Like eternal sentinels, two magnificent Lighthouses stand guard, North and South at the mouth of the Newcastle's once mighty Tyne River. Although still awesome, it is no longer the national centre for ship building and coal exporting it former was. The old workplaces of stevedores, welders and riveters now produce innovative energy generation plant and other high-tech equipment.

Constructed in 1895, both the North and South Lighthouses were opened to the public for the first time in 100 years, as part of the annual 'Heritage Open Days'. Prior to opening, local contractor PCiS was appointed to survey the structures, carry out any necessary repair work and provide a protective solution to the masonry surfaces.

HBG was specified to be applied to the exterior stone surfaces of the structure, to provide the highest level of protection in this frequently harsh coastal environment. The principal merits of this are that it is invisible on the surface and does not chemically change the base stone.

Professor Denis Chamberlain provided consultancy services for the project, which included preventing tidal flooding of the engine room below the North Lighthouse.

A particularly novel element of this was his implementations of the 'Moisture Blocking Method', using Chem-Crete SOFIX CCC700, a 'Nano Crystallisation material'.