Irvins Building
Irvins Building, Union Quay, North Shields, NT30 1HB
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1061408
- Date first listed:
- 26-Jul-2002
- List Entry Name:
- Irvins Building
- Statutory Address:
- Irvins Building, Union Quay, North Shields, NT30 1HB
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1061408
- Date first listed:
- 26-Jul-2002
- List Entry Name:
- Irvins Building
- Statutory Address 1:
- Irvins Building, Union Quay, North Shields, NT30 1HB
- Statutory Address 2:
- Irvins Building, Union Quay, North Shields, NT30 1HB
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Irvins Building, Union Quay, North Shields, NT30 1HB
- Statutory Address:
- Irvins Building, Union Quay, North Shields, NT30 1HB
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- North Tyneside (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- NZ 36243 68549
Details
1022/0/10033
UNION QUAY
Irvins Building
26-JUL-02
II
Offices, sale room, chandlers' shop, workshops and warehouse of Richard Irvin and Sons. 1913. Red brick with ashlar dressings; hipped slate roof to range on right, flat roof to steel-framed or reinforced concrete range to left.
PLAN: office range located to right (north east) of warehouse which is cranked towards the north.
EXTERIOR: Two-storey office to right has modillion cornice to deep band, outer canted bay windows and central window all with stone-mullions and cross transoms; swags carved in band above ground floor openings, all square-headed with carved brackets to cornice over and pilasters rising to pyramidal finials flanking shop window to right. Tall four storey three bay range to left, with three segmental-arched openings to ashlar ground floor and recessed bays articulated by pilasters with flat-relief carved capitals beneath broad entablature and cornice with stepped central parapet; segmental-arched windows.
INTERIOR: timber columns with cast-iron compression columns to range on left; the timber floors said to have marks on the floor where the nets were pinned out for repair. Reported to have oak panelling etc in range in right.
HISTORY: This building has stylised architectural detailing typical of the period and is the most prominent building on the harbour front at North Shields. It was built as a multi-functional commercial premises for Richard Irvin and Sons, fishing boat owners, fish salesmen and auctioneers. Irvin was a renowned pioneer of steam trawling, and was reputed to be the largest operator in the industry outside Peterhead in Scotland. Being such a large employer (with over 30 boats and hundreds of workers), Irvins ran a banking system for their own employees which was housed in the office range, which had a first-floor boardroom, on the right.
This building is a large-scale, prominent and historically important example of the industrial-scale, specialist fishing port that was the creation of the last quarter of the C19, and was concentrated around the North Sea ports of England and Scotland.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 489647
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 11-Jun-2026 at 06:37:14.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.