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Top Attractions in Whitley Bay

St Mary's Island

St. Marys Island is a small sandstone island near the seaside resort of Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England. It is a Local Nature Reserve. St. Marys Island was originally called Bates Island, Hartley Bates or Bates Hill as it was originally owned by the Bates family who were prominent locally. It is sometimes known as Bait Island, probably due to a misunderstanding of the meaning of the name. The island is opposite Currys Point on the mainland and is connected to the coast at low tide by a rocky causeway. The main feature of the island is St. Marys Lighthouse which was built in 1898. In medieval times there was a chapel on the island dedicated to St Helen. Within the chapel was the Lady Light, also known as St. Katherines Light. The light was later, wrongly, ascribed to St. Mary and, as a result, the island became known as St. Marys Island. It is debatable whether the light was used as a warning to shipping or was purely religious. Next to the chapel was a burial ground where monks and local people were interred. Traces of St. Helens Chapel were destroyed when the lighthouse was built in 1898. During the 19th century there was an inn, known as the Square and Compass, on the island, run by a Mr. George Ewen. In 1895, after complaints about rowdy customers trespassing on nearby land, the landlord, Lord Hastings, had Mr. Ewen and his family evicted from the island. The lighthouse continued to function until 1984, when it was taken out of service. The lighthouse is now open to visitors who can climb the steps to the lantern room, if they wish, or see the Visitors Centre.

Whitley Bay Ice Rink

Whitley Bay Ice Rink is an ice rink located in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, England and is the home of the Whitley Warriors ice hockey team. An additional team played out of the ice rink, the Newcastle Vipers, who are now disbanded. It is one of two permanent public ice rinks in the north east of England. A ten-pin bowling centre in the area upstairs which was added in the 1960s was closed in 2007. It was also the region's premier concert venue, until the Newcastle Arena opened in 1995. Artists that have performed at the venue include AC/DC, The Cure, Iron Maiden, KISS, Metal Church, Metallica, Kylie Minogue, New Kids on the Block, Oasis, Pet Shop Boys, Sting, The Stone Roses and Take That, among others. The WWE then WWF held three wrestling house shows at the rink in 1993 with wrestlers such as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Ted Dibiase and Yokozuna appearing. As with concerts the WWE now does all of its Newcastle shows in the larger Metro Radio Arena. In 2005, the ice rink was used to film BBC sitcom Thin Ice. Even though the series was set in Derby, Whitley Bay Ice Rink was chosen because the production company had used the venue on numerous occasions in the past. Although reference is made to Whitley Bay as the host of the British Championships in the programme, no mention is made in the credits. In 2006, the ice rink was criticized by local authorities after demonstrating exceedingly poor fire regulations when a blaze was discovered. Skaters continued on the ice whilst the fire escalated. 2008 saw the rink undertake several improvements, such as new barriers and plexi glass, bench doors for hockey players and a new Zamboni . Elite Ice Hockey was played out of Whitley Bay ice rink as the Newcastle Vipers play their remaining home games out of Whitley Bay ice rink due to the Metro Radio arena not participating in holding sports events any more in the city's arena. This stopped when the Vipers ceased operation at the end of the 2010/11 season.

Playhouse

The Playhouse, Whitley Bay is a state of the art, 630 seater auditorium in the coastal resort of Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear. Having undergone a major and completed refurbishment by North Tyneside Council in 2009, this stunning contemporary theatre boasts an elegant glass foyer, front of house facilities, box office and bar facilities; in addition it also features a redesigned auditorium, new company room and chorus rooms. The transformation of the venue, situated on Marine Avenue, is a key part of North Tyneside Councils £64million regeneration programme for Whitley Bay. It has also become an integral part of the local community programme, regularly playing host to productions from local artistic and drama groups. The Playhouse is managed by SMG, who locally own and manage Newcastles 11,000+ seater Metro Radio Arena and 1,100 seater Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre. The theatre has had a long history and has been an important part of the lives of many people living in and visiting the town. To commemorate these memories, a time capsule in the form of a wooden box has been made by longtime theatre supporter Rid Stokoe, and filled with a collection of memorabilia from its proud past. A specially-commissioned installation by artist Rolf Wojciechowski, is proudly displayed in the North corridor of the theatre to mark the re-opening of the Playhouse Whitley Bay in 2009.

Spanish City

The Spanish City was a permanent funfair in Whitley Bay, a seaside town in North Tyneside, Tyne Wear, England. Erected as a smaller version of Blackpools Pleasure Beach, it opened in 1910 as a concert hall, restaurant, roof garden and tearoom. A ballroom was added in 1920, and later the funfair. Just yards from the seafront, the Spanish City has a 180 ft-long Renaissance-style frontage and became known for its distinctive dome, now a Grade II listed building. There are towers on either side of the entrance, each of which carries a half-life-size female bacchanalian figure in lead, one holding cymbals, the other a tambourine. The buildings architects were Robert Burns Dick, Charles T. Marshall and James Cackett. The band Dire Straits immortalized the Spanish City in their 1980 hit single, "Tunnel of Love," which from then on was played every morning when the park opened. By the late 1990s the building had fallen into disrepair, and in the early 2000s it was closed to the public. A regeneration project was announced in 2011.
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