The following was extracted from the News Guardian.

North Shields was the "town where no town ought to be". according to the jealous burghers of Newcastle.
The first shiels were fishermen's huts, built about 1225 for the Prior of Tynemouth.
When the residents tried to set up a trading port the attacks of the city merchants, legal and physical, produced a lasting sense of injustice, set out in Ralph Gardner's book England's Grievance Discovered in 1655.
The silting of the river in the 18th. century forced traders to rely on the river mouth towns, but the Port of North Shields was not created until 1848.
In the following year Smith's Docks arrived at North Shields, growing to become the largest ship repair company in the world. (Later giving employment to my father, mother and brother!).
The Fish Quay was founded in 1870. Although the industry has "contracted" (my quotes) it is still the focus of a giant festival each Spring Bank Holiday.
At first North Shields was confined to the river bank sides Dockwray Square ( my parents home for a time) was begun in the 1760's but most of the bank top remained open land until the Earl of Carlisle sold his estate in 1796.
From that time the present centre of the town developed around Saville Street and Bedford Street.
The Newcastle and North Shields railway opened in 1839 the first passenger carrying line on Tyneside.
When the Tyne Improvement Commission opened Northumberland Dock in 1857 it provided the impetus for a westward expansion, in part using released by the railway company.
Most of the original town was demolished in the 1930's and the inhabitants moved to the housing estates north of the Albert Edward Dock. (My place of employment for 31 years).
With the removal of the coal trade much of the land around the dock has been used for the Royal Quays housing and trade development.
In North Shields itself a shopping centre was opened in the 1970's followed by prestige housing along the bank top in the 1980's. The Union Square project is currently "revitalising" (my quotes) the town centre.