I want to preserve the North East’s shipyard heritage with a dedicated museum
Almost 800 people have backed a campaign to establish a North East shipyard heritage museum.
Bronwyn Mogie, from Jarrow, launched the campaign at the end of 2025 after finding that all the men in her family going back around 200 years worked in the North East’s shipyards.
Despite the yards being huge employers on the River Tyne, the River Wear and the wider North East for centuries, there is no dedicated place in the region to preserve their legacies and stories.
In order to gain backing, 32-year-old Bronwyn launched a petition calling for a heritage museum to be built on the banks of the Tyne, in either Jarrow or Hebburn - with 782 people pledging their support to the campaign at the time of writing.
The petition states that without a dedicated museum, many artefacts, records and personal stories relating to the shipyards risk being lost and will limit future generations’ access to understanding the industries that shaped the North East.
Bronwyn has explained that the campaign has been going well so far, with more and more people who have a connection to the yards wanting to give their support.
She said: “I started a campaign at the end of 2025 to build a shipyard heritage museum because when I looked back at my family history, I found that all the men up to 200 years ago worked in the North East’s shipyards.
“The campaign has quickly gained a lot of traction and we’ve had so many people pledge their support, including Kate Osborne MP.
“We’re going to be meeting with Jarrow Hall, Jarrow Forward and we’re also going to set up a charity so we can get this built.
“There are people who worked in the yards who have so many stories to tell, with pretty much everyone’s grandparents in the North East having a connection to the yards.
“It means a lot to everyone and there isn’t a national shipyard museum so to have one in the North East, which built more than 10,000 ships, would just be amazing.”
The shipyard heritage campaign holds added significant due to 2026 marking the 90th anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade.
Bronwyn, whose dad William worked in the yards as a plater, also revealed what it would mean to her should the shipyard heritage museum become a reality in the future.
She added: “There are a lot of community groups who meet up to talk about the shipyards so the support has been really great.
“I’d be so proud if it became a reality, I’m really proud of where I come from anyway but to give back to the community by bringing this to life would be amazing.
“It would also bring things like jobs, education and tourism to the region.”
You can keep up to date with the Shipyard Heritage Museum campaign at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587087554059 and you can sign the petition via: https://www.change.org/p/open-a-shipyard-heritage-museum-in-jarrow-hebburn.
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