It is one of the region’s most important monuments to our industrial past - but it was once feared it could be lost forever.
The North Eastern Railway Company began the construction of Dunston Staithes in 1890, with the first opening in 1893 and the second a decade later.
The staithes - on the River Tyne - were the product of a now-vanished way of life.
The 520m (1,709ft)-long structure, believed to be the largest of its kind in Northern Europe, played a crucial role in the transport of millions of tons of North East coal from the Tyne.
There were also staithes at Wallsend, Jarrow, Tyne Dock, Derwenthaugh, and Blyth as coal powered the North’s economic boom in the early 20th century.
The 1920s saw 140,000 tons of coal a week loaded at Dunston - the last working staithes on the Tyne - but by the 1970s, this had fallen to just 3,000 tons.
In 1980, the staithes loaded their final shipment and were closed
Then, in 1990, £37m was spent on beautifying 200 acres of old industrial land for the highly successful Gateshead National Garden Festival.
The new millennium also saw the near-by Staithes South Bank take shape - an award-winning site which incorporated a wide range of new homes.
As for the staithes themselves, they had been steadily deteriorating after suffering two arson attacks and were on English Heritage’s at-risk register.
Happily, in May, new timbers were grafted on to the fire-hit staithes in the first move in a £450,000 restoration programme.