When was middlesbrough built

Middlesbrough was born. By this famous line had been extended to Middlesbrough, making the rapid expansion of the town and port inevitable. In Joseph Pease had predicted there would be a day when:. The town was a centre for shops as well as houses and in a little town hall was built at the centre of the square, one of the few features of the old town that survive.

New businesses quickly bought up premises and plots of land in the new town and soon shippers, merchants, butchers, innkeepers, joiners, blacksmiths, tailors, builders and painters were moving in. Labour was employed, staithes and wharves were built, workshops were constructed and lifting engines installed.

Indeed such was the growth of this port that in one local writer observed:. An old Teesside proverb had proven true;. The original early town was centred on a market square, where the first old town hall was built in Immediately to the south of this early town, lay the railway line and station of , separating it from the new town centre that developed to the south.

As Middlesbrough grew, its boundaries quickly expanded south of the railway, leaving the old town somewhat isolated between the railway and river. Gradually the centre of commerce, trade and local government shifted south of the railway. Some features of the earlier town can still be seen, though nothing survives from the s. The Italianate style Old Town Hall of , has seen better days but stands at the centre of the cleared, empty green square of land that once encompassed the entire extent of the early planned town of Middlesbrough.

The actual streets have been demolished but street-names survive in a handful of roads that cross the green. North Street was built roughly where the old farmhouse of Middlesbrough had once stood. H Blessley. It lies at what was once the south east corner of the original planned town of Middlesbrough and in later times was the home to the Cleveland Club, utilised by Middlesbrough business people.

They were the home to the ironmasters Henry Bolckow whose full name was Charles Ferdinand Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan who were married to sisters and lived next door each other. Heading north and skirting the green that marks the site of the original town to the left, it is a short walk to the Transporter Bridge, riverside area and former dock area called Middlehaven to the north.

The striking Transporter Bridge across the Tees stands poised like some huge metallic dinosaur and was designed by the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company of Darlington. It was opened on 17th October , by Prince Arthur of Connaught. There exists some black and white cinematography footage of the opening of the bridge with its cable car crowded with dignitaries.

One chap falls over the edge, leaving his hat behind as the car departs to the opposite bank, but fortunately he lands on a ledge and is pulled to safety. The magnificent Transporter Bridge is like a cross between a ferry and a bridge. Vehicles are transported across the river by means of a moving car which is capable of carrying persons or 9 vehicles across the Tees to Port Clarence in two and a half minutes. Middlesbrough has also rapidly become the heart of Teesside and is a hub for entertainment, shopping, and dining.

The decline of the steel and iron industry hit the area hard throughout up to most recently where a further 1, jobs were lost. However, the town has thrived with the surge of small, independent businesses. Most notably, along Bedford and Baker street in the heart of Middlesbrough town centre. The streets are filled with quirky independent businesses that have proved successful over the years, especially with the Orange Pip Market that falls on the last Saturday of every month.

Middlesbrough The town has also experienced some significant events including the Radio 1 Big Weekend that was hosted in Stewarts Park in Middlesbrough is also set to expand within the coming years.

Mayor, Andy Preston, has laid out development plans for the town which includes office buildings, housing plots and the restoration of abandoned buildings. Through a series of interviews, learn more about the rich and important history of this building and its unwavering identity since the first foundation stone was laid.

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This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages. Our History Middlesbrough Town Hall was officially opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 23 January , but our story begins long before that. The heart of civic life The Town Hall housed the Mayor and staff of the Middlesbrough Corporation the forerunner to Middlesbrough Council , as well as the police station and cells, courtroom, library, water board office, and fire station.