Courtesy of Newcastle libraries. This was taken on a weekend apparently and you can see hundreds, if not, thousands of beachgoers enjoying their day on the beach. Some skimping on water, boats, sitting, walking.. but that massive building on the left was the Tynemouth Aquarium and Winter Garden. In background toward right is a church with tall steeple.
Both photos courtesy of Frank Billings. Both showed where the rink was. You can see the massive ceiling with greenhouse glass roof-ceiling. This was the winter garden. Top of the two, a trade show showing Navy and nautical supplies. Bottom photo showed theater seating arrangement for something (concert, opera, church, speaker, or something). One more thing, the top photo with the trade show going on, there are some spooky appearance there. A flag shaped a face like Adolf Hitler you can see under the balcony on the right side, in the middle wall side. And in the background on the balcony are two figures. One a massive size of a statue looking too real looking down on the rail. The other is near that statue looks like a cartoon dog there looking down as well. And that "dog" is much bigger than the statue. Truly spooky with those old Black and White. Its called pareidolia. Like the Face on Mars taken in 1976 using old technology thinking there was a face but new digital cameras they send 30 years later, found the face was no face at all. This is what I mean with those old photographs.
Tynemouth Aquarium and Winter Garden Tynemouth Long Sands, UK
Tynemouth Palace Tynemouth Long Sands, UK
Tynemouth Plaza Tynemouth Long Sands, UK
Tynemouth Palace Tynemouth Long Sands, UK
Tynemouth Plaza Tynemouth Long Sands, UK
This United Kingdom rink was twice placed in the famed Tynemouth building that had a long history and sadly, it ended with a massive fire in 1996. It once sat upon the shores of Tynemouth Long Sands. It is a name for a beach. It is a long beach with sands.
Originally it was built and opened in 1878 as a Victorian leisure complex and was home to an aquarium, winter gardens and roller skating rink. Hence the full name but no mention of roller skating rink in the name title. I am sure everyone knew that. Winter gardens back then also could mean roller skating rinks. A winter garden means a conservatory devoted to the cultivation of winter-blooming plants according to dictionary.com. Some plants do grow in winter! Especially bushes that stays green. It was build in 1878 at the cost of £82,000. (sounds cheap? Try expensive in today's British Pounds. That means £9,824,837 for 2020 (no 2021 adjustable available yet). Well, that is cheap compared to convention centers of this size today would cost maybe 10 times the £10 million. (To adjust to USD with the £10 million, it would be 13,576,352 USD in 2020).
It was a place for people can spend leisure time during cold months indoors and outdoors. I am sure they had indoor plants as well for anyone to enjoy. This was forerunner to shopping malls and plazas with indoor plants that many of you recalled in the 1960s to 1980s. A few modern malls remain having their winter gardens indoors.
The building later was renamed as Tynemouth Palace in 1898, and then the name was later changed once again to be modernized as Tynemouth Plaza in 1926. During the First World War, the building was used as a billet for troops because of its massive size with multi-stories and room on the rink and other rooms in the plaza was able to house troops.
After the war, everything including roller skating rink made a come back when the last soldier left the building. It lasted till 1996. It was horrible day for the beloved building that many people love to go to. It was destroyed by a massive fire sweep through the building on February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM alarm which brought 70 firefighters from several fire departments to arrive to fight the fire.
At that time, the building was being redesigned by a committee and their designers/architects to modernize interior and for fix up or repairs to the age old building as means to preserve it. Unfortunately they said it was too much of a damage that they had to demolished it the same day.
As someone said that the sun rose for the last time but by the sunset, the plaza was completely demolished.
It was a popular attraction among tourists and towners that it was featured as backdrop for photographs, or to take pictures. Like Paris has its Eiffel Towers, Tuscany has its Leaning Towers, St. Mark's Square in Venice, The original World Trade Center in New York, the Towers in Dubai, Toronto, Seattle, Dallas, and Malaysia, and the massive statue of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God in Rio, Brazil, to name a few, the plaza was their own landmark. A tourist magnet. Like Orlando has its theme parks, Los Angeles have its studios and theme parks, New York has its museums, and more. It was an entertainment center of yesteryear. Forerunner to a modern indoor amusement park. One of the earliest pioneering concept.
The rink floor was on third floor with massive greenhouse ceiling above.
The Interior.
Likely third floor that extend to the roofline of the sixth floor. It was massive as you can see in the photos but I have found only two photos of the interior where the rink was. In those two photos, unfortunately were not showing skaters skating. In one was either for a concert/opera/church meeting/speaker and the second photo showed what looked like a trade show of sort. It was used for many purposes. The arched roof was all greenhouse glass. This is what it means by winter garden. Many rinks of yesteryear were commonly called winter gardens or gardens because of the greenhouse or just indoor parks. Easy to convert to a rink or to a trade show or concert, or whatever they set up the venue for. It is more like a convention center/expo center you find anywhere today such as COBO, state fairs convention centers, McCormack, Jarvis Center, and many more.
The Exterior.
It was a very beautiful Victorian castle-like building with multi-stories. It was an entertainment center of yesteryear. Looked like a six story building. The ground floor only has its exposure direct on the beach because the building was built upon a hill as a support for its foundation on all three sides with the 2 stories there to be exposed to beachside. The top 4 stories are exposed to all 4 sides because they were on ground level above the beach ground level.
Then the remaining 4 stories were on the sides as the center had a huge Arch-Curve roof. Apparently that means the roller rink was housed there. Perhaps also the winter garden as well with those massive windows to let sunlight in for the plants. Likely the rink was on third floor and had massive ceiling. A common practice for rinks till more recent times. This is purely educational guess for the level where the rink was.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Wood, maybe Maple? Floor Layout: Likely all straight.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM, Massive fire, torn down that evening.
Type of Building: Semi - Free-Span Steel Truss Stone-Walled Convention center - like Building, 6-story(storeys).
Roof: Arched-Curve Greenhouse roof.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1878 to February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM.
Tynemouth Aquarium and Winter Garden: 1878 to 1898.
Tynemouth Palace: 1898 to 1926
Tynemouth Plaza: 1926 to February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM (fire alarm).
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Tynemouth Aquarium and Winter Garden: Likely new management, name change.
Tynemouth Palace: Likely new management, name change.
Tynemouth Plaza: Massive fire on February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM and was unable to preserve (too much damage to repair).
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Chronicle Live - anniversary of massive fire; Co-Curate - Tynemouth Plaza 1; Co-Curate - Tynemouth Plaza 2; Frank Grillings -
(Note- there are dozens of articles related to the fire and to the beloved popular building.)
Date of issue: 11 February 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
Originally it was built and opened in 1878 as a Victorian leisure complex and was home to an aquarium, winter gardens and roller skating rink. Hence the full name but no mention of roller skating rink in the name title. I am sure everyone knew that. Winter gardens back then also could mean roller skating rinks. A winter garden means a conservatory devoted to the cultivation of winter-blooming plants according to dictionary.com. Some plants do grow in winter! Especially bushes that stays green. It was build in 1878 at the cost of £82,000. (sounds cheap? Try expensive in today's British Pounds. That means £9,824,837 for 2020 (no 2021 adjustable available yet). Well, that is cheap compared to convention centers of this size today would cost maybe 10 times the £10 million. (To adjust to USD with the £10 million, it would be 13,576,352 USD in 2020).
It was a place for people can spend leisure time during cold months indoors and outdoors. I am sure they had indoor plants as well for anyone to enjoy. This was forerunner to shopping malls and plazas with indoor plants that many of you recalled in the 1960s to 1980s. A few modern malls remain having their winter gardens indoors.
The building later was renamed as Tynemouth Palace in 1898, and then the name was later changed once again to be modernized as Tynemouth Plaza in 1926. During the First World War, the building was used as a billet for troops because of its massive size with multi-stories and room on the rink and other rooms in the plaza was able to house troops.
After the war, everything including roller skating rink made a come back when the last soldier left the building. It lasted till 1996. It was horrible day for the beloved building that many people love to go to. It was destroyed by a massive fire sweep through the building on February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM alarm which brought 70 firefighters from several fire departments to arrive to fight the fire.
At that time, the building was being redesigned by a committee and their designers/architects to modernize interior and for fix up or repairs to the age old building as means to preserve it. Unfortunately they said it was too much of a damage that they had to demolished it the same day.
As someone said that the sun rose for the last time but by the sunset, the plaza was completely demolished.
It was a popular attraction among tourists and towners that it was featured as backdrop for photographs, or to take pictures. Like Paris has its Eiffel Towers, Tuscany has its Leaning Towers, St. Mark's Square in Venice, The original World Trade Center in New York, the Towers in Dubai, Toronto, Seattle, Dallas, and Malaysia, and the massive statue of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God in Rio, Brazil, to name a few, the plaza was their own landmark. A tourist magnet. Like Orlando has its theme parks, Los Angeles have its studios and theme parks, New York has its museums, and more. It was an entertainment center of yesteryear. Forerunner to a modern indoor amusement park. One of the earliest pioneering concept.
The rink floor was on third floor with massive greenhouse ceiling above.
The Interior.
Likely third floor that extend to the roofline of the sixth floor. It was massive as you can see in the photos but I have found only two photos of the interior where the rink was. In those two photos, unfortunately were not showing skaters skating. In one was either for a concert/opera/church meeting/speaker and the second photo showed what looked like a trade show of sort. It was used for many purposes. The arched roof was all greenhouse glass. This is what it means by winter garden. Many rinks of yesteryear were commonly called winter gardens or gardens because of the greenhouse or just indoor parks. Easy to convert to a rink or to a trade show or concert, or whatever they set up the venue for. It is more like a convention center/expo center you find anywhere today such as COBO, state fairs convention centers, McCormack, Jarvis Center, and many more.
The Exterior.
It was a very beautiful Victorian castle-like building with multi-stories. It was an entertainment center of yesteryear. Looked like a six story building. The ground floor only has its exposure direct on the beach because the building was built upon a hill as a support for its foundation on all three sides with the 2 stories there to be exposed to beachside. The top 4 stories are exposed to all 4 sides because they were on ground level above the beach ground level.
Then the remaining 4 stories were on the sides as the center had a huge Arch-Curve roof. Apparently that means the roller rink was housed there. Perhaps also the winter garden as well with those massive windows to let sunlight in for the plants. Likely the rink was on third floor and had massive ceiling. A common practice for rinks till more recent times. This is purely educational guess for the level where the rink was.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Wood, maybe Maple? Floor Layout: Likely all straight.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM, Massive fire, torn down that evening.
Type of Building: Semi - Free-Span Steel Truss Stone-Walled Convention center - like Building, 6-story(storeys).
Roof: Arched-Curve Greenhouse roof.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1878 to February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM.
Tynemouth Aquarium and Winter Garden: 1878 to 1898.
Tynemouth Palace: 1898 to 1926
Tynemouth Plaza: 1926 to February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM (fire alarm).
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Tynemouth Aquarium and Winter Garden: Likely new management, name change.
Tynemouth Palace: Likely new management, name change.
Tynemouth Plaza: Massive fire on February 10, 1996 at 5:20 AM and was unable to preserve (too much damage to repair).
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Chronicle Live - anniversary of massive fire; Co-Curate - Tynemouth Plaza 1; Co-Curate - Tynemouth Plaza 2; Frank Grillings -
(Note- there are dozens of articles related to the fire and to the beloved popular building.)
Date of issue: 11 February 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.