TYNE BUILT SHIPS
A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships that they built

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History of Shipbuilder: A & R Hopper, North Shore, Newcastle


An advert from a business directory dated 1859

Ambrose and Richard Hopper operated a shipyard in an area of Newcastle known as the North Shore. This area was on the river bank just upstream of where the Ouseburn flowed into the Tyne and more or less opposite the South Shore on the Gateshead side of the river. (See Maps above).
The yard was established by Ambrose Hopper (senior) in 1823. In 1846, in Fordyce's Advertiser, he drew attention to the longevity of the yard and called the attention of shipowners and captains, to the convenience of the yard, being only a quarter mile from Newcastle and handy for the Quayside, Brokers Offices etc.
In the 1851 Census Ambrose Hopper is listed as living in Richmond Street, Newcastle, 53 years old and born in Swalwell. He employs 44 men at that time.
In 1858, the firm of A & R Hopper were still listed as a Shipbuilding Yard at North Shore, Newcastle. In 1865/1866 they are still advertising the services of the "Nelson Patent Slipway". They probably always worked in wood on both shipbuilding and shiprepair.
They are not named on the Tyne Improvement Commisioners' map of 1871, although the "dock" still seems to be visible. However by this time the Rotterdam, Hamburg and later Malmo Wharves were extending the scope of the commercial cargo wharfage that was spreading downriver from the original traditional stretch referred to as the "Quayside" itself.
Thus was the Newcastle shoreline being "tidied up", with raised stone quays being built and the river being dredged up to the quays to allow large ships to berth without bottoming out at low tide.
Above is an extract from Tyne Shipyard Biographies, copyright of Ron French.