Whitley Bay

Whitley Bay is a seaside town around 16 km northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Around 1100 King Henry I conferred it with other possessions on the Priory of Tynemouth. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Whitley was held under the Crown for a time, but changed hands quite often over the centuries.

From the late 19th century , the adverse effects of the decline of local coal mining and dependent industries were ameliorated by the emergence of Whitley as a seaside holiday resort. The opening of the North Tyne Loop railway line in 1882, connecting the coastal villages to Newcastle, benefited the tourism industry.