'Showcase South Tyneside' - Souter Lighthouse to take centre stage on BBC TV

Souter Lighthouse is set to take centre stage as BBC’s Antiques Roadshow comes to South Tyneside.

National Trust bosses have expressed delight and excitement to be dusting off the cobwebs to welcome national TV treasure Antiques Roadshow to South Tyneside.

Fiona Bruce outside the Woodhorn Mining Museum near Ashington in May 2022, the last time the show was in the North East. | Callum Lawrence

placeholder image — Fiona Bruce outside the Woodhorn Mining Museum near Ashington in May 2022, the last time the show was in the North East. | Callum Lawrence

Last week, The Gazette revealed the hit programme, which first aired in 1979 and attracts over three million visitors each week, would be filming at historic Souter Lighthouse on Saturday, July 4.

Presenter Fiona Bruce announced the towering tourist attraction was one of five sites chosen to be part of the new series.

She has encouraged viewers to come along on the day in the hope their forgotten family heirlooms will be filmed and identified as being worth an unexpected fortune.

Now, Eric Wilton, General Manager for the National Trust at Souter Lighthouse and The Leas, has revealed his delight that the family favourite would be filmed at the lighthouse, at Marsden.

He said: “We are incredibly excited to be hosting the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow and feel very privileged to be chosen as a site.

“It will give us a fantastic opportunity to showcase Souter Lighthouse and South Tyneside and all it has to offer.

“We look forward to sharing the history of the lighthouse and some of the stories associated with it.

“It will be a great boost for the area, and we can’t wait to welcome Fiona to this part of the UK.”

Souter Lighthouse, which was built in 1871, stands 76ft tall and attracts 20,000 visitors annually, was the world’s first lighthouse to have its light powered by electricity.

The BBC has said those wishing to attend on filming day must have a valid ticket which can only be applied for online.

Applicants can choose a morning or afternoon arrival, and entry times are hourly between 9am and 4pm, and once on site visitors can stay all day.

Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18, and the under eights do not require a ticket.

Other venues chosen for filming are Dartington Estate in Devon, Valentine Mansion and Gardens in Essex, Caerphilly Castle, in South Wales, and Bangor Castle, in Northern Ireland.

More ticket information is available at www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow