents artworks by over 1,000 local residents of all ages who took part in participatory arts workshops to create artworks and scrapbooks about what North Shields means to them - past, present and future.
Artist Aaron Li-Hill worked with local dancers to capture their poses then interwove them with the participatory artworks into the final sculpture.
Mary Ann Macham by Keith Barrett
Riverside Embankment Walkway, Tyne Street, NE30 1NF
A sculpture of escaped enslaved woman Mary Ann Macham by artist Keith Barrett will be installed at the top of the town’s spectacular Riverside Embankment Walkway in Autumn 2025, as part of the North Shields 800 celebrations.
The artwork represents Mary Ann’s moment of freedom as she arrived in North Shields on Christmas Day 1831. She fled a lifetime of abuse at a plantation in Virginia, USA, evading a search team with blood hounds before stowing away aboard a ship.
She settled in North Shields, where she married and lived into her 90s. She was supported by the Spence family, well-known Quakers who pushed for the abolition of slavery.