Hudleston Arms Hotel (The Bay Hotel)

The present building occupies the site of an earlier inn "The Ship Inn", described by W.W. Tomlinson as a large building on the edge of the "ancient settlement" on what was known as the "Old Square". The Ship Inn and Old Square are shown on Ordnance Survey first edition of 1850. Following the demolition of the Ship Inn, a new hotel known as the Huddleston Arms, named after a prominent local family, was built. The hotel is shown on the Ordnance Survey second edition of 1890. The Huddleston Arms was the temporary residence and studio of American watercolour artist Winslow Homer, during the early part of his stay in Cullercoats in 1881 and 1882. It has been suggested that he came to Cullercoats after meeting a member of the family that ran the hotel on the the ocean crossing aboard the Cunard steamer, the Parthia. It is thought that his rooms were on the ground floor at the west end - his painting "The Perils of the Sea" is a view looking out across Front Street to the Fishermens' Watch House. This viewpoint is used for a further five works, including "The Gale" which famously sold for the then huge amount of 30,000$ in 1916, six years after Homer's death. He soon moved his studio to No. 12 Bank Top (HER 7082) and rented a room in 44b Front Street (HER 7083).