'Over the moon' - First donation lands for South Tyneside shipbuilding museum project

A new chapter has opened in an ambitious scheme to build a museum or skills centre to save and celebrate South Tyneside’s shipbuilding heritage – the donation of its prized first item.

Project organisers have taken possession of a book of expertly hand drawn technical drawings made between 1912 and 1943 of parts used to build ships at Tyne-based yards.

The hefty hard-bound tome highlights items such as the hooks, lifting belts and deck link plates that went into the construction of vessels including aircraft carrier HMS Victorious.

It has been presented to Bronwyn Mogie, 33, from Hebburn, who is spearheading the heritage initiative, by Sunderland grandmother Maggie Brown, 75.

Maggie found it following the death of her mum, Margaret Mole, 90, who worked for famed Tyneside shipbuilder Swan Hunter as a cost clerk between 1974 and 1986.

Margaret was fascinated by skilled draughtsmanship and of shipyards and their cranes and came into possession of the memento when Swan Hunter later closed.

It had lain in a cupboard under stairs at Maggie’s Fulwell home for several years until she heard about Bronwyn’s project and offered it to her.

They met up by the banks of the Tyne at South Shields to officially swap ownership.

‘They are incredible’

Maggie said: “I think my mum would have loved that it has gone to a centre that celebrates shipbuilding and shipyards.

“She had an interest in draughtsmanship and went to a technical school for a time to do technical drawing.

“She worked at Swan Hunter as a stock control clerk and when Swan Hunter closed, she got hold of the book.

“When you see the drawings, they are incredible and created by a draughtsman, but I didn’t know what to do with the book.

“I offered it to the Discovery Museum in Newcastle a couple of years ago and spoke with a specialist archivist but then heard nothing back.

“I then read about Bronwyn on Facebook and contacted her directly and was delighted when she said she would love it.

“Let’s hope her project takes off. The whole of the north east was once a great area of shipbuilding and that should be remembered.”

Bronwyn, who works in marketing and communications, launched her bid to get support for a heritage centre at the start of the year.

Her online support petition has almost 1,300 signatures and she is being backed by Andrew Leslie, 64, whose great-great-great grandfather helped found the former Hawthorn Leslie yard at Hebburn.

She plans to set up a charity which would apply for funding of up to £10m, and a museum site would be sourced by the Tyne.

‘Over the moon with the book’

Of Maggie’s donation, Bronwyn said: “I was very happy to hear from her and I’m over the moon with the book.

“I collected it with my dad, William, who is a former shipyard plater, and we sat outside in the car reading through it for hours.

“The sketches are incredible and give a real insight into the parts used on so many ships built on the Tyne. I hope this is the first of many donations.

“It’s most likely a departmental engineering logbook and written by a foreman or works engineer.

“Most of the reaction to this project has been online, so it’s very nice to have something physical in my hands.”

Bronwyn’s petition can be found at www.change.org and more information on the project is on Facebook.