North Shields’ historic Fish Quay is home to a new statue honouring the hardworking Herring Girls who were once a regular sight there.
The life-size sculpture was officially unveiled by actress Brenda Blethyn, star of ITV’s Vera, on Friday September 22.
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, as part of the authority’s Ambition for North Shields and the Fish Quay.
The celebrations included around 300 local school children, North Tyneside Elected Mayor Dame Norma Redfearn DBE, Ray Laidlaw and Billy Mitchell from Lindisfarne, a Switzer tugs sailpast with water jets display and a parade featuring a piper and a traditional ‘Popper’ vehicle used to transport boxes of fish in days gone by.
Among the guests were The Right Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle and Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear Ms Lucy Winskell, OBE.
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.
Terry McDermott, Chairman of the North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage Project, said: “The Herring Girl is a perfect partner to the powerful Fisherman sculpture at the other end of the Quay.
“It is absolutely right that we commemorate and honour the role women played in the history and heritage of our beloved Fish Quay.
“The herring girls had a tough job, working long hours in all weathers, it was physically very demanding. Not only did they gut and salt the fish and pack it into barrels, they then carried creels of fish on their backs to sell door-to-door and at the markets.
“They spent a lot of their time on the move, following the shoals of herring down the North East coast, from Scotland to Yorkshire.
“This went on for centuries, from late summer to early autumn each year, and our local lasses from North Shields would join them on their route.
“Many hardworking women still grace our industry today and this sculpture is a tribute to all the women past and present who are part of our proud fishing community.
“We’d like to thank North Tyneside Council for providing matched funding for the sculpture, as part of its regeneration of North Shields and the Fish Quay.”
North Tyneside Mayor, Dame Norma Redfearn DBE, said: “The unveiling of the Herring Girl was an incredible community event, it was wonderful to see the Fish Quay packed with well-wishers including hundreds of our local school children.
“The statue pays tribute to the incredible, hardworking women who played such an important role in the fishing industry.
“As we approach our North Shields 800 anniversary year, it’s a chance to look forward as well as back, building on the town’s fantastic heritage and strong community spirit.
“This is a proud day for North Shields, it’s been both a celebration and a very poignant moment, as we ensure these important women are not forgotten.
“I want to give a special thank you to North Shields Fishermen’s Heritage Project and all those who donated to help make this a reality.
“The Herring Girl is part of the Council’s Ambition for North Shields and the Fish Quay, which will improve public spaces, create new retail and business opportunities, establish a North Shields Cultural Quarter, and enhance the thriving Fish Quay.”
The Herring Girl is welded from Corten steel, which begins life as a shiny metal, but changes in colour over the years.
The Herring Girl is one of five new art pieces which are part of the Council’s Ambition for North Shields and the Fish Quay. The Ambition aims to create a more vibrant town centre with flexible retail opportunities, expanding the evening and weekend economy and improving the quality of public space in the town centre.