The caption for this print reads: Tyne General Ferry landing. Readheads VIGILANT and CONTEST abreast of landing stage.
Loaded sailing vessels awaiting a favourable wind.

A great old picture!

To me I think this ferry landing is at mill dam, as you can see the South Shields/North Shields ferry landing behind this one and that looks like Broads landing South Shields in the distance where most of the tug moored at the buoys.

Also shows surely one of the oldest food brands in existence.

The card photo i have is slightly to the left of the one above.

Its not Mill Dam.

This is the "Penny Ferry", otherwise known as the Market Place Ferry which operated from a Landing Stage next to Smiths Dock and ran upstream for about half a mile to a landing stage beside South Shields Market Place.
In 1906 two Passenger only ferries appeared on this route, the U A RITSON and the THOMAS RICHARDSON.

The half penny Ferry or the Direct Ferry went straight across the River to a landing stage lower down river to the one in existance today.
The direct ferry lasted until the 28th August 1954 and the Market Place Ferry became the more familliar link we know today landing next to the Alum House.

Mill Dam would be a bit far from the Market Place.

I think it is the Mill Dam Paul. The Mill Dam landing stage and the Direct Ferry landing stage were both passenger only, whilst the Market Place landing stage was for (horse-drawn) vehicles even before the advent of motor vehicles. The gangway to the landing in the foreground is obviously passenger only, but that to the more distant landing looks much more robust and suited to vehicles. The present landing is about 50 yards up-river of that spot. The Direct Ferry landing was at Comical Corner, just down-river of Brigham & Cowan and would be out of sight behind the tugs in the background. The notch in which the gangway was located can still be seen on Google Earth, just down-river of the “Keep Clear” road markings next to the call-centre car park. As an aside, the disused turnstile & jetty were an irresistible attraction to foolish schoolboys and I recollect having to fish a friend out of the river there after some over-enthusiastic exploration!

Now you see if I had'nt muddied the waters you would not have come up with all that extra information about the other landings.........



Shall have to explore Google earth..............