The Customs House

The Customs House sits proudly overlooking the River Tyne at the Mill Dam adjacent to the North/South Shields ferry. It was built in the 1860's as a customs post for commercial shipping, just before South Shields was declared an independent port: this was at a time when the River Tyne was a thriving centre of trade and activity. Sadly, during the period of the decline of the shipping industry in the 1960's, the building was closed and soon fell into disrepair.
Adjacent to the building, overlooking the river, is a redeveloped former River Tyne Police Station built in 1885 which is now privately owned flats.
Between these two buildings runs Daltons Lane a terrace of old warehouses and two of these are used at present as a rehearsal space and an artists studio. It is expected that the other buildings will be used for future expansion.

The Customs House
from a painting by Joan Ormond

In September 1980 a group called The Arts and Live Music Association (ALMA) approached the Borough Council and suggested that they bought the derelict Customs House, renovated it and turn it into a centre for amateur arts and music in the town. The Council agreed and sold them the building for £1 on the condition that restoration was started within one year; this, they said, would avoid the payment of £17,000 for demolition costs. It was unlikely that this would have been allowed to happen however, for The Customs House was by now a listed building!

ALMA's restoration progress was slow, and whilst a number of gigs were occasionally held in a part of the building which had been renovated, there were not sufficient funds and enthusiasm to continue the with the project. As a result, in September 1991, the Council again took control of the building and plans were drawn up to turn it into the Cultural Centre that it is today.

It opened as an ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE in November 1994. This was achieved by refurbishing the original building and adding a new extension on the back. It now houses two theatres (both of which double as wide screen cinemas when required), an art gallery and a first class restaurant, making it the major arts complex in South Tyneside.

THE MAIN THEATRE can accommodate up to 400 and the intimate atmosphere and great acoustics make it a regular stop for some of the country's top musicians and bands. As well as touring theatre and dance, the theatre is used by the major amateur operatic and musical societies in the borough. Recent professional productions include "Romeo and Juliet" by Northern Broadsides and an in house production of Catherine Cookson's "The Fifteen Streets". A regular visitor to the Theatre is The Reduced Shakespeare Company with their well-loved unique productions. Always popular is the annual Christmas pantomime, produced in house.

The flexibility of the design means that the front rows of seats can be removed to accommodate wheelchairs and this area of the auditorium can also be lowered to provide room for 25 musicians in an orchestra pit.

THE STUDIO THEATRE can house up to 180 people and is often favoured by small scale drama groups and musicians.

THE ART GALLERY overlooks the river and the now clean sky over the river brings a light through the large window to give added value to the pictures displayed. This was used to highlight a recent collection of abstract paintings under the title "In a Marine Light" which more than adequately celebrated this light on the Gallery.

A recent innovation was the use of the Gallery for lunch time concerts. The first of these was held at 12 noon on 5th July 2000 when an appreciative audience enjoyed the classical guitar playing of SCOTT BRADLEY who has broadcast on a number of occasions and given recitals throughout Europe.

The intimacy of the Gallery lends itself to a better atmosphere for both player and audience than did similar recitals held in 1995 in the main theatre.

ARTS DEVELOPMENT at The Customs House aims to improve access to the arts and popular culture to all residents in South Tyneside. The Arts in Education and the Community Arts programmes offer a comprehensive Outreach and Education facility to schools, colleges and the community in both the visual and performing arts.

Active groups include a talented Customs House Community Big Band made up of a mixture of amateur, semi-professional and retired musicians from South Tyneside who come together regularly to rehearse and perform.

There is a Youth Dance Group as well as one for the over 25's and Senior and Youth Theatrical Groups. Also popular are the Circus Theatre Group and a Carnival Club catering for street theatre and entertainment.

Other areas of the arts are also being pursued. The Customs House Arts Development Team run an exciting mix of events for local people throughout the year, with the aim of stimulating their creativity by bringing them into direct contact with professional artists. Full details of these activities can be obtained by contacting the Customs House (0191 454 1234)

From September 2000, The Customs House in partnership with South Tyneside College is hoping to offer an GNVQ Performing Arts courses for young people of 14 and over. This will offer the opportunity to learn acting, music and dance techniques, and discover the opportunities in performing arts.

	The exhibition programme includes internationally known artists who create new works for the Customs House Gallery. Other exhibitions reflect South Tyneside and work produced by local people working in the area. A recent popular attraction was a collection of the paintings of Norman Cornish whose work so well reflect the local pits and their pitmen of years now past.
BAR SCENE WITH GREYHOUND - Norman Cornish Courtesy of University of Northumbria	In this Cornish provided a vivid documentation of the life of working men in the North of England.