This week, I decided to take a walk around a little costal village near Newcastle called Tynemouth, Lets see what I can find out about it.
Where is Tynemouth and What is its history?
Tynemouth is a costal village just outside of Newcastle (8 miles east). It takes around 30 minutes on train from Newcastle to Tynemouth. The history of Tynemouth can date back to Iron Age Settlement where Tynemouth played a unique strategic position due to its position with the mouth of Tyne.
Tynemouth also have a lot of relation to the Royal Families. The queens of Edward I and Edward II stayed in the Castle and Priory while their husbands were campaigning in Scotland. King Edward III considered it to be one of the strongest castles in the Northern Marches. After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Edward II fled from Tynemouth by ship.
When I first arrived in Tynemouth, I was blown away with all the nice architectures at the side of the road, it almost felt like we were in a completely different country. There was one store especially that caught my eyes, and that is a gift shop called “To the Moon & Back”.
I literally love this store to the MOON and BACK! I think this store and actually many other stores here, give Tynemouth a new wave of energy, it brings the characteristics of this town out.
Emily Barker, Tynemouth citizen for more than 10 years
The local citizens definitely take pride into their unique shops here, most of them said they are proud to be a part of Tynemouth, its coastal resort, special local shops make Tynemouth their forever home.
After the town centre, I went for a view of its famous castle and light house, which I wont bore you with all its history and the built behind it, however, if you are interested in the history behind castles, it definitely worth checking out!
As I make my way to their famous Longsand beach, I discovered something very special that I would like to introduce to you guys and that is….
You may ask, What is special about this? Let me Explain.
First of all, as we all know, there are not a lot of outdoor swimming pool in the UK, and even so many are seasonal due to, of course, the extreme weather we have here, which makes this extra special. It may seemed abandoned now, but according to the locals, it had its glorious days!
Tynemouth outdoor swimming pool was first opened on 30th May 1925 and was once one of the area’s favourite and most prestigious attractions. It was automatically filled by the incoming tide and was for many years a popular venue for local families and holidaymakers.
Its unique geographical position at the Southern end of Tynemouth Longsands beach, on the North East coast give its edge over other pools at the time, and won a 50 years glorious days for this spot.
However, at the start of 1970s, due to the introduction of indoor swimming pool and cheap holiday packages, many of the British coastal holiday destinations begin to lose out, Tynemouth is no exception.
Attempt to Change
In 1996 ,the council made an effort to revamp Tynemouth Pool under the guise of converting it to a ‘rock pool’ by scattering large stones and boulders throughout. This was a disastrous failure and, as the neglect continued, what was once a fine outdoor lido soon became a controversial eyesore.
North Tyneside Council recently put together proposals to concrete over the site and convert it into a possible venue for cultural and sporting activities, however, the idea was met with hostile objections by many local residents who wanted to see the pool turned back into a swimming facility. As a result the Council withdrew the proposals and the site remains in a state of dereliction.
A local group was soon formed under the name ‘Friends of Tynemouth Outdoor Pool’, and they are currently working with the council on viable plans for the future development of the pool.
If you are interest in getting involved in one of the biggest community driven regeneration projects, you can contact them by sending a message to their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/tynemouthoutdoorpool.
That is all from my today, Let me know in the comment section below if there are any unknown places you would like me to explore. 
The Hidden Treasure of North-east 