Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England South Shields Colman's Seafood Temple
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Colman's Seafood Temple

Eat fish and chips in a striking Neoclassical building that once hid a public lavatory.

South Shields, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Colman’s temple as it is today with original public toilet building on the right.   Jeremy Bolwell
This was once one of the grandest public toilets in the U.K.   John Harvey
Ghandi’s Temple looked a little different before the refurbishment.   Mike Quinn
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

At the southern end of the main beach area of South Shields is a seafood restaurant housed in a striking Neoclassical building, which cleverly hides its past as a public lavatory. The original Doric-columned structure was built in 1931 to provide shelter from the changeable Tyneside weather, as well as restrooms in the basement. 

Colloquially, the building became known as Gandhi's Temple, even though Mahatma Gandhi never set foot on the premises. In all likelihood, locals at the time thought the columns gave it the appearance of a religious building. It was also the case that Gandhi visited the U.K. around the time it opened—some joker may have coined it and the name stuck. 

In 2017, after a major effort by the family which owns Colman Fish and Chips, a well-known institution in South Shields, to purchase and reform the structure, it was opened as a seafood restaurant. The old shelter now houses an oyster and cocktail bar. The architects for the transformation were Fizarchitects and construction was carried out by Brims. Above all, the family went to great lengths to preserve the original part of this architectural curiosity.

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Seafood Restaurants Bathrooms

Know Before You Go

There's a wide range of sustainable seafood on the menu here, but the stars are undeniably the locally-caught oysters and the fish and chips. The latter is made with either prime cod or line-caught haddock and comes accompanied by classics like chip shop curry sauce, mushy peas, and hand-cut thick or thin chips. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

Osage

  • Osage

Published

July 29, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Colman's Seafood Temple
2 Sea Road
South Shields, England, NE33 2LD
United Kingdom
54.996219, -1.409224
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

'Conversation Piece'

South Shields, England

miles away

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House Museum

Spanish Battery, England

miles away

Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnels

Jarrow, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,212
Stories 144

Nearby Places

'Conversation Piece'

South Shields, England

miles away

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House Museum

Spanish Battery, England

miles away

Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnels

Jarrow, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,212
Stories 144

Related Places

  • Inside the restaurant.

    Lindesnes, Norway

    Under

    The world's largest underwater restaurant is submerged off the southern tip of Norway.

  • The Cathedral Café has been serving its community for more than 120 years.

    Fayetteville, West Virginia

    Cathedral Café

    Soak in the sacred vibes at this beloved food and coffee hangout inside a former church.

    Sponsored by West Virginia Department of Tourism
  • Fideuà, a close cousin of paella made with noodles, is a specialty here.

    Barcelona, Spain

    Xiringuito Escribà

    Feast on cuttlefish ink-stained paella by the beach.

  • For dessert, try the flan mel i mató, made with a type of Catalan cheese.

    Barcelona, Spain

    La Pubilla

    Open since 1912, this restaurant is one of the few left that serves chicken with lobster and other Catalan-style surf and turf staples.

  • Crab meat and shrimp get pounded in a mortar and pestle with grated coconut, shrimp paste, chili and aromatics, smeared on the inside of a coconut shell and grilled until fragrant,

    Ko Samui, Thailand

    Bangpor Seafood Takho

    Dig into rustic southern Thai island dishes at this decades-old beach shack.

  • Coquina is formed from millions of tiny seashells.

    Denham, Australia

    The Old Pearler

    This rural Australian restaurant claims to be the only restaurant in the world to be built almost entirely of sea shells.

  • Fried Gulf seafood is the star of the show.

    Houston, Texas

    Christie's Seafood & Steak

    At Houston’s longest-running restaurant, find a classic oyster stew beloved by a former U.S. President.

  • The “Kitchen Special” Viet-Cajun-style crawfish come with citrus slices.

    Houston, Texas

    Cajun Kitchen

    Viet-Cajun is a true hybrid cuisine that evolved in Houston and at this Asiatown mainstay, there’s more to it than just crawfish.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.