North and South, two towns of England, on opposite sides of the mouth of the Tyne, situated 8 miles below Newcastle, 16 miles N.N.E. of Durham, and 176 N.N.W. of London.

North Shields is a market-town in Northumberland, forming, along with the adjacent village of Tynemouth, a municipal and parliamentary borough. It extends for about a mile along the river, and consists of an older and a more recent portion; the former containing narrow alleys and lanes, and the latter having many good houses, broad streets, and spacious squares. There are several good public buildings. Among these are the parish church of Tynemouth, which stands at the east end of North Shields, a handsome chapel of ease in the town, places of worship belonging to the English Presbyterian Church, Wesleyan and New Connexion Methodists, Baptists, Independents, Quakers, and Roman Catholics. The educational establishments are many and various, including national, British, and infant schools. There is also a subscription library, mechanics' institute, theatre, assembly rooms, and baths. Manufactures are extensively carried on at North Shields, but they are chiefly of those articles that are connected with navigation. There are here ship-building yards, rope-works, manufactories of sail-cloth, iron-foundries, forges for anchors and chain-cables, and steam-engine manufactories; besides salt-pans, breweries, brick and tile works, a large pottery, &c. In the vicinity there are numerous collieries, furnishing the chief article of trade to the town. North Shields is connected by railway with Newcastle and Tynemouth, and by a steam-boat ferry with South Shields. A county court is held in the town, and there are weekly markets and annual fairs. The town sprung up in the time of Edward I., under the protection of the Prior of Tynemouth; but the jealousy of the people of Newcastle put a stop to its progress for a long time. Oliver Cromwell passed an act for the formation of quays and a market here; but many restrictions were imposed upon the trade till the end of the seventeenth century, when they were removed, and the prosperity of the place thus greatly increased. Pop. 8882.

South Shields is a market-town, parliamentary and municipal borough, in the county of Durham. The older part consists chiefly of a long, narrow, crooked street, extending for about two miles on the low ground by the river's side; but on the hills behind there stand many well-built houses of more modern origin. Near the centre of the town is a large market-place, in which stands the neat town-hall, also used as an exchange and news-room. Below this building is the market-house. The parish church is ancient, but has been so much repaired and altered, that little of its original fabric except the tower can be traced. There are two other established churches, and also places of worship belonging to the English Presbyterian Church; the United Presbyterians; Wesleyan, Primitive, and New Connexion Methodists; Independents; and Baptists; several of which sects have more than one place of worship. To most of them Sunday schools are attached; and South Shields possesses also national and charity schools, as well as numerous benevolent institutions. Among the latter is a set of comfortable houses for superannuated master-mariners. Besides the public buildings already mentioned, the town contains a custom-house, theatre, public baths, mechanics' institute, and subscription library. None of the buildings, however, are by any means imposing. The manufactures and trade of the place constitute its chief importance. Like North Shields, it manufactures chiefly those articles that are used for maritime purposes. There are large docks for ship-building and repairing, also rope-works, breweries, manufactories of soda and alum, a pottery, and extensive glass-works. Formerly the town was chiefly known for its many salt-pans, of which there were at one time nearly 150; but this department of manufacture is hardly at all pursued at present. In the immediate neighbourhood there are some coal-pits. The refuse from these, as well as from the glass-works and salt-pans, has formed numerous hillocks, some of which have been built upon. The borough is governed by a mayor, eight aldermen, and twenty-four councillors; and it returns a member to the House of Commons. Markets are held every Saturday, and fairs twice a-year. It appears from an ancient inscription and remains found here, that there was a Roman station on the site of South Shields. The present town, however, cannot be traced so far back, but seems to owe its origin to the fishermen of the Tyne, who lived in sheels, or sheds, along the water's edge. Hence the name of the place. From the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, it was chiefly remarkable for its salt-pans; but the modern prosperity of South Shields is coeval with the extension of the coal trade. The population of the parliamentary borough in 1851 was 28,974.

The port of Shields, including both the towns, is formed by the river between them, which is here about two-thirds as broad as the Thames below London Bridge. Along both sides there are spacious quays, which, like those in the port of London, are lined with several tiers of vessels. The entrance to the harbour is somewhat difficult, as there is a bar with only 7 feet of water. There are two light-houses in North Shields, one 123 and the other 77 feet high, which lead to the entrance of the port. Inside the bar the depth increases to 24 feet; and the harbour is large enough to hold 2000 merchant-vessels, and admits those of 300 tons close up to the quays. The number of sailing vessels registered at the port, December 31, 1857, was 967; tonnage, 262,659; of steam-vessels, the number was 130; tonnage, 2936. In the year ending at that date, there entered 1861 sailing vessels, tonnage 300,538; and 10 steamers, tonnage 1321—in all, 1871 vessels, tonnage 301,859; and there cleared 2187 sailing vessels, tonnage 274,274; and 14 steamers, tonnage 556—in all, 2201 vessels, tonnage 274,830. The chief trade of the port consists in the export of coals to London, and other places on the east coast of England and Scotland. Many of the vessels belonging to Shields are engaged in the whale-fishery of Greenland and Davis Straits.