It was once the site of Hawthorn Leslie's factory, supplying boilers and engines for ships.
And while the history of the factory lives on in the street names, which relate to the areas of the factory, St Peter’s Basin, in Newcastle, has a very different image.
Now, the area houses hundreds of residents in the surrounding houses and its 150 pontoon berths on the marina.
After pursuing the role of harbour master at St Peter’s Marina in 1990, Brian Hunt has witnessed the development of a community he loves.
His role is to manage the marina and assist if anything goes wrong, such as boats sinking or helping the police to search for something that has fallen into the river.
He explains: “It is a great place to live and the community has built up around me since I’ve been here.
“When I first started, there wasn’t really a community and it took until the mid 90s when the houses were being built until it became a community.
“The biggest difference was when the pub opened and people started to go to it.”
He adds: “It’s a hidden away community in a lovely part of Newcastle and it’s still private as people don’t pass through here for any reason.”
Miriam Waite has lived on her boat on the marina with her partner and dog, Salty C Dog, for three years.
The 30-year-old bought a boat on the marina as she felt it was much cheaper than buying a house.
And although her only experience of living on a boat was a family boat holiday in Cheshire when she was younger, Miriam explains that adapting to boat life was easy.
She said: “I was wanting to move back to the North East and I had a little bit of money saved up which felt like it would go to waste going into a house.
“I realised how good a space you can get out of such a small thing as there are little cubby holes everywhere. Everything has its place and there is no wasted space.
Speaking about the area, Miriam adds: “I love St Peter’s Basin and it’s very quiet. The people are lovely and friendly and very helpful.”
Also based in the marina is Keith Newman, who runs his PR business, Highlights PR, from his 24 foot cabin cruiser, where he has been based for around five years.
He decided to invest in his unique office space as he has always had an interest in boats and in his earlier career he worked in the Naval Reserves driving boats.
The 56-year-old explains: “This is my working environment and it is lovely because you have fresh air, natural light and the calming influence of the water.
“It’s great working at St Peter’s Marina because there is a real sense of community and there is a lot of friendly people here. My clients love coming down and sitting on the boat to chat.
He adds: “If I get fed up I can just drive up to the Tyne Bridge or another marina and change the scene. It’s the best thing I have ever done business wise as it is such a lovely working environment.”
Ursula Stuart has been the manager at The Merchants Tavern pub for four years and describes the area as “a real hidden gem”.
She believes this is partly down to a lack of road signs signalling towards the marina, therefore very few people know about its existence.
The 34-year-old explains: “I always thought the Quayside was the marina and I never knew this place was here, but St Peter’s Basin is beautiful.
“I have friends who have lived in Newcastle all of their lives and they have never heard of this place, but once they do come down they absolutely love it.”
As the only bar on the marina, Ursula says that The Merchants Tavern has become a real community hub and the base for the local residents association.
She adds: “When you’re sitting outside in the summer and you look out over the marina, it's so picturesque you could just be anywhere.”
