The Fishermen's Mission, Cullercoats

ACC 11488 CULLERCOATS

(Photograph held within Local Studies) The field to the north of Cullercoats village was once part of Clarke's Farm, which in the last century was held as part of the Manor of Tynemouth. The tenant on the Court Rolls was William Snowball of Sunderland, the trustee of Mrs Dorothy Naters, whose house was on the site of the Fishermen's Mission at Cullercoats. By co-incidence, her husband had held a pub on the site of the Fishermen's Mission at North Shields.

After Mrs Naters' death the land was divided between her children, and eventually came down to her daughters, Margaret Naters and Ann Isabella, the wife of William Spicer. A deed at the Local Studies Centre notes that in 1883 they decided to partition the farm. Margaret Naters was to hold all that portion south of Grafton Road, down to Cullercoats. This may be how Margaret Road got its name, and certainly explains Naters Street. Miss Naters sold part of the land to James Eskdale, an ironmonger, plumber and builder of North Shields, and later of Margaret Road. Mr Eskdale sold the land on to other builders, but continued in residence at Whitley Bay until the First World War, after which he disappeared from the local record.

The mission church at the corner of Eskdale and Promontory Terraces. By a minor accident of geography, the Cullercoats Fishermen's Mission is in Whitley Bay, since it stands on the north side of Eskdale Terrace. The street formed the boundary between the Townships, and at the corner with Promontory Terrace there used to stand Naters House.

The mission church had its origins in about 1905, in a smaller hall further along the street. On feature of this early building made its congregation known the length of Tyneside. The fisher folk's choir, lead by John Lisle, performed in Methodist churches throughout the region in the early years of the century.

As the Mission grew, the first hall proved inadequate to its needs, but there was no other venue available in the village. In the late 1920s Whitley Bay and Tynemouth Councils decided to improve the conditions of Eskdale Terrace, their mutual boundary. In the course of the work Nater's House, technically in Whitley Bay, came on the market, and the site was acquired for a new mission hall. The congregation gave its labour freely in the building work, although the local newspaper made special mention of the efforts of Albert Lisle and his sons.

The opening ceremony was performed on 3rd October 1931, a fine autumn day. The new church was designed to seat 250 persons, and also was provided with a Sunday School to hold 100, and vestry. Albert Lisle gave the organ in memory of his father, John, and the organist was to be his own son, also John.

At first, the ceremony was held in the open air, at the main entrance. The United Methodist minister, Rev J. B. Cook, presided. He invited Mrs Thompson Hall, of Monkseaton, to open the door. The whole crowd gave three cheers for the magnificent efforts of the Lisle family. So great was the interest, only about half the audience were able to enter the new hall. Mrs H. Hawley opened the organ, presented in memory of Mr Lisle's father.