The story of John Readhead is that of an extremely successful industrialist in South Shields. From being a practical Blacksmith or Millwright, he built up one of the most prosperous shipbuilding firms on Tyneside. In this he was assisted by the co-operation of a large family of sons, all of whom became partners in the firm.

Three Generations of Readhead's leaders;
James, John and James H. (Picture courtesy of Rodney Towers)

The Beginning of Shipbuilding in South Shields.

(The following is extracted from the book ‘The Borough of South Shields’ by George B. Hodgson which was published in 1903.)

The increasing importance of the Harbour Boroughs attracted to them not only seamen, but ship owners and shipbuilders. About 1720, in defiance of the claims of Newcastle, which had decreed that none but freemen of that town should build ships on the river Tyne, and that no vessel should be constructed at Shields, a certain Robert Wallis, commenced building and repairing ships in a yard adjoining the Coble landing in Pilot Street. He was formerly warned that this would be a breach of the Charter rights of Newcastle. The Corporation sent down an Alderman with a posse of officers to forcibly hinder the work but the Newcastle dignitary was treated to an involuntary bath in the river when his boats’ gang plank was shoved off the landing.
The Corporation brought two actions at law against Mr. Wallis, both of which he successfully defended, and thus destroyed for ever the veto so long imposed by Newcastle on shipbuilding at South Shields.

The inflation in the value of shipping in the seventeenth century soon induced others to open shipyards in the town.

Naturally the development of shipbuilding led to the building up alongside it of many subsidiary industries, such as rope and sail making, anchor and chain cable forging, block and mast making, etc.

With wooden shipbuilding as so important an industry, the shipwrights and carpenters became a large and powerful community. They were very strongly organised, and were exceedingly tenacious of the many and curious customs connected with their craft, of which one was the wearing of tall hats as part of their working dress. The earlier organisations seem to have been of the character of benefit societies rather than Trades Unions. One rule was the ‘lewance,’ or allowance of beer, given to the workmen at various stages during the construction of a vessel. Another curious custom was that at a launch, every apprentice was expected to plunge into the water with all his clothes on, to assist in recovering the floating timbers which had formed the launch ways. The practice was indeed compulsory, for a lad who tried to shirk this unpleasant duty was certain to be flung bodily into the water by his comrades.

A long and bitter strike of shipwrights and carpenters, which took place in 1841, had its origin very largely in an attempt by the employers to abolish the beer allowances.

Initially the building of iron ships was opposed by the Unions, but the shipbuilders of South Shields were prompt to adapt themselves to the changed conditions of trade, and quickly commenced building steamboats when the demand arose for that class of craft.

The earliest marine engineering works in the town were those established in 1826 by George Rennoldson.

In the late 1830’s Thomas Dunn Marshall acquired what had been Woodhouse’s shipyard at the Lawe, and commenced building steam tugs. About 1860 Marshall’s moved their shipbuilding yard to Willington Quay at North Shields. John Softley, who had been manager, and John Readhead, the engineer, commenced business as shipbuilders on the site of Marshall’s old shipyard in 1865.

In October 1874, the great depression following the period of excessive inflation led to the dissolution of the firm. Mr John Readhead then commenced business on his own account in the same yard and this led to the establishment of the world-famous John Readhead shipbuilding firm which was to provide employment for the people of South Shields and district for many decades to come.

The area where John Readhead set up his shipyard was a wood shipbuilding yard as depicted in this picture for 1850

John Readhead's shipyard was established in the town of South Shields, County Durham, England on the south side of the River Tyne and a few miles inland from the sea.

Location Map for John Readhead Shipyard in South Shields, County Durham, England showing the two slipways and the two graving docks.

Readhead's shipyard c1965

The Tyneside Area

Up until the 19th century the only main power source available was water. This was then replaced by coal, and it was The Great Northern Coalfield which was the biggest producer of coal in the country.

The improvements to the River, which took place soon after the middle of the 19th century, and allied to an increase in the iron industry, led to the beginning of iron shipbuilding. 

During the 19th Century iron was a major factor in Britain becoming an industrial leader. The use of iron in shipping increased efficiency in the building process and brought about a greater diversification of employment. 

The first iron ship to be launched on the Tyne was the Amity in 1853, and while the majority of the 30 shipyards on the Tyne made only gradual moves towards iron construction, when it finally took hold as the primary mode of construction, the effects on the working men and local populace, were profound.

Prior to the 1850s wooden ships were the norm and the men employed in this sector, while respected, were relatively few in number. Numerous new roles emerged during this transition.

In 1890 Britain accounted for 80% of the worlds shipping; in 1950 this had fallen to 30% and in 1977 this figure stood at only 3%. Coupled with this is the fact that, as the 1980s progressed, Britain (unlike the rest of Europe) did not purchase shipping from its domestic shipyards. Indeed, a report into the condition of shipbuilding on the Tyne during the early 1980s claimed:

It is a fact that those countries which have retained the greatest share of their domestic market have suffered the least job losses.
This phenomenon was compounded by the fact that while British governments were encouraging competition and increased productivity, there was no product to build.

Unemployment numbers for this period are stark, with 157,000 people involved in the shipping industry in 1973 and 63,000 in 1982, compared to 400,000 in 1921.

DISCLAIMER; Although attempts are made to ensure complete accuracy, I cannot accept any losses incurred due to errors or mistakes within. Data has been sourced from many places and therefore can be subject to errors. It is the individuals responsibility to double check all information.