Crowdfunding resource Sponsume is being used by Martin Hulse of the Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust (TWBPT) to secure funds for its project plans for Dunston Staiths, a Scheduled Monument and Grade II structure on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead.
Sponsume writes:
Crowdfunding Heritage with Sponsume:
Sponsume provides the resources for people in the cultural sectors to fund heritage projects and protect places of historical significance, by putting them in contact with a worldwide community of potential financiers and supporters.
Martin Hulse of TWBPT writes:
TWBPT need £5,000 match funding to unlock a £400,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a £160,000 grant from English Heritage for possibly the largest timber structure in Europe.
Dunston Staiths is a Scheduled Monument and Grade II structure on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead. It is included on the Heritage at Risk Register and has been damaged by vandals and arsonists.
The Staiths are currently mothballed and palisade fencing was erected to deter visitors. The structure was last used to load ships in 1982. No access has been provided to the Saltmarsh Garden since the Gateshead Garden Festival in 1990.
Built by the North Eastern Railway in two stages; the first Staith opened in 1893 and ten years later a second similar Staith was built though this was taken down in the late 1970’s. The Staiths were used to load coal from trains onto ships so that it could be delivered to market, which was predominantly the power stations in London. At its peak in the 1930’s the volume exported reached over 4 million tonnes per annum.
The structure is of national and international significance for historical reasons. It is approximately 526 metres long made from 98 frames and is reputedly the largest wooden structure in Europe. The structure is essentially three elements: the timber piles driven into the ground; the superstructure in the form of 98 individual frames; and lastly the coal chutes, designed to be raised and lowered to suit tidal conditions, for the distribution of coal into the ships holds.
To support the long term maintenance of the structure there will be a charge to walk along the top of the Staiths. Hence this funding will support the restoration of frames 1-6 of the structure that will allow the creation of a cycle route underneath the Staiths.
This project is being supported by English Heritage, Heritage Lottery Fund, Gateshead Council and Durham Wildlife Trust. To unlock the large grants we need to show public support through volunteer effort and a small proportion of the funding.
Please note that TWBPT only receive 95% of your donation (5% is paid to Sponsume for hosting this appeal). Also there is a small Paypal charge for handling the money. I have just been told that as a charity I can have these reduced (so the application was made immediately)
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