The Al Azhar Mosque was built in 1971 to satisfy the religious needs of South Shields' established Yemeni community. Theme: Arabic mainstream. Management: Yemeni. Although some may consider the architecture somewhat 'underwhelming' compared to others in the Islamic world, this little mosque was put firmly on the map in 1977 when boxing legend Mohammad Ali visited Al Azhar to worship and to have his marriage blessed by the local Imam. The event is covered by a film 'The King of South Shields'. In 2008 South Shields filmmaker Tina Gharavi arranged for a plaque to mark Ali's visit. It has become a cherished landmark of South Shields. The Yemeni Arab community in South Shields dates back to at least 1890, with the arrival of seamen such as engine room firemen, serving British merchant vessels. Similar communities were founded in Hull, Liverpool and Cardiff. South Shields is one of the oldest existing integrated Muslim communities in Britain. In 1909 the first Arab Seamen's Boarding House was opened at Holborn riverside. During World War One many Yemenis were recruited to serve on British ships at the port of Aden which was under British protection. After the War the Yemeni population of South Shields grew to over 3000. There were riots over Merchant Navy jobs in 1919. After World War Two the Yemeni population at South Shields declined as people moved to Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield for work due to the end of the shipping industry. Today the Yemeni population numbers about 1000.

A feature of the South Shields’ skyline since 1886. Built by G & W Walker Ltd., the holder’s design included 16 vertical cast iron columns and two huge tanks that lifted telescopically as they filled with gas, to a total height of 90ft. The South Shields gasholder was a vital part of the local gas supply system, making sure there was enough gas to go round even in the coldest winters. It could store almost 1.5 million cubic feet of gas – enough to supply 1,800 homes for a full day, or 42,000 homes for an hour. The structure received a makeover in 2008/09 when engineers gave it a £250,000, 5,000 litre paint job to make it less incongruous in its environment.
The gasholder was subject to historic building in recording in 2023 during its demolition (event 5416 report 2023/19). It was formerly on the South Tyneside local list, but was removed in 2023.

In 1865 Alderman John Readhead founded his shipyard John Readhead & Sons in South Shields, which built small cargo ships and colliers for clients the world over until the yard was closed in 1968. Various slipways and dry docks can still be seen today stretching from Tyne Dock towards the mouth of the Tyne. Protect cobbled lane.

The college was formerly known as the Marine and Technical College, and was founded by Dr Thomas Winterbottom, a former surgeon-general in Sierra Leone. After spending 4 years in Africa, he returned to South Shields in 1796 to take over his father's practice. He wrote an account of his time in Africa which was published in 1803, and which contains the description of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), for which he is known. The college is still one of the largest merchant navy training colleges in the United Kingdom, and attracts students from as far afield as India and Africa. Courses are offered across the whole spectrum of marine education including navigation, operations, mechanical and electrical engineering, communications, and catering.
The college was formerly based in Ocean Road, South Shields in a purpose-built building opened in 1869. This is now a listed public house called Kirkpatricks. There is a marine simulation centre at the main Westoe Campus and additional college sites all over South Shields such as the Marine Survival Centre on Wapping Street; the Radar Station next to Ocean Beach Pleasure Park and the St. Hilda's Centre on Coronation Street. However, due to new advances in technology, the planetarium and observatory have not been used for this purpose for more than twenty years. All of the equipment was relocated to Stockton’s Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory on Teesside. The observatory space now houses a multi-faith chaplaincy.

Gypsies Green stadium is a natural bowl-like stadium with (rough) athletics track, (rough) banked cycling track (both non-standard distances) and a junior sized football pitch. It is the home of the South Shields Harriers. The site has been allocated as a potential redevelopment site, but there are no plans at present. Site of a former ballast hill.

The Pier Pavilion started out as a rain shelter. The then South Shields Corporation, at the instigation of Alderman Gompertz, converted the old Sea Side Shelter in Pier Parade into a small community theatre in 1948, to mitigate the loss of the Queens, which had been destroyed by bombing, in 1941. The Pier Pavilion was opened on Whit Monday 1949 and for the next few years presented seasons of Repertory and Concert Shows. The theatre has since been through many changes, including recent modernisation.

Maritime Office. Situated at the north entrance to North Marine Park, overlooking the Tyne estuary. Currently vacant (2011). Built in the 1890s and altered in 1930. The upper floor was rebuilt and specially shaped windows at NE and SE corners allowed unobstructed views over the sea.

River Drive Bridge dates from the 1930s, when the riverside underwent large-scale transformation. Most of the 18th Century dwellings had already been demolished and replaced by new industries. The bridge was needed in order to make them more accessible than the existing narrow thoroughfares. This was no small undertaking since the bridge had to cross the railway terminus.
The bridge, originally known as Heugh Bridge, took two months to build, at a cost of £35,000, and was officially opened in August 1939 by the then Minister of Transport, Captain Euan Wallace. The bridge is similar in appearance to the Tyne Bridge, but on a much smaller scale. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the River Drive Bridge confused German bombers during World War II, thinking that they were over Newcastle upon Tyne.

Beautiful modern sculptures set within and at the entrance to the former Brigham and Cowan’s dry dock. This former shipyard has been reclaimed and redeveloped to provide riverside housing.
The Spirit of South Shields, by Irene Brown, holds a sailing ship in one arm while raising the other to greet the future. She is a protector guiding the ships through the seas safely. She stands on a relief of South Shields - a firm foundation in the past and present, which is represented and orientated by the model buildings. She stands strong and optimistic, unafraid by the winds of change - the figurehead for South Shields Future. The base of the statue is a contour map of South Shields with several well known features: the Groyne, Arbeia Fort, the Old Town Hall and Westoe Colliery. The screws sticking through the base are where someone has stolen the model of the Town Hall. Fleet, also by Irene Brown, is a collection of seven stainless steel collier ships in full sail set in the water of Market Dock, overlooking the River Tyne at South Shields. The brightly polished ships reflect patterns of both moving sky and water and give the impression of a fleet heading out to sea.

The north-east of England has a rich maritime heritage. The shipbuilding and fishing industries were once major employers in the region and the lifeblood of many riverside and coastal communities. The North East Maritime Trust, located on the site of J.G. Mitchelson & Sons Boatbuilders, was set up in 2005 by local enthusiasts to make a positive contribution to the renewal of interest in traditional seagoing activities in the region. The main emphasis is on the care, maintenance, restoration and reconstruction of wooden vessels. The riverside workshop itself is more than 100 years old, and is open to the public every Wednesday.