South Bank, Middlesbrough
Coordinates: 54°35′N 1°10′W / 54.58°N 1.17°W
| South Bank | |
 South Bank
South Bank shown within North Yorkshire |
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| Population | 7,800 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NZ535205 |
| Unitary authority | Redcar and Cleveland |
| Ceremonial county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | North East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MIDDLESBROUGH |
| Postcode district | TS6 |
| Dialling code | 01642 |
| Police | Cleveland |
| Fire | Cleveland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | Redcar |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
South Bank is a small town which forms part of the Middlesbrough urban area that lies 2.3 miles from Middlesbrough centre, in north east England. As the name suggests, it lies on the south bank of the River Tees. Although it is part of the Middlesbrough conurbation, it is a ward of Redcar and Cleveland and is within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is between the River Tees, to the north, and Teesville, Normanby, Eston and the Eston Hills, commanding an excellent view of the monument at Eston Nab, to the south. It has a population of approximately 7,800 residents. It is served by South Bank railway station.
Formerly known as "Tees Tilery", South Bank has a long history of steelmaking in the companies Bolckow and Vaughan[1] and Dorman Long and shipbuilding in the famous Smiths Dock Company. It used to rejoice in the nickname of "Slaggy Island" as it was surrounded by slag heaps, the waste product of the iron and steel furnaces that formed the basis of the economy of the area during its formative years.
It was historically part of the parish of Eston and formed part of the Middlesbrough constituency from 1867 until 1918.
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[edit] Shipbuilding
In 1907 Smiths Dock Company, a firm of Tyneside shipbuilders, set up a Teesside operation at South Bank.
The company became associated with South Bank after opening an operation there in 1907.[2] Smiths Dock closed its North Shields Yard in 1909 focussing its operations on the River Tees.[3]
Smiths Dock built many ships that served during World War II, including trawlers that the Admiralty requisitioned and converted to armed trawlers of the Royal Naval Patrol Service such as HMT Amethyst, or more notably, HMT Arab, in which Lieutenant Richard Stannard (RNR) won the Victoria Cross. Smiths Dock is perhaps most famous for preparing the design of the Flower-class corvette, an anti-submarine convoy escort of World War II celebrated in the novel The Cruel Sea.
In 1966 Smith's Dock merged with Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson to form Associated Shipbuilders, later to become Swan Hunter Group.[4]
In 1968, the company completed the first British-built and owned container ship, the Manchester Challenge of 12,039 gross tons, for operation on Manchester Liners new container service to ports on the St Lawrence Seaway, Canada.[5] By 1971, the company had delivered three further ships of this design to Manchester Liners.
South Bank's shipbuilding era came to an end on 15 October 1986, when the last ship was launched from Smith's Dock, the shipyard itself closing in February 1987.[6]. Some traditions were revived when the Dock was reborn as Tees Offshore Base in 1988 and became home to a range of offshore service industry companies including Tees Dockyard, bought by Cammell Laird in 1998. However, on 15 April 2001, Cammell Laird closed the doors at its ship repair yard for the last time.
[edit] Regeneration
Despite the glorious past of South Bank seeming fresh in many people's minds, the squalor and population swelling industry of the Victorian Era having been a lynchpin in the creation and development of companies such as British Steel, Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company, chemical giants ICI and shipbuilders, such as, Smiths Dock Company, those time have, in reality passed by. Those industries that built the Teesside area have moved on to other places; houses, shops and schools have closed and been demolished.
However, the local authority, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, has put the first phase of their Greater Eston regeneration project in South Bank. The Low Grange Health Village is a formidable building, opened in 2010, and which houses a health centre and the local library.
[edit] Places of Worship
The original Catholic parish of St. Peter was formed in 1874, followed by St. Mary's, in nearby Grangetown, in 1886. Together they served the Irish and Lithuanian immigrants who worked in the smelting works by the River Tees. These days, South Bank's Catholic Church is part of a larger parish, which includes the churches of St. Anne's, Eston, St. Andrew's, Teesville and St. Mary's, Grangetown. The joint parish is served from, and carries the name of, St. Andrew's Parish.[7]
The Anglican Communion is represented by the church of St. John the Evangelist. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1893, and was cmpleted two years later in 1895. It is part of the Deanery of Middlesbrough within the Diocese of York.
The South Bank Baptist Church also dates from the late 19th century and the 'non-aligned' South Bank Mission, although not in its original building, was founded in 1908.[8]
Other established places of worship include the Redcar and Cleveland Islamic and Quranic Cultural Association, which mostly serves the Bangladeshi community.
[edit] Notable people
- Vin Garbutt Folksinger
Vin Garbutt (born Vincent Paul Garbutt, 20 November 1947, in South Bank), is an English folk singer and songwriter. A significant part of his repertoire consists of protest songs covering topics such as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland (Troubles of Erin), unemployment, and abortion.
- Wilf Mannion Footballer
Wilf Mannion was born on 16 May 1918 in South Bank, the son of Irish immigrants Tommy and Mary Mannion, and one of 10 children. He joined his local team Middlesbrough F.C. in 1936 and went on to make 341 Football League appearances for them, scoring on 99 occasions.[9]
- Ken Churchill - Paralympic Athlete
Ken Churchill (born 10 May 1975 in South Bank is a British javelin thrower who competes in the F37 category of Paralympic events. He is a member of Durham AC.
- Jack Curtis, footballer
- Paul Daniels - Magician
Daniels was born at 51 North Street in South Bank, the son of Handel Newton Daniels and Nancy Lloyd. Handel (known as Hugh) was a cinema projectionist at the Hippodrome Theatre and a former worker at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Wilton.
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River Tees | Teesport | |
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| North Ormesby |  |
Grangetown | ||
 South Bank  |
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| Thorntree | Teesville | Eston |
[edit] References
- ^ How are the mighty fallen: Bolckow Vaughan Co. Ltd. 1864-1929 Marianne Pitts April 2007
- ^ The Sound of Silence Evening Gazette, 18 April 2002
- ^ Royal Navy Ship may bring work for 100's Evening Chronicle, 30 August 2008
- ^ Fears for Tyneside tradition as Swan Hunter ship is towed to Govan for completion Guardian, 15 July 2006
- ^ Stoker 1985, p. 43
- ^ Kirkleatham Museum
- ^ St. Andrew's Parish Online
- ^ Gazette 2008 - South Bank Mission's 100 Years
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: South Bank, Middlesbrough |
- The Homepage of the South Bank Nostalgia Society
- Tribute to the late South Bank painter David Mulholland
- List of warships built at Smith´s Dock (and other North-East yards)
- The interesting tale of Admiral Byrd's Polar Ship (Kilmarnock) now submerged off the coast of Florida
- South Bank built ships sailing with the Blue Star line
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