Redcar

Template:Infobox England place Redcar is the principal town of the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, England. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is now within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, and is within the region of North East England.

History

The name is thought to come from the fact that it was on marshy land close to the rocks (Reed-Scar). Redcar originated as a fishing town in the 1300s, trading with the larger adjacent market town of Coatham. Until the mid 19th Century it was a sub-parish of the local village of Marske-by-the-Sea (mentioned in the Domesday book).

In 1846 work was complete on the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway, created to attract local tourism and trade, but like much of the Middlesbrough region, Redcar's real population expansion began with the discovery of iron ore in the Eston area of Cleveland Hills in 1850. With the construction of Redcar Racecourse in 1875, Redcar prospered as a seaside town drawing tourists to its eight miles of sands leading to Saltburn.

Zetland Lifeboat

Redcar is also the home of the UKs oldest surviving lifeboat, the Zetland. There is an RNLI run museum housing it.

Economy

The town's main employer has been the nearby steelworks founded by Dorman Long in 1917 and the ICI Wilton chemical works of the post-war era. The steel used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge was produced at the Dorman Long steel works on the outskirts of Redcar.

Politics

Politically, Redcar has tended to lean towards the Labour Party allowing the town to fall under the category of an ultra-safe seat, any change in Redcar's political views would generate a considerable amount of government interest for the area. From 1987 to 2001, the local MP was the late Mo Mowlam, and since 2001 the local MP has been Vera Baird. However, the local council Redcar and Cleveland is a coalition between the Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats and most independents.

Filming location

Redcar has been selected as a location for screen adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel Atonement. The Coatham Hotel, Regent Cinema, a section of Newcomen Terrace and part of the beach opposite were dressed as 1940s Dunkirk. Filming took place across three days in August 2006, with local men playing the soldiers.[1]

Redcar sea front

Nightlife

As a seaside town, Redcar has always boasted a number of bars and nightclubs, and quite recently (as of 2006) three new venues have appeared on the High Street; the upmarket Blue Lounge and Martha's Vineyard and the South African-themed Barracuda, along with more traditional bars such as The Clarendon, The Hop and Grape and The Hydro Hotel, these three new bars offer the townsfolk and visitors more choice than ever.

The seafront is home to some of Redcar's more established haunts, including Sharkey's (the blue and white building in the photo on the right) , Silks and Leo's (visible on the left of the photo) which is situated on the beach edge. Other favourites include Aruba (formerly Kudos/The Piper), The Deck and Angels, a rather more "adult" venue.

Areas of Redcar

Redcar is made up of numerous areas, including Coatham, Warrenby, Dormanstown, Lakes Estate, Redcar East, The Ings, Ings Farm, Mickledales and Westfield.

Transport

Rail

Redcar has three railway stations, on the Tees Valley Line and served by Northern Rail. From west to east they are: British Steel Redcar railway station, with a very limited service for British Steel workers; Redcar Central railway station serving the town centre and Redcar East railway station about a mile to the south east which serves the residential area (unofficially) named after the station. There has been speculation locally about the development of a new station serving the expanding residential area known as The Ings, which would supposedly be situated between Redcar East railway station and Longbeck railway station in Marske, but so far no firm plans have been agreed.

On weekdays, trains run approximately every half hour in each direction, towards Saltburn eastbound and Middlesbrough, Darlington and Bishop Auckland westbound. There are also a number of through trains to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Trains are less frequent on evenings and weekends.

Road

Main road routes through Redcar include the A1085 and A174.

Bus

Redcar is served primarily by Arriva North East buses, connecting Redcar with surrounding towns and villages such as Middlesbrough, Guisborough, Eston, Marske, New Marske and Saltburn.

Notable People

• Rex Hunt (Governor of the Falkland Islands during the 1982 invasion by Argentina)
• Singer David Coverdale lived there as a youth and worked in the Gentry clothes shop on Station Road
• The late Minister for Northern Ireland, Mo Mowlam, represented Redcar in the House of Commons
• Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, originally from Wales, has lived in Redcar with her husband and daughter for the last few years
• Nathaniel Hawthorne the well-known American novelist, came to Redcar on 26 July 1859 in search of peace and quiet, while he worked on the manuscript of The Marble Faun. Hawthorne's house stands at the junction of High Street and King Street. This was formerly known as the Hawthorne Cafe.
• Gertrude Bell colonial administrator and friend of Lawrence of Arabia spent her youthful years at Red Barns, now the Red Barnes (sic) hotel in adjoining Coatham.
• Blue comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown was from Grangetown, 4 miles from Redcar.

External links

• Redcar Lifeboat Station
• A Redcar local history site
• Redcar.net. A message board for past and present residents of Redcar to exchange views and memories.
• A North East history site
• Changing Redcar - site of 2001-6 - now updating on the movie Atonement.