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In [[686]] a monastic cell was consecrated by [[St Cuthbert]] at the request of [[St Hilda]] Abbess of [[Whitby]] and in [[1119]] [[Robert de Brus]] granted and confirmed the church of [[St Hilda]] of Middleburg to [[Whitby]]. Up until the dissolution of the monasteries the church was maintained by 12 [[Benedictine]] monks, many of whom became vicars or rectors of various places in Cleveland. The importance of the early church at “Middleburg” is indicated by the fact that in [[1452]] it possessed four altars.
In [[686]] a monastic cell was consecrated by [[St Cuthbert]] at the request of [[St Hilda]] Abbess of [[Whitby]] and in [[1119]] [[Robert de Brus]] granted and confirmed the church of [[St Hilda]] of Middleburg to [[Whitby]]. Up until the dissolution of the monasteries the church was maintained by 12 [[Benedictine]] monks, many of whom became vicars or rectors of various places in Cleveland. The importance of the early church at “Middleburg” is indicated by the fact that in [[1452]] it possessed four altars.


[[Image:downtownboro.jpeg|left|thumb|275px|'Middlehaven' regeneration project]]After the [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxons]] the area became home to [[Viking]] settlers and it is argued by some that ''old'' [[Cleveland]] has the highest density of [[Scandinavia]]n parish names in Britain. Names of [[Viking]] origin are abundant in the area - for example, [[Thornaby]], [[Ormesby]], Stainsby, [[Lackenby]], [[Maltby, North Yorkshire|Maltby]], [[Normanby, Middlesbrough|Normanby]], [[Tollesby]] and [[Lazenby]] which were once separate villages that belonged to Vikings called Thormad, Orm, Steinn, Hlakkande, Malti and Toll, but now form suburbs of Middlesbrough. Lazenby was the village belonging to a Leysingr - a freeman; Normanby, a Norseman's village and Danby (in neighbouring [[North Yorkshire]]), a Dane's village. The name Mydilsburgh is the earliest recorded form of Middlesbrough's name and dates to [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] times (400 to 1000 A.D.), whilst many of the aforementioned mentioned villages appear in the [[Domesday Book]] of [[1086]].
After the [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxons]] the area became home to [[Viking]] settlers and it is argued by some that ''old'' [[Cleveland]] has the highest density of [[Scandinavia]]n parish names in Britain. Names of [[Viking]] origin are abundant in the area - for example, [[Thornaby]], [[Ormesby]], Stainsby, [[Lackenby]], [[Maltby, North Yorkshire|Maltby]], [[Normanby, Middlesbrough|Normanby]], [[Tollesby]] and [[Lazenby]] which were once separate villages that belonged to Vikings called Thormad, Orm, Steinn, Hlakkande, Malti and Toll, but now form suburbs of Middlesbrough. Lazenby was the village belonging to a Leysingr - a freeman; Normanby, a Norseman's village and Danby (in neighbouring [[North Yorkshire]]), a Dane's village. The name Mydilsburgh is the earliest recorded form of Middlesbrough's name and dates to [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] times (400 to 1000 A.D.), whilst many of the aforementioned mentioned villages appear in the [[Domesday Book]] of [[1086]].


In 1801 Middlesbrough consisted of just four farmhouses, but during the latter half of the 19th century experienced a growth unparalleled in England. It was famously dubbed by [[William Ewart Gladstone|Gladstone]] 'an infant [[Hercules]]' in 'England's enterprise'.
In 1801 Middlesbrough consisted of just four farmhouses, but during the latter half of the 19th century experienced a growth unparalleled in England. It was famously dubbed by [[William Ewart Gladstone|Gladstone]] 'an infant [[Hercules]]' in 'England's enterprise'.

Revision as of 08:21, 7 April 2006

Template:Infobox England place with map

Middlesbrough is a major town in North-East England and the principal location in the borough of Middlesbrough. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 1968 the town became the centre of the county borough of Teesside, which was absorbed by the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland in 1974. In 1996 Cleveland was abolished, and the Middlesbrough borough became a unitary authority, within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. Middlesbrough is different to the other Boroughs in the Tees valley as the Town itself forms the majority of its Borough thus making it the largest Town in terms of area and population but the smallest borough. The Town of Middlesbrough is defined as the area within the boundaries of the pre-1968 Municipal and County Borough.

Middlesbrough has been called "the armpit of England" with some justification, because of the pollution and industry which takes place in the area.

Middlesbrough is situated on the south bank of the River Tees on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, recently featured on television as "Heartbeat Country". The Yorkshire Dales are only a short distance away.

Teesport, the 2nd largest port in the country and the 10th largest in Western Europe, lies 3 miles to the East, and Durham Tees Valley Airport (one of the fastest growing airports in the country) lies 8 miles to the West, near Darlington. North East of Middlesbrough, the Tees estuary with its colony of breeding seals, has extensive sandy beaches in both directions. Some 7000 salmon and 13,000 sea trout migrated upstream through the estuary in 2000. Saltburn boasts some of the best and most challenging surf in Britain, and beyond, sheer cliffs rise to Boulby Head, the highest point on the east coast of England.

History

Although often thought of as a settlement with no early history, the name Middlesbrough can trace its roots back a long way. Mydilsburgh is the earliest recorded form of the name and the element 'burgh' denotes an ancient fort or settlement of pre-Saxon origin. The burgh may have included a monastic cell and was probably situated on the elevated land where the Victorian church of St Hildas (demolished in 1969) was later built, while the 'Mydil' or middle could be either a person's name or a reference to Middlesbrough's location, half way between the great Christian centres of Durham and Whitby.

In 686 a monastic cell was consecrated by St Cuthbert at the request of St Hilda Abbess of Whitby and in 1119 Robert de Brus granted and confirmed the church of St Hilda of Middleburg to Whitby. Up until the dissolution of the monasteries the church was maintained by 12 Benedictine monks, many of whom became vicars or rectors of various places in Cleveland. The importance of the early church at “Middleburg” is indicated by the fact that in 1452 it possessed four altars.

After the Saxons the area became home to Viking settlers and it is argued by some that old Cleveland has the highest density of Scandinavian parish names in Britain. Names of Viking origin are abundant in the area - for example, Thornaby, Ormesby, Stainsby, Lackenby, Maltby, Normanby, Tollesby and Lazenby which were once separate villages that belonged to Vikings called Thormad, Orm, Steinn, Hlakkande, Malti and Toll, but now form suburbs of Middlesbrough. Lazenby was the village belonging to a Leysingr - a freeman; Normanby, a Norseman's village and Danby (in neighbouring North Yorkshire), a Dane's village. The name Mydilsburgh is the earliest recorded form of Middlesbrough's name and dates to Saxon times (400 to 1000 A.D.), whilst many of the aforementioned mentioned villages appear in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In 1801 Middlesbrough consisted of just four farmhouses, but during the latter half of the 19th century experienced a growth unparalleled in England. It was famously dubbed by Gladstone 'an infant Hercules' in 'England's enterprise'.

Development began with Joseph Pease the Darlington industrialist, who saw the possibilities of Middlesbrough as a port for North East coal, but the great leap forward began with the discovery of ironstone in the Eston Hills in 1850. In 1841, Henry Bolckow (pronounced Belko), who had come to England in 1827, formed a partnership with John Vaughan of Worcester, and started an iron-foundry and rolling mill at Middlesbrough. It was Vaughan who discovered the ironstone deposits. Pig-iron production rose tenfold between 1851 and 1856. Bolckow became mayor in 1853 and Middlesbrough's first MP. Middlesbrough grew at a rapid rate unprecedented in the UK and by 1890 had extended its boundaries southwards (including the villages of Linthorpe & North Ormesby) and had gained Municipal Borough status with around 90,000 people. In 1930 Middlesbrough had become a County Borough and was responsible for the council of neighbouring Towns and its boundaries had reached Acklam and Marton in the South. By this time the population had risen in excess of 130,000, but as well as being a Borough, Middlesbrough was also a Rural District and the areas of Thornaby-on-Tees and Eston (within the district) were under the parliamentary control of Middlesbrough. The rapid growth of the town saw the prophetic words (probably spoken by Pease), 'Yarm was, Stockton is, Middlesbrough will be' come true. Indeed, the motto chosen by the first body of town councillors was in fact 'Erimus'; Latin for 'We will be'. The population of Middlesbrough peaked at almost 172,000 in the late 1960's (within the County Borough boundaries) but has been in decline since the early 80's. From 2001 to present, the recorded population has increased significantly, from 134,000 to 147,000.

The Bell brothers opened their great ironworks on the banks of the Tees in 1853. Steel production began at Port Clarence in 1889 and an amalgamation with Dorman Long followed. After rock salt was discovered under the site in 1874, the salt-extraction industry on Teesside was founded. By now Bell Brothers had become a vast concern employing some 6,000 people. Isaac Lowthian Bell's own eminence in the field of applied science, where he published many weighty papers, and as an entrepreneur whose knowledge of blast furnaces was unrivalled, led to universal recognition. He was the first president of the Iron and Steel Institute, and the first recipient of the Bessemer Gold Medal in 1874. Bell was Lord Mayor of Newcastle in 1854-1855, and again in 1862-1863. He served as MP for Hartlepool in 1875-1880.

Middlesbrough gained a "twin" in 1890 when the town of Middlesborough, Kentucky was incorporated in the United States; it was named after its English namesake due to the discovery of ironstone deposits in the region.

File:TransporterBridgeMbro.jpg
Transporter Bridge at night

For many years in the 19th century Teesside set the world price for iron and steel. The Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932) was designed and built by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough, and has MADE IN MIDDLESBROUGH stamped on the side. The company was also responsible for the earlier New Tyne Bridge across the river at Newcastle.

Via a 1907 Act of Parliament the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company also built the great Transporter Bridge (1911) which spans the Tees itself between Middlesbrough and Port Clarence, and at 850 feet long and 225 feet high, is the largest of its type in the world, remaining in daily use (although it is worth noting, that unlike as is suggested by the plot of popular BBC drama/comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, the bridge was not at any point dismantled and removed to Arizona. It is, indeed, a Grade II* listed building).

The great steelworks, chemical plants, shipbuilding and offshore fabrication yards that followed the original Middlesbrough ironworks, have in the recent past contributed to Britain's prosperity in no small measure and still do to this day.

Middlesbrough is twinned with the German city of Oberhausen, Masvingo in Zimbabwe and Dunkerque in France.

Middlesbrough today

Middlesbrough is, naturally, not abundant in ancient buildings, and the townscape is largely workaday. There are however some relatively old buildings still to be found, such as Acklam Hall which was built c.1680 by Sir William Hustler and is a Grade I listed building. Ormesby Hall a Palladian mansion was largely built around 1740, but an older wing dating from around 1599, still exists. The Town Hall, a Grade II Listed Building, is equally a most imposing structure, while the Old Town Hall of 1864 has undeniable charm. The Empire Theatre next to the Town Hall is also a very grand building, and the Little Theatre in Linthorpe was the first new theatre built in England after World War II. There are some interesting churches for example at Acklam, Marton and Stainton (c.12th century), a modern Roman Catholic Cathedral at Coulby Newham, and some of the modern schools are worthy of note. The town can also boast this country’s only public sculpture by the celebrated modern American artist Claes Oldenburg, the "Bottle O' Notes", which relates to Captain James Cook. Based alongside it today in the town's Central Gardens is the town's art gallery (The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) and education suite. The Dorman Long office on Zetland Street is the only commercial building ever designed by Philip Webb, the great architect who worked for Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell.

The Empire (opened 1899 -see in background to Town hall pic.) is the finest surviving theatre edifice designed by Ernest Runtz in the U.K.. Originally a 'Palace of Varieties', or Music Hall, the first artiste to star there was Lily Langtry. Later it became an early nightclub (1950's) , then a bingo-hall and is now once again a night club in the form of'The Theatre'. It has recently had the missing ornate glass and steel over-canopy to the front entrance fully restored (2005)

Middlesbrough is no longer a heavy industrial town, though there are areas around which still support chemical, fertiliser and iron and steel production. It has a large and comprehensive shopping district made up of several separate shopping centres, which include 'The Mall Cleveland' renamed in 2005 from 'Cleveland Shopping Centre', 'Dundas Street Shopping' renamed in 2005 from 'Dundas Shopping Arcade', 'Hill Street Shopping Centre' and 'Captain Cook Square'. Linthorpe Road is home to several independent and national fashion shops, most notably the multi-award winning Psyche, regularly scooping accolades over the likes of the Selfridges, Harvey Nichols & Liberty stores in London, and hence regarded as one of the finest of its kind in the United Kingdom.

The town's centre has been undergoing a modernising makeover in recent years, including the addition of 'Spectra-txt', a 10 metre high interactive tower of metal and fibre-optics inspired by Blade Runner. 'Spectra-txt' allows the public to send an SMS (text) message via mobiles phones to change the colours of the lights. Texting various codes, such as 'Chromapop' produce a display of changing colour lights. Accompanying cultural attractions include the century-old Dorman Museum on Linthorpe Road and the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Marton.

Middlesbrough: the Future

File:Mbro Sky.jpg
Middlesbrough's proposed skyscraper

The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) is an impressive £19 million gallery for contemporary visual art, and has been designed by one of Europe's top architects Erick van Egeraat (Rotterdam and London). It is due to open in 2006.

As part of it's £1.5 billion investment programme; Tees Valley Regeneration has started work on reclaiming Middlesbrough Docklands with the £500 million Middlehaven scheme to bring new business and homes to a 250 acre (1 km²) area.

File:MIDDLEHAVEN.jpg
Middlehaven regeneration scheme

The first phase around the former docklands has already begun and is visible from the Riverside Stadium. The master plan drawn up by Will Alsop in 2004, includes proposals for the relocation of Middlesbrough College, the building of a virtual reality centre by Teesside University (part of the Digital City development), in addition to numerous offices, hotels, bars, restaurants and leisure attractions. Tees Valley Regeneration now has a shortlist of five developers seeking to build at Middlehaven, the list includes some of the most prestigious and groundbreaking names in development and regeneration, and a decision on the chosen developer is due to be made in the next few months.

The Stockton-Middlesbrough Initiative is a 20 year vision for regenerating the urban core of the Tees Valley, the main focus being the area of 30 km² along the banks of the River Tees between the two centres of Stockton and Middlesbrough. The master plan has been drawn up by environmental design specialists Gillespies, the eventual aim being to create a distinctive high-quality city of over 320,000 citizens at the heart of the Tees Valley, by connecting both Middlesbrough and Stockton along the Tees corridor. The project will include not only the existing developments at Middlehaven and North Shore Stockton, but many others over a 15-20 year period.

Middlesbrough has also recently announced plans to build a 120 metre tower on the site of the old Odeon Cinema in Central Middlesbrough at the eastern end of Newport road and will be the tallest building in the North East, surpassing the existing record already held by Middlesbrough's own Centre North East building. This will be the first of such skyscrapers proposed in Middlesbrough with two more visioned for Middlehaven. The second one on the Middlehaven site is the most unlikely but still being considered and could see either an American or Dubai based company to build a skyscraper 250-300 metres in height, showing Middlesbrough is progressing into the future and is a growing centre for commerce and development. The idea for such skyscrapers is the result of limited land area in Middlesbrough. Instead of building outwards and subsequently having to apply for boundary extension, it makes sense to build up. It sees Middlesbrough a participant in the Skyscraper Boom currently hitting the UK which the US experienced in the early 1900s.

Sport

File:RiversidesStadium.jpg
The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough

The Premiership football team, Middlesbrough F.C., owned by local entrepreneur and Bulkhaul boss Steve Gibson, is based at the Riverside Stadium by the River Tees, having moved from its traditional home at Ayresome Park during the 1990s. Having endured 128 years without a major trophy, Middlesbrough finally won the Carling Cup in 2004, beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

In the 2005/2006 season, Middlesbrough were the only North Eastern team being represented in European competition, namely the UEFA Cup, having finished 7th in the 2004/2005 Premier League.

Education

Middlesbrough has been a university town since 1992. With almost 20,000 students it is home to the University of Teesside which, along with ARC at Stockton-on-Tees, Cineworld cinema in Middlesbrough, and the Riverside Stadium, hosts the annual Animex International Festival of Animation. The University of Teesside is internationally recognised as a leading institute for computer animation and games design. The university also houses Teesside Business School as well as other specialised Schools of Arts & Media, Computing, Health & Social Care, Science & Technology and Social Sciences & Law. During Middlesbrough's past the University, as Teesside Polytechnic, was a highly regarded institution for the teaching of such disciplines as chemical engineering. It has fared well as of late in the 2005 National Student Survey, with its Law, English and Design departments amongst the nation's 25% most highly regarded. Even so, it could only muster a rank of 91st out of 100 UK universities in the 2006 Times Good University Guide. [1]

The University is not alone in providing further and higher education in the town. There is the usual selection of modern schools and sixth forms, such as The King's Academy in Coulby Newham and Macmillan Academy on Stockton Road (which is a beacon and leading edge school) and is in the top 25 non-private secondary schools in the country, while with a further 16,000 students Middlesbrough College covers the four campuses of Acklam, Kirby, Marton and Longlands, including the one-time Acklam Hall. Also on offer in Linthorpe, are two of three campuses of the Cleveland College of Art and Design, the only such college remaining in the North-East.

Eminent residents

The world famous explorer, navigator, and map maker Captain James Cook was born in Marton, which is in the south-east of Middlesbrough. Other famous people from the town include:

Other eminent sons and daughters of Middlesbrough and its environs include E. W. Hornung, the creator of the gentleman-crook Raffles (who was fluent in three Yorkshire dialects, and Naomi Jacob novelist. Florence Easton, the Wagnerian soprano at the New York Met and Cyril Smith, the concert pianist, were also natives. The famous M.P. Ellen Wilkinson wrote a novel Clash (1929) which paints a very positive picture of ‘Shireport’ (Middlesbrough). Florence Olliffe Bell's classic study At The Works(1907) gives a striking picture of the area at the turn of the century. She also edited the letters of her step-daughter Gertrude Bell which have been continuously in print since 1927. Pat Barker's debut novel Union Street was set on the thoroughfare of the same name in the town, its central theme of prostitution still associated with the area around it to this day. Ford Madox Ford was billeted in Eston during WWI and his great novel sequence Parade's End is partly set in Busby Hall, Carlton in Cleveland.

Adrian 'Six Medals' Warburton, air photographer, was played by Alec Guinness in 'Malta Story'.

Crime

Over the past decade Middlesbrough was ranked amongst the 10 worst districts for acquisitive crime rates in England (with the TS1 area ranking 1st most deprived area in the UK), peaking at 4th place often behind Manchester, Nottingham, Kingston upon Hull and parts of Inner London.

See also

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