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CreditsAuthor: Linda BlackburneSenior Editor: Ros Walford
Designer: Nicola ErdpresserFactchecking: Stuart Forster
Proofreading: Alex WhittletonCartographer: Ed Wright
Senior Prepress Designer: Daniel MayProduction: Olivia Jeffries, Stephanie McConnell
Account Manager: Michael StanfieldPublisher: Keith Drew
Teesside University contributors:
Editorial: Michelle Eaves, Laura HaveronPhotography: Judy Hume, Rachel Lonsdale
Middlesbrough Council contributors:Editorial: Rachel Grey, Yaffa Phillips
This second edition published 2016 by Rough Guides Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
Copyright © 2014, 2016 Rough Guides Ltd.
Maps © Rough Guides Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database rights 2014
002–299429–Jun/16
ISBN: 978-0-2412-8689-0
Published in association with Teesside University and Middlesbrough Council
The publishers and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and currency of all the information in this book. However, they can accept
no responsibility for any loss, injury, or inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of information or advice contained in the guide.
Contents
Canopy by Martin Donlin
Introducing Teesside 4Highlights of Teesside 4Map of Teesside 6Teesside’s history 8Captain Cook 10Did you know? 12Who’s who 14Cultural events 16Teesside University 18Green spaces 20Galleries and museums 22Sculpture trail 24Sports 26Outdoor activities 28Walking and cycling routes 30Children’s activities 32
Around Teesside 34Middlesbrough 34Map of Middlesbrough 36Stockton-on-Tees, Preston Park
and Yarm 42Darlington 44The River Tees 46By the sea 48Beyond Teesside 50
Things to do 52Shopping 52Music and entertainment 54Theatre, cinema and comedy 56Where to stay 58Where to eat 60Drinking and nightlife 62Picture credits & resources 64
Teesside is known for its eclectic mix of
industry, culture and striking scenery.
From the working docks of the Tees
Estuary to the area’s vibrant towns and
glorious countryside, this is a place
where old and new, urban and rural,
and culture and commerce converge.
Driving alongside the River Tees through
the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Yarm, you’ll come across
two top attractions that are inextricably
linked to the region’s industrial past: the
iconic Tees Transporter Bridge, one of
only a few bridges in the world to use
a gondola for transportation, and the
watersports haven of the Tees Barrage.
While these remnants of Teesside’s
maritime past are preserved for posterity,
industry is still in full swing at Teesport,
the UK’s third-largest port, which handles
40 million tonnes of cargo a year.
In Middlesbrough, a regeneration
project has transformed the dockyards
Highlights of Teesside
Centre Square, Middlesbrough
mima; leafy Albert Park; Middlesbrough Football Club
4 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
TEESSIDE
Parks and nature reserves punctuate
Teesside, which lies only a stone’s
throw from the heritage coasts of
Northumberland and North Yorkshire.
Middlesbrough’s Albert and Stewart parks offer lovely open spaces, while
the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve, located between Hartlepool
and Redcar, is home to many rare plants
and some 20,000 migratory water birds.
Roseberry Topping, known as the
“mini Matterhorn” of the North York Moors National Park, lies 11km south
of Middlesbrough. This distinctive
peak, much loved by Teessiders, was
a favourite of the British explorer and
Middlesbrough son Captain Cook
almost 300 years ago. Today, the North
Yorkshire-born mountaineer Alan Hinkes,
who has scaled the world’s fourteen
highest peaks, still climbs it regularly.
area, known as Middlehaven. Here,
you can eat at fine-dining restaurants
beside the waterfront and the gigantic
sculpture Temenos, by Anish Kapoor.
The town is also home to one of the UK’s
leading contemporary art galleries – Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima) – as well as the much-loved
Middlesbrough Football Club.
The town is a burgeoning business
hub. The Boho Zone attracts creative
companies, while the regeneration
of Baker Street and Bedford Street
has seen many independent eateries,
micropubs and vintage shops flourish.
Baker Street hosts the town’s first artisan
street-food market, the Orange Pip Market. South of the centre, the restored
Grade-I-listed Acklam Hall provides
Middlesbrough with a wonderful new
venue for weddings and conferences.
Middlehaven at dusk
CoulbyNewham
N O R T H Y O R K S H I R E
D U R H A M
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Marske-by-the-Sea
Skelton
Brotton
Yarm
Egglescliffe
GreatAytonStokesley
HuttonRudby
Osmotherley
Heighington
Shildon
Ferryhill
BowburnBrandon
Willington
Boulby
Loftus
Staithes
RunswickBay
Kirkleatham
SeatonCarew
Sedgefield
GreatBroughton
Battersby
Danby
Glaisdale
Goathland
Grosmont
Egton
Billingham
Spennymoor
SeahamHetton-le-Hole
Ravenscar
Sleights
FylingthorpeSleights
Cloughton
Stockton-on-Tees
NewtonAycliffe
BishopAuckland
Peterlee
Guisborough
Redcar
Whitby
Whitby
D u r h am H e r i t age Coa s t
N o r t h Yo r k s h i r e a n d C l e v e l a n d H e r i t a g e C o a s t
N o r t h Yo r k s h i re a n d C l e ve l a nd H e r i t a g e Co a s t
Darlington
Durham
Hartlepool
LONDON
Middlesbrough
Tees Link Cleve l and Way
Cleve
land W
ay
England Coast Path
Teesdale Way
Teesdale Way
Cleveland Way
Cleve land Way
A690
A1 M
A688
A6072
A68
A66
A66
A19
A174
A171
B125
7
A171
A171
A169
A171
A169
A174
A172
A689
A19
A19
A179
A689
A66
A1
A167
Saltholme
HMS Trincomalee& Hartlepool’s
Maritime Experience
OrmesbyHall
Eston Nab
Cleveland IronstoneMining Museum
Captain CookMemorialMuseum
FlattsLane
CountryPark
Captain Cook’sMonument
Guisborough Forest
Tees Barrage
Billingham Forum
River Tees Watersports Centre
Preston Park
Head of SteamRailway Museum
Train
RailwayMuseum
MiddlesbroughSports Village
UnicornCentre
Captain Cook Birthplace MuseumAcklam Hall
Teesmouth NNR
DurhamTees Valley
InternationalAirport
North YorkMoors Railway
Esk ValleyRailway
Stewart Park
N O R T H Y O R K M O O R S
N A T I O N A L P A R K
N O R T H Y O R K M O O R S
N AT I O N A L PA R K
DalbyForest
Teesport
Tees-mouth
River Tees
River LevenRiver Esk
Rive
r Ske
rne
River Wear
Robin Hood’sBay
E s t o n M o o r
RoseberryTopping
North Gare Sands
SealSands
South Gare PeninsulaCoathamSands
Old Peak orSouth Cheek
Ness Point orNorth Cheek
N O R T H S E A
TEESSIDE
International airport
Point of interest
Statue/monument
Museum
Stately home
Archeological site/ruin
Country park
Nature reserve
Peak
Thirsk (9 miles), Sutton Bank (14 miles) & York (32 miles)Leeds (47 miles)
Newcastle upon Tyne (11 miles) & Northumberland (20 miles) Newcastle upon Tyne (17 miles) & Northumberland (24 miles)
Lake
Dist
rict (
50 m
iles)
Rievaulx Abbey (9 miles) Hole of Horcum (3 miles), Go Ape Dalby Forest (7 miles) & Flamingo Land (14 miles)
SEECONTINUATION
ABOVE
SEEMIDDLESBROUGH
MAP
N 100 kilometres
50 milesTEESSIDE
NORTHEAST ENGLAND
6 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
CoulbyNewham
N O R T H Y O R K S H I R E
D U R H A M
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Marske-by-the-Sea
Skelton
Brotton
Yarm
Egglescliffe
GreatAytonStokesley
HuttonRudby
Osmotherley
Heighington
Shildon
Ferryhill
BowburnBrandon
Willington
Boulby
Loftus
Staithes
RunswickBay
Kirkleatham
SeatonCarew
Sedgefield
GreatBroughton
Battersby
Danby
Glaisdale
Goathland
Grosmont
Egton
Billingham
Spennymoor
SeahamHetton-le-Hole
Ravenscar
Sleights
FylingthorpeSleights
Cloughton
Stockton-on-Tees
NewtonAycliffe
BishopAuckland
Peterlee
Guisborough
Redcar
Whitby
Whitby
D u r h am H e r i t age Coa s t
N o r t h Yo r k s h i r e a n d C l e v e l a n d H e r i t a g e C o a s t
N o r t h Yo r k s h i re a n d C l e ve l a nd H e r i t a g e Co a s t
Darlington
Durham
Hartlepool
LONDON
MiddlesbroughTees Link Cleve l and Way
Cleve
land W
ay
England Coast Path
Teesdale Way
Teesdale Way
Cleveland Way
Cleve land Way
A690
A1 M
A688
A6072
A68
A66
A66
A19
A174
A171
B125
7
A171
A171
A169
A171
A169
A174
A172
A689
A19
A19
A179
A689
A66
A1
A167
Saltholme
HMS Trincomalee& Hartlepool’s
Maritime Experience
OrmesbyHall
Eston Nab
Cleveland IronstoneMining Museum
Captain CookMemorialMuseum
FlattsLane
CountryPark
Captain Cook’sMonument
Guisborough Forest
Tees Barrage
Billingham Forum
River Tees Watersports Centre
Preston Park
Head of SteamRailway Museum
Train
RailwayMuseum
MiddlesbroughSports Village
UnicornCentre
Captain Cook Birthplace MuseumAcklam Hall
Teesmouth NNR
DurhamTees Valley
InternationalAirport
North YorkMoors Railway
Esk ValleyRailway
Stewart Park
N O R T H Y O R K M O O R S
N A T I O N A L P A R K
N O R T H Y O R K M O O R S
N AT I O N A L PA R K
DalbyForest
Teesport
Tees-mouth
River Tees
River LevenRiver Esk
Rive
r Ske
rne
River Wear
Robin Hood’sBay
E s t o n M o o r
RoseberryTopping
North Gare Sands
SealSands
South Gare PeninsulaCoathamSands
Old Peak orSouth Cheek
Ness Point orNorth Cheek
N O R T H S E A
TEESSIDE
International airport
Point of interest
Statue/monument
Museum
Stately home
Archeological site/ruin
Country park
Nature reserve
Peak
Thirsk (9 miles), Sutton Bank (14 miles) & York (32 miles)Leeds (47 miles)
Newcastle upon Tyne (11 miles) & Northumberland (20 miles) Newcastle upon Tyne (17 miles) & Northumberland (24 miles)
Lake
Dist
rict (
50 m
iles)
Rievaulx Abbey (9 miles) Hole of Horcum (3 miles), Go Ape Dalby Forest (7 miles) & Flamingo Land (14 miles)
SEECONTINUATION
ABOVE
SEEMIDDLESBROUGH
MAP
N 100 kilometres
50 milesTEESSIDE
NORTHEAST ENGLAND
7INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
Teesside has been inhabited since
ancient times. The rocky promontory
of Eston Nab, which overlooks
modern-day Middlesbrough, formed
part of an Iron Age fortress, and in
Anglo-Saxon times, the town was
the site of a chapel belonging to
nearby Whitby Abbey (see p.49). In
fact, the name “Middlesbrough” is
Teesside’s historya modern form of the Saxon name
“Mydilsburgh”, which is thought to
refer to the town’s “mydil” (middle)
position between the Christian
centres of Durham and Whitby.
It wasn’t until the 1820s, however,
that Teesside really earned its place
in history, when engineer George
Stephenson built the world’s first
public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The event
revolutionized global transportation,
proving that horses and carts were
no longer needed and increasing
transport speed to a previously
unimaginable extent.
In 1830, Middlesbrough was home
to only three farms and 25 people.
In 1831, Joseph Pease, manager of
the Stockton and Darlington Railway
Company, bought the 500-acre estate
for £30,000 to extend the railway
line from Stockton to Middlesbrough
for coal export. The route from the
Durham coalfields to the east coast
led to the export of 1,500,000 tonnes
of coal from Middlesbrough in 1840;
the endeavour was so successful that
other industries, including brickyards,
potteries and shipyards, soon sprang
up across the region.The imposing Tees Transporter Bridge
8 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
Where alchemistsWere bornBelow Cleveland’s hillsA giant blue dragonflyAcross the TeesReminds us every nightWe built the worldEvery metropolisCame fromIronopolisIronopolis by Ian Horn can be seen in
Middlesbrough on a wall on Bridge
Street East and at The Southfield pub.
industrial target to be bombed. The
destruction of more than 200 buildings
forced extensive redevelopment in
the town centre, but some impressive
examples of Victorian architecture still exist today, mainly in the Albert
Park and Linthorpe Road Conservation
Area and in the streets surrounding
the train station.
Not many places can lay claim to
coating half the planet in metal, but
Teesside did just that. The nineteenth-
century ironstone boom that led to
the construction of the Tees Transporter
Bridge, Newcastle’s Tyne Bridge and
Australia’s Sydney Harbour Bridge has
not been forgotten.
The following year, the discovery of
ironstone deposits in the Eston Hills by
Henry Bolckow, a German accountant,
and John Vaughan, a Worcester
ironworker, triggered Middlesbrough’s
commercial metamorphosis. Mills,
foundries, steel-manufacturing companies and engineering works evolved here at a dizzying rate. The
town’s rags-to-riches transformation
was unprecedented in England, and by
1890 – despite a cholera epidemic in the
1850s – the population had ballooned
to 90,000 and the town became known
as Ironopolis.
During World War II, Middlesbrough
was the first major British town and
9INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
The eighteenth-
century explorer
and navigator
Captain Cook is
Middlesbrough’s
most famous son.
James Cook was
born in a humble
cottage in the town
in 1728, a stone’s
throw from what is
now the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum (see p.41).
After helping his
father on a farm at Great Ayton (see
p.50), a village on the edge of the North
York Moors, and working at a grocer’s
shop in the fishing village of Staithes
(see p.49), Cook became determined to
go to sea. He began as a sailor and rose
through the ranks to become lieutenant
of HM Bark Endeavour in 1766.
The Admiralty – the control centre of
the Royal Navy – promptly dispatched
Cook to search for a “Great Southern Continent”, and so he set off on
three great voyages across the Pacific
Ocean to find it. During this time, Cook
charted New Zealand and the east
coast of Australia and searched for the
Captain CookNorthwest Passage – a route through
the Arctic to connect the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. He became the first
man to sail around the world in both
directions and redrew the world map.
He also kept the terrible disease of
scurvy at bay by making sure his crew
had fresh fruit and vegetables regularly.
His work was of international interest
in his own time, and he became a hero
among the scientific community.
Cook died on the Pacific island of
Hawaii after villagers stole his small
cutter vessel. Cook and his crew had
attempted to take the local leader,
Kalaniopuu, hostage in order to
negotiate the safe return of the boat,
but a mob of villagers descended on the
seamen and the captain was struck on
The illustrious sea captain in battle
Statue of Cook, Great Ayton
10 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
the head and stabbed to death. He was
not eaten by cannibals, as is sometimes
believed; instead, the Hawaiians baked
his flesh to expose the bones, which
they used as religious icons.
Tributes abound to this colossus
of the emerging British Empire. In
Teesside, they include a primary
school, shopping square and university
hospital named after the great sailor,
a monument in the North York Moors
National Park and the Bottle of Notes
sculpture (see p.24) in Middlesbrough’s
Centre Square. There is a full-size replica
of HM Bark Endeavour (see pp.42–3)
at Castlegate Quay in Stockton, while
further afield, the Southampton-
berthed RRS James Cook was built
in 2006 to replace the RRS Charles
Darwin in the UK’s
Royal Research Fleet.
The most remarkable
tribute to Cook is
found on the other
side of the world: his
father’s home
on Bridge Street
in Great Ayton was
dismantled and rebuilt
in Fitzroy Gardens in
Melbourne, Australia,
in 1934 (see pp.50–51).
Inside the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough
Captain Cook Monument
✪ Oscar-winning film director Ridley Scott, who grew up in Stockton-on-Tees,
based the opening of the Hollywood
film Blade Runner on the view of the old
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) plant at
Wilton. Also, nearby Redcar featured in
the blockbuster film Atonement.
✪ The late rock star David Bowie collected the work of the
internationally renowned artist
William Tillyer, who was born in
Middlesbrough in 1938. The British
Businessman Charles Saatchi is
also a collector of Tillyer’s work.
Did you know?
✪ The imposing Dock Clock Tower at
Middlehaven Dock in Middlesbrough
has four sides, but only three clock faces – this is because employers did
not want the dockers to clock-watch.
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia
“There’s a walk from Redcar. I’d cross a bridge at night and walk above the steel works. It always seemed to be rather gloomy and raining, and I’d just think: ‘God, this is beautiful.’” – Ridley Scott on his
inspiration for the opening of 1982
Hollywood blockbuster Blade Runner
12 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
✪ Australia’s majestic Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932) and
Newcastle’s iconic New Tyne Bridge
(1928) were made in Middlesbrough
by Dorman Long and Co. Ltd. – in
fact, many metal structures across the
world were built in the town.
✪ The Tees Transporter Bridge in
Middlesbrough is the only place in
England where you can bungee jump
from a bridge. It’s also possible to
abseil here.
✪ The Tees Transporter Bridge
featured in the successful British
TV comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
(1983–2004). It also appeared in the hit
film Billy Elliot.
✪ In 2009, presenters of the BBC
Two show Top Gear came to the
area to find out whether cars are
more popular than modern art. They
curated an exhibition of automotive
art at mima (see pp.39–40),
Middlesbrough’s renowned gallery.
Among their publicity stunts for
the event was an appearance at
a Middlesbrough Football Club
match wearing Newcastle United
shirts. The stunt attracted record
numbers to mima.
✪ Several of the handcrafted ales
made by Middlesbrough’s much-loved
Truefitt Brewing Company have
been inspired by the town’s illustrious
industrial heritage – why not try Erimus
Pale Ale, Ironopolis Stout, Mydilsburgh
India Pale Ale and North Riding Bitter.
✪ Steve Cochrane, the founder
of Middlesbrough’s multi-award-
winning designer department store,
Psyche (see p.53), regularly mixes
with the great and the good of the
international fashion scene, including
designers Vivienne Westwood, Zandra
Rhodes and Tommy Hilfiger.
An art exhibition at mima
13INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
Teesside has produced its fair share
of distinguished figures over the
centuries, from a war hero and ocean
explorer to acclaimed scientists, artists,
writers, entertainers and athletes.
A bronze statue near the cenotaph
on Linthorpe Road commemorates
Middlesbrough’s Sergeant Major Stan Hollis, who was awarded the Victoria
Cross for storming a German pillbox on
the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944.
He was the only Allied soldier to have
won the award for action on D-Day.
It was another kind of courage that
took Captain James Cook, also from
Middlesbrough, on his three voyages
around the world (see pp.10–11). The
great sea captain charted New Zealand
and the east coast of Australia for the first
time, and redrew the world map.
Stockton was the home of the chemist
John Walker, who invented the friction
match in 1827 after seeing that a stick
coated with chemicals burst into flames
Who’s who
when scraped across his hearth. A more
recent scientific star from the area is the
award-winning former Chief Medical
Officer to the UK, Sir Liam Donaldson.
Teesside is also well represented on
the international art scene. Glasgow-
born Christopher Dresser, the
father of modern industrial design,
established the Linthorpe Art Pottery
(see p.22) in Middlesbrough; William Tillyer, the highly acclaimed artist, was
born in Middlesbrough and has had his
work displayed at mima (see pp.39–40);
and Sir Antony Gormley’s Gateshead
sculpture, the Angel of the North, was
created in the Tees Valley.
The autism campaigner Anna Kennedy OBE also comes from
Middlesbrough. The mother, author
and advisor is an honorary graduate of
Teesside University for her work with
children on the autistic spectrum.
Local literary luminaries include
Richard Milward, who was awarded
Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North
Championships; wheelchair racer Jade Jones, who studies at Teesside University
while training for the Paralympics; and
the British Olympic swimmer Aimee Willmott, who trained at the Neptune
Centre pools in Middlesbrough.
Celebrities with strong Teesside
connections include Hollywood film
director Sir Ridley Scott, who grew
up in Stockton; Hollywood actor
Jamie Bell; Franc Roddam, director
of the film Quadrophenia and founder
of TV show Masterchef; musicians
Paul Rodgers, Chris Rea and David Coverdale; comedians Bob Mortimer
and Vic Reeves; and BBC Breakfast
television presenter Steph McGovern.
Comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer
BBC Breakfast presenter Steph McGovern
an Honorary Doctorate from Teesside
University and is considered one of the
country’s most inventive young writers,
and Pat Barker, who won the Booker
Prize in 1995 for The Ghost Road.
In sport, Teessider Brian Clough,
the charismatic football manager,
is honoured with a bronze statue in
Albert Park. Self-made millionaire Steve Gibson is the chairman and owner of
Middlesbrough Football Club. Chris Tomlinson held the British long-jump
record continuously from 2002 to
2009. Beth Mead is a prolific striker
with Sunderland in the Women’s Super
League. Up-and-coming local athletes
include pro cyclist Harry Tanfield, who
has completed one Tour de Yorkshire;
sprinter Richard Kilty, who won gold
for the 60m at the 2014 World Indoor
15INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
With world-class art and dance, exciting
live-music and a lively boating scene,
Teesside offers some dazzling dates for
the diary. Dates may vary each year.
February✪ Animex (mid-Feb) This international
festival of animation and computer
games, held at Teesside University, is the
largest of its kind in the UK.
March✪ Stockton Calling (month varies) A
one-day festival held on Easter Sunday,
featuring some of the best up-and-
coming acts from the UK and beyond.
April✪ Darlington Beer Festival (month
varies) Enjoy thirty independent
ales, ciders and perries, and music
at the Forum.
Cultural events✪ Stockton Duathlon Festival (end
Apr) This run-cycle-run challenge
attracts both novices and elite athletes.
✪ Whitby Goth Weekend (also Oct)
A weekend celebrating alternative
lifestyles linked to Whitby’s connections
with Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.
May✪ Stockton Beer Festival (month
varies) Held at various venues, this beer
bonanza offers more than eighty brews
on tap.
✪ Tees Regatta (mid-May) The only
buoyed, multi-laned event in the north
of England, this Stockton festival attracts
rowers of all ages and abilities.
June✪ Stockton Cycling Festival (month
varies) A four-day celebration of
cycling, with bundles of family appeal.
Billingham International Folklore Festival
16
In 2016, The British Cycling National
Road Championships takes place over
the same weekend.
July✪ The Cleveland Show (late Jul) An
agricultural show held at Stewart Park
in Middlesbrough. Highlights include
craft and horticulture contests and the
presence of a host of farm animals.
✪ Middlesbrough Mela (month varies
according to Ramadan) The northeast’s
best multicultural celebration in
Centre Square features international
food and live music.
August✪ Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF) (early Aug) Street
theatre, circus, dance, music and
pyrotechnics define this four-day arts
event along the Tees.
✪ Billingham International Folklore Festival (mid-Aug) A must for lovers of
traditional dance and song from around
the world.
✪ Whitby Regatta (late Aug) Four days
of boat races, free entertainment and
fireworks, held every year since 1847.
✪ Stockton River Rat Race
(mid-Aug) A 5km or 10km obstacle
race around the Tees ending with
a fun walk-the-plank challenge off
HM Bark Endeavour.
September✪ Festival of Thrift (mid-Sep) A fun
celebration of the art of saving money.
✪ Middlesbrough Town Meal (mid-
Sep) This communal feast celebrates
local and sustainable food.
✪ Staithes Festival (mid-Sep) More
than 100 cottages and public buildings
are transformed into pop-up galleries
with works by local and visiting artists.
October✪ Discover Middlesbrough Festival (late Oct) A celebration of the town’s
heritage with a “Magical History Tour” in
a vintage bus, talks and exhibitions.
✪ Twisterella (early Oct) A music
festival held in various venues around
Middlesbrough that showcases
up-and-coming bands.
November✪ Bonfire night (early Nov) Held at
Acklam and Middlesbrough rugby
clubs, Stockton Riverside, Seaton Carew
seafront and Skinningrove.
✪ Christmas lights and Reindeer Parade (end Nov) The fabulous switch-
on ceremony in Middlesbrough.
December✪ Stockton Sparkles Festival (end
Nov–Christmas Eve) A winter festival
with music and dancing.
17
Teesside University
A massive investment programme is transforming campus facilities in both
Middlesbrough and Darlington. Teesside University attracts around 20,000 students
from more than 100 countries. So what’s life like here from the students’ perspective?
HARRY TANFIELD, 21
Home town: Great Ayton, North Yorkshire
Civil Engineering student and professional cyclist
“I chose the university because it’s local to me, has excellent
sports facilities and a support network. The course offered
everything I was looking for. If I’m not at uni, I’m riding my bike.
I go racing and training on the cycle track and new velodrome at Middlesbrough
Sports Village on Marton Road. They have high-quality facilities.”
ROSEMARY STUBBS, 23Home town: Middlesbrough
Cultural History MA student
“Growing up in Middlesbrough meant I knew just how great it is to
live and study in this town. Middlesbrough is a really exciting place
to be. With so many great independent venues across the town,
there is always something new to check out. Teesside has countryside and seaside
to enjoy, and is well connected to major cities in the North East and beyond.”
EMMA ROCHE, 24
Home town: Newcastle upon Tyne
Food and Nutrition student
“Out of the three universities I visited, this was the one that made
me feel most welcome. From the first open day I attended, I felt
the lecturers were approachable and that I would be supported
at this university. I also like that everything is on one site and is easily accessible. In
my spare time, I enjoy bowling, going to the cinema, shopping and walking.”
18 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
BRUNA SILVA, 22Home town: London
Chemical Engineering student and 2016–17 Student Union President
“I was born in Goiânia, Brazil, and moved to England when I was
10 years old. I chose Teesside University due to its chemical-
industry connections around the area and its accredited course.
I like how the student community feels so close and everything you need is only a
short walk away. That goes for the shops, a good selection of restaurants serving
European and global cuisines, plus the greenery and open spaces of Albert and
Stewart parks. Middlesbrough is ideal for a night out, as the pubs and clubs are all
within walking distance, which is so much easier than in a big city like London. I also
like being so close to places where I can go walking – Roseberry Topping is one of
my favourite locations. By the seaside, at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, they do the best fish
and chips I’ve ever eaten.”
The new Curve building on the Middlesbrough campus
19INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
The towns of
Teesside are not
only blessed
with a surprising
number of green spaces, but
are also close
to magnificent beaches and
the beautiful rolling hills of the North York Moors National Park. In fact,
outdoorsy visitors to the region will
be spoilt for choice: you might head
to the expansive sand dunes between
the Gare peninsula and Redcar for a
spot of birdwatching; join the joggers
in Middlesbrough’s Albert Park and
Stewart Park (see p.41); or opt for a lazy
cruise on the Teesside Princess down the
River Tees to the old port of Yarm.
In Middlesbrough, Albert Park is a big
hit with roller-skaters, tennis players
Green spaces
and boating enthusiasts, while over at
Stewart Park – location of the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum – you’ll find
some lovely historic parkland, lakes, a
pet corner and an assault course.
Teesmouth National Nature Reserve (see p.47), over near the
coast, is 3.5 square kilometres of
wilderness right beside one of Britain’s
largest concentrations of industry.
Look out for grey seals basking on the
mudflats in the harbour; if you visit in
late June or early July, you might even
see the pups.
Seal Sands, a few miles to the south,
is one of the largest areas of intertidal
mudflats on England’s northeast coast.
When the tide is out here, you’ll see
hundreds of waders, including redshank
and dunlin, pecking through the mud
looking for food. Close to Seal Sands
Snow in Albert Park
Sunset over Seal Sands
“Middlesbrough offers the ability to be able to escape to the country... The countryside and coast around Middlesbrough are very special.” – William Tillyer,
Middlesbrough-born, internationally
renowned artist and mima exhibitor
20 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
lies Saltholme (see p.47), an RSPB
wildlife reserve with a state-of-the-art
visitor centre, a café and spectacular
views out over the wetlands. You can
also buy all manner of birdwatching
paraphernalia here.
Travel a little way further south, to the
southern outskirts of Middlesbrough,
and you’ll come across the scenic Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park. This
spot is known for its stunning views of
the Eston Hills, industrial Teesside and
the North York Moors. Untamed Eston
The lovely North York Moors National Park
Moor, the Eston Nab Iron Age hillfort,
the distinctive hill known as Roseberry Topping (see p.31) and glorious
Guisborough Forest (see p.51) are all
within walking distance of the park.
Further afield lies the ruggedly
beautiful North York Moors National Park, famous for its purple heather. Be
sure to visit the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey
and the Hole of Horcum, one of the
most spectacular features in the park
– a huge natural amphitheatre that is
122m deep and about a kilometre wide.
The starting place for art-lovers in
Middlesbrough has to be mima, on
Centre Square – an award-winning
building designed by Dutch architect
Erick van Egeraat that exhibits exciting
contemporary art and craft including
superbly designed jewellery (see also
p.39). Don’t miss the Giovanni Corvaja
bracelet, made using 2km of fine gold
and with an estimated value of £40,000,
or the snake-like necklace by Nel
Linssen, made from hundreds of folded
pieces of paper.
Displays at the Platform-A Gallery (see p.39), at Middlesbrough Railway
Station, showcase emerging and
established artists, while the Heritage Gallery at Cargo Fleet (see p.39), on
Middlesbrough Road, explores the
Galleries and museumshistory of Teesside in creative ways.
At the Dorman Museum, on Linthorpe
Road, tribute is paid to Christopher
Dresser (see p.14), who revolutionized
industrial design. Its Linthorpe Art Pottery gallery – an important part of
the town’s artistic heritage – contains
hundreds of ceramic pieces based
on his designs. It also exhibits many
everyday objects by Dresser, including
the stylish toast racks and chairs he
made for Victorian families.
If history’s your thing, then you’ll
be spoilt for choice with the region’s
many memorials to Captain Cook
(see pp.10–11). The Captain Cook
Left: The Dresser Gallery at the Dorman Museum Above: A chocolate sculpture by the Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise at mima
22 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
Birthplace Museum (see p.41) in
Stewart Park chronicles the life and
times of the great British explorer. Then
there’s the Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum at Great Ayton (see p.50),
where he spent some of his youth, and
the Captain Cook Memorial Museum
at Whitby, to the east. The full-size
replica of Cook’s beloved HM Bark
Endeavour (see pp.42–43) is berthed at
Stockton’s Castlegate Quay and can be
viewed by appointment.
To delve further into local history,
visit Ormesby Hall (see p.41), an
eighteenth century National Trust
mansion in Ormesby. Don’t miss
the impressive plasterwork or the
fascinating model-railway exhibition.
Another residence in the area that’s
open to the public is the recently
restored Preston Hall (see also p.43).
Nestling alongside the River Tees, this
museum, inside the former Georgian
home of industrial magnate Robert
Ropner, tells the story of the vital role
the river played in the region’s industrial
development.
Further afield, at Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience, you can climb
aboard the 1817 HMS Trincomalee
(see also p.48), the oldest British warship
that is still afloat today. Find out about
the “iron men” who sailed this historic
vessel, and view The Wingfield Castle,
a restored River Humber paddle
steamer dating from 1934.
The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
Jewellery on display at mima
A series of impressive sculptures can be
viewed on a public art walk through
Middlesbrough (see map, pp.36–37),
allowing visitors the opportunity to
explore the town’s rich artistic character.
Begin at the statue of the football
legend Brian Clough in Albert Park,
created by Vivien Mallock. Nearby, you’ll
see the cenotaph and Brian Alabaster’s
bronze depiction of World War II soldier
Stan Hollis in a crouched charge,
machine gun in hand. Hollis won the
Victoria Cross in 1944 (see p.16). From
here, walk north to Victoria Road where
you’ll find Starhead by Paul Neagu and
then on to see Simeon Nelson’s Cactal
– a piece of floating art attached to
Teesside University’s Phoenix Building.
Further north, in Centre Square, admire
the 9m-high Bottle of Notes by American
sculptors Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, which was inspired by
Captain Cook’s maritime achievements.
Next stop is Linthorpe Road to
see the colourful Canopy by Martin Donlin, who won a competition
to design a meeting place for local
people. At the junction of Linthorpe
Road and Newport Road, you’ll
find Peter Freeman’s Spectra-Txt, a
10m-high mirrored column with a
futuristic form that recalls the sci-fi
blockbuster Blade Runner, directed by
South Shields-born Ridley Scott.
Next, head for Middlehaven Dock
to see the impressive Temenos by
Anish Kapoor. This huge sculpture
features an iconic pair of £2.7-million
metal rings, which are pulled together
by a mesh of steel cable (see also
p.38). Nearby, you’ll find the turquoise
40,000 years of Modern Art by Bernard Carpenter and Kandi Sky by Pierre
Sculpture trail
The Stan Hollis memorial
24 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
Diamantopoulo – a 22m-wide
abstract representation of a learning
curve that forms the gateway arch to
the award-winning Middlesbrough
College building.
From the Dock, it’s worth taking
a short ride east to the Cargo Fleet
roundabout to see the Blaze sculpture
by Ian McChesney, which catches the
light beautifully. Further along the A66,
at the Nelson Street roundabout, is
the impressive Ladle of Steel by Steve Tomlinson. When it’s lit up at night, this
atmospheric tribute to Teesside’s “men of
steel” really does look like molten metal
pouring out of a giant bucket.
xxPaul Neagu’s Starhead
Bottle of Notes, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
25INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
Sports
Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, lit up at night
The must-see sight for football fans
in Middlesbrough is the Riverside Stadium, situated on the banks of
the River Tees. Explore the home of
much-loved “Boro” – Middlesbrough Football Club – on a guided tour,
which allows access to restricted
areas, including the press box, the
control room and the players’ dressing
rooms. The team was saved from
liquidation in 1986 by local millionaire
businessman and “Boro” fanatic, Steve Gibson, and went on to win the
League Cup in 2004. Check out the
boulevard outside the stadium, which
is paved with bricks adorned with
messages from 3000 supporters and
50 former players and managers.
Rowing is another source of regional
pride. Teessider Kat Copeland rowed to
Olympic Gold in 2012 with teammate
Sophie Hosking. The star, who learnt to
row at Yarm School and Tees Rowing Club in Stockton, was awarded the MBE
and named joint winner of the BBC North
East Sports Personality of the Year in
2012. Her achievement was a huge boost
for Tees Rowing Club, which, in 2014,
celebrated its 150th anniversary and
employed a professional coach for the
first time. The club runs the Tees Regatta
(see p.16) – the only formal rowing event
of its kind in the north of England, which
attracts competitors aged 14–74.
The arrival of the Tour de Yorkshire
in Middlesbrough in May 2016 has
26 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
coincided with major improvements
in facilities for cyclists. The superb
Middlesbrough Sports Village, an
£18-million development, includes
an Olympic-size velodrome and the
Middlesbrough Cycle Circuit (see also
p.31). Among its many other facilities
are an athletic stadium, a sports hall,
grass pitches, a skate park and a gym. Both Teesside University and
Middlesbrough College also boast
first-class sports facilities, from
floodlit, artificial turf pitches to smart
new fitness suites. Tennis World,
which is adjacent to Stewart Park in
Middlesbrough, is a long-established
club, which features four indoor tennis
courts, four floodlit clay courts, three
artificial grass courts and three
high-performance cushion courts.
There are climbing walls at GoClimb inside Billingham Forum (a sports
and leisure complex which also has an
ice rink), at Teesside University and
at Rockantics on Warelands Way in
Middlesbrough.
The athletic track at Middlesbrough Sports Village
Teesside offers endless fun for lovers
of the great outdoors. For the most
adventurous types, there’s white-water
rafting, surfing and bungee jumping
and, for those who prefer more relaxing
outdoor pastimes, there’s fishing,
bowling and trail walking.
Adrenaline junkies should not miss
skydiving with Skydive St George
at Durham Tees Valley Airport or
go-karting at Teesside Karting, which
boasts “the world’s longest and fastest
karting circuit”. There’s hair-raising water
sports at the Tees Barrage White Water Rafting Centre, where a £4.6-million
redevelopment project has created a
Outdoor activitiesworld-class playground for both skilled
boatmen and novices. Test out one of
the powerboats or try your hand at
flat-water canoeing, bell boating or
sailing. This is also where you’ll find the
new Air Trail Tees Barrage, the tallest
high-ropes course of its kind in the UK.
If you want to improve your boat-handling skills on the River Tees, the
Teesside Nautical Studies training centre
at the Tees Transporter Bridge promises
an exciting experience on its powerboat
courses. The bridge, which is the largest
working transporter bridge in the
world and a symbol of Middlesbrough’s
engineering might, is the only bridge in
Rafting on the Tees Barrage International White Water Course
28 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
England from which you can bungee jump. You can also abseil from it. At
Stockton, the River Tees Watersports Centre – the home of Tees Rowing
Club – caters for rowing, canoeing and
kayaking. Even closer to the white water,
though, is Saltburn-by-the-Sea’s surfing
community. Go and see the experts in
action, join a surf school or hire a board
and simply give it a go yourself. Saltburn
is reputed to be one of the top ten places
in the UK for surfing.
Middlesbrough Skate Park in Prissick
Plaza, right next to Stewart Park, is one
of the area’s best skate parks. The huge,
floodlit space is ideal for BMX bikes,
skateboards, scooters and inline skates. An Olympic-size velodrome
opened in 2015, as part of the new
Middlesbrough Sports Village.
For those who want to explore rural
Teesside, Middlesbrough’s Unicorn Centre offers riding therapy and
training for disabled
adults and children,
as well as able-bodied
riders. Other activities
around the region
include bowls in
Albert Park and golf
at Wynyard Hall and
Rockliffe Hall (see p.58)
– Europe’s longest
golf course. Cycling
and walking are also popular; for more
information on these, see pp.30–31.
Surfer, Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Unicorn Centre
Walking and cycling routesorienteering and assault courses, a
sculpture trail and cycling. Walking
and wildlife enthusiasts should check
out Saltholme wildlife reserve (see
p.47), just north of Middlesbrough, and
Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
on the coast. At the Tees Barrage,
you might spot seals, newts, otters,
kingfishers, cormorants and deer while
you walk and cycle.
Further afield, the North York Moors National Park offers good walks for
all abilities; for more information,
head to the visitor centres at Sutton
Bank and Danby. The Cleveland Way
The distinctively shaped Roseberry Topping
Teesside’s gorgeous, rolling countryside
offers the perfect environment for
walkers and cyclists who are looking
for breathtaking scenery, some good
exercise and a large dose of fresh air.
The Teesdale Way is a must for
walkers who are intent on discovering
Middlesbrough’s industrial heritage.
The 148km trail follows the banks of
the River Tees as it passes from the high
moorlands of Cumbria and Durham to
the industrial landscapes of Teesside.
From Middlesbrough Dock, the
17km Tees Link walking route links
up to the Cleveland Way national trail
(see p.51). Hikers will find picturesque
routes in nearby Guisborough Forest (see p.51), which also offers
30 INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
passes through the park, which also
encompasses much of the “dinosaur
coast” – so called because of the fossils
found along it (see p.49). Alternatively, be
one of the first walkers on the Hartlepool
to Sunderland section of a new National
Trail – the England Coast Path.
Perhaps the area’s best-loved walk,
however, is the path to the summit of
Roseberry Topping, a hill located on the
northwestern edge of the park. Captain
Cook loved this spot, which has also
long been a special place for renowned
local mountaineer Alan Hinkes OBE.
Keen cyclists should head for
the Olympic-size Middlesbrough Velodrome, which opened at
Middlesbrough Sports Village in 2015,
or to the Middlesbrough Cycle Circuit,
a 1km enclosed route with a 6m-wide
tarmac surface at the same location.
For details of eight cycling routes in
and around town, visit Middlesbrough
Council’s website (lovemiddlesbrough.
com/cycling). Cycling, both for families
and for serious pedal pushers, is catered
for in the North York Moors National Park, where there are purpose-built
tracks and bikes for hire at visitor centres.
The Middlesbrough Cycle Centre is
a fantastic support hub for cyclists that
provides secure parking for your bike in
the town centre, advice and training.
The North York Moors National Park
Cyclists on the Cleveland Way
Teesside offers every kind of activity
imaginable to keep the kids happy.
The skateboarding and roller-blading
at Middlesbrough Skate Park, pets
corner and a Captain Cook-themed
play area in adjacent Stewart Park,
pedalo boats in Albert Park and
bowling at Teesside Shopping Park
are just the tip of the iceberg.
For toddlers, indoor soft-play areas
can be found at the Fun Village at
Middlesbrough Sports Village and
Children’s activities
at Our Funhouse at Coulby Farm in
Middlesbrough; Fun City and Preston Farm in Stockton; Noahs Ark Family Centre and Crazy Corner in Thornaby;
and, further east, at Wacky Warehouse
at Wheatlands Farm in Redcar.
If you’re looking for child-friendly
culture, Middlesbrough Theatre offers
an exciting family programme. At
mima, there are year-round events for
youngsters, while the Dorman Museum
offers craft sessions for children.
On a zip wire at Go Ape, Dalby Forest
For the latest films, make for the
14-screen Showcase Cinemas at
Teesside Shopping Park or the 11-screen
Cineworld Cinemas in Middlesbrough.
Facilities at myplace on North Street – a
state-of-the-art centre for young people
– include a theatre, a recording studio
and an alcohol-free nightclub (see p.57).
Young swimmers are well catered for
in Middlesbrough. Try the Rainbow Leisure Centre in Coulby Newham,
south of the centre, and the Neptune Centre on Ormesby Road, where
Olympic swimmer Aimee Willmott
started out. Splash, at Stockton, boasts
a 25m pool with a wave machine.
Wildlife-lovers can interact with farm
animals at Newham Grange Country Farm in Coulby Newham, where you
can also lose yourself in a willow maze
and visit the farm shop. A daytime
boat trip on the Teesside Princess
always goes down well with families;
the cruise begins at Castlegate Quay
in Stockton, goes through Preston Park (see p.23) and on to the charming
market town of Yarm.
A more energetic option is Jump 360 in Stockton, an indoor trampoline
park with more than 100 connected
trampolines for all ages, a dodgeball
court, basketball lanes and foam pits.
For a special day out, take a trip to the
Lightwater Valley theme park, where
kids can ride a roller coaster, explore
the atmospheric “Skeleton Cove” or
have fun at the Angry Birds Activity
Park. Another option is Go Ape at Dalby
Forest in the North York Moors National
Park. This tree-top adventure course has
wires, Tarzan swings and rope ladders,
while Flamingo Land, to the south of
the national park, is a theme park, zoo
and holiday resort combined. Finally,
Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience is
a real winner with children, with its full-
size, wooden adventure play ship.
Middlesbrough Skate Park
Playing with crafts at mima
33INTRODUCING TEESSIDE
MiddlesbroughThis proud town on the River Tees was
once the industrial powerhouse of the
world. Today, Middlesbrough’s industrial
heritage forms a striking backdrop to a
thriving town that boasts world-class
cultural attractions, an outstanding
university and great shopping,
entertainment and nightlife.
The work of Teesside steelworkers
stretches right across the world and
includes many famous bridges – the
Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, the
Bangkok Memorial Bridge in Thailand,
and, closer to home, the Tyne Bridge
in Newcastle and Middlesbrough’s
very own Tees Transporter Bridge. Anish Kapoor’s Temenos sculpture
Paddling in the rock pools at Robin Hood’s Bay; Stockton International Riverside Festival; a ram in the North York Moors National Park
34
AROUND TEESSIDE
AROUND TEESSIDE
Since opening in 1911, this bridge has
been a local landmark and it’s now the
only bridge of its kind still operating in
England. A gondola suspended 49m
above the water by steel cables carries
cars and pedestrians across a 259m
stretch of the river. The bright-blue
structure, which reopened in 2015
following a £4-million restoration,
looks like a bridge on tall legs – or, with
a bit of imagination, two steelworkers
clasping hands over the Tees. The
bridge was designed to allow the
masts of large sailing vessels to pass
underneath. You can now take the
Bridge Lift to the top and visit the
Transporter Bridge Visitor Centre.
The iconic structure sits at the
threshold of the town’s Middlehaven
district – a vibrant dockland area
that is, after years of decline, being
transformed into a new urban quarter.
Settle in at the Brasserie Hudson Quay (see p.60) restaurant and admire
the panorama over the regenerated
1842 Middlesbrough Dock. Here,
the Tees Transporter Bridge and Dock Clock Tower, dating from 1847, stand
alongside more modern structures,
including new Community In A Cube (CIAC) eco-home apartments, the
awarding-winning Middlesbrough College building, the Riverside Stadium (see p.26) – home of
The Tees Transporter Bridge
Tees Link
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ForbesBuildings
Riverside Stadium(Middlesbrough FC)
ClevelandCentre
Hill StreetCentre
MiddlesbroughCycle Centre
DundasArcade
TownHall
GalleryTS1 Jurys Inn
TeessideArchives& House ofBlah Blah
The Empire
Cineworld
MiddlesbroughCollege
Dock ClockTower
CIAC
Tees(Newport)Bridge
mima CentralLibrary
Holiday InnExpress
Old TownHall
Tees Transporter Bridge
BohoZone
Python Gallery
Platform AGallery
myplace
CaptainCook
SquareTravelodge
TeessideUniversity
ConstantineGallery
BrasserieHudson Quay
Alber t Park
AyresomeGardens
LinthorpeCemetery
Rail Station
Bus Station
Riv
er T
ees
R iver Tees
MiddlesbroughDock
MIDDLEHAVEN
NEWPORT
Cargo Fleet Wharf
Hartlepool
Stoc
kton
-on-
Tees Blaze, Heritage Gallery & Ladle of Steel
Neptune Centre
Middlesbrough Sports Village, Tennis World, Stewart Park & Middlesbrough Skate Park Middlesbrough TheatreTees Barrage, Tees Leisure Park, Teesside Shopping Park & Darlington
N
2500
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MIDDLESBROUGH
36 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
Tees Link
ESHWOODSQUARE
EXCHANGESQUARE
ALBERTBRIDGE
HILL
ST
METZBRIDGE
HEYW
OOD STREET
A1032
N E WPORT R OAD
N E W P O RT ROA D
LINT
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BRIDGE STREET WESTNORTH ROAD
B6541 N
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SHEPHERDSON WAY
CARGO FLEET ROAD
LONG
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U N I O N S T R E E T
PA R K ROA D N O RT H
AY R E S O M E S T R E E T
PARK
RD
STH
LANSDOWNE RD
DOUGLAS STREET
ROSEBERRY RD
BILSDALE RD
BRECKON HILL ROADWELLESLEY ROAD
P A R L I A M E N T R O A D
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MILLS ST
CARL
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TREE
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TREE
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LAYCOCK ST
ORWELL ST
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VICTORIA STREET
GRETA STDERW
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ENFI
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OUTRAM STREET
GRESHAM ROAD
GLEBE RD
ALBERT TERR
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PARK LANEPARK LANE
KENSINGTON ROADCLOUGH CLOS E
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B O R O U G H R OA D
B O R O U G H R OA D
GRANGE RD
LINT
HORP
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ALBE
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CLARENDON RD
STEP
HENS
ON S
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ADCR
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ADBYELANDS ST
LOTHIAN ROAD
NEWSTEAD RD
ANGLE STREET
EGMONT ROAD
MARTON ROAD
MARTON ROAD
NUT LANE
HUTTO N ROAD
SALTWELLS ROAD
WARE
L ANDSWAY
LYTTON STREET
NORTH ORMESBY ROAD
LIVERTON AVE
BISHOP ST WES T LANE
A IDAN COURT
AYRE
SOM
E RO
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C A N NON
ST
CANNON STREET
MARSH STREET CANNON PARK ROAD
CECIL ST
CANNON PARK WAY
LEES ROAD
WENTWORTH STMANOR ST
WALPOLE ST PRINCES ROAD
PRINCES ROAD
KINGSTON ST
PEEL ST
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BOW ST CLIFTON STREET
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GRANGE ROAD
BREN
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BEDFORD STBAKER ST
NEWPORT RD
WIL
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ST
WILSON ST
ALBE
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CO R P O R AT IO N ROAD
OAK ST
ELM
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FRY ST
ABIN
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RUSSELL ST
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WEST TERRACE
ALPHONSUS STREET
WINDWA R D WAYTHE LEEWAY
STATION STREETMARSH ROAD
SNOW
DON ROAD
GOSFORD ST
RICHMOND ST
ALBE
RT ST
SCOTT’S ROAD
DOCK STREET
BRIDGE ST E AST
GRAY
STRE
ET
LOWER EAST ST
EAST ST
LOWER FEVERSHAM ST
FEVERSHAM ST
NILE ST
BROUGHAM ST
LLOY
D ST
STOCK
TON ST
COMMERCIAL STREET
VULCAN STREET
CHARLOTTE ST
ITALY
ST
MARSH ROAD
FORT
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RIVE
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METZ BRIDGE RD
CLEV
ELAND ST
DUND
AS M
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DUND
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T HE HALYARD
LINT
HORP
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THE BOULEVARDCENTRE SQUARE
B1272
WEST ST
NORT
H ST FE R RY R D
DURH
AM ST
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TOWERGREEN
A 1 0 L O N G L A N D S R O A D
A172
H A R T I N G TO N R O A D
A 1 032
B127
2
A178
A66
A66
Brian CloughStatue
Cenotaph &Stan Hollis
Memorial
Temenos
Kandi Sky
40,000 Yearsof Modern Art
Bottle ofNotes
Starhead
Cactal
Spectra-txt
Canopy
TeessideUniversity
Students’Union
TheSouthfieldPub
DormanMuseum
ForbesBuildings
Riverside Stadium(Middlesbrough FC)
ClevelandCentre
Hill StreetCentre
MiddlesbroughCycle Centre
DundasArcade
TownHall
GalleryTS1 Jurys Inn
TeessideArchives& House ofBlah Blah
The Empire
Cineworld
MiddlesbroughCollege
Dock ClockTower
CIAC
Tees(Newport)Bridge
mima CentralLibrary
Holiday InnExpress
Old TownHall
Tees Transporter Bridge
BohoZone
Python Gallery
Platform AGallery
myplace
CaptainCook
SquareTravelodge
TeessideUniversity
ConstantineGallery
BrasserieHudson Quay
Alber t Park
AyresomeGardens
LinthorpeCemetery
Rail Station
Bus Station
Riv
er T
ees
R iver Tees
MiddlesbroughDock
MIDDLEHAVEN
NEWPORT
Cargo Fleet Wharf
Hartlepool
Stoc
kton
-on-
Tees Blaze, Heritage Gallery & Ladle of Steel
Neptune Centre
Middlesbrough Sports Village, Tennis World, Stewart Park & Middlesbrough Skate Park Middlesbrough TheatreTees Barrage, Tees Leisure Park, Teesside Shopping Park & Darlington
N
2500
yards
MIDDLESBROUGH
37MIDDLESBROUGH
Middlesbrough Football Club – and the
Temenos sculpture. This magnificent
work, which features in the new
British passport, was created by the
internationally renowned British
sculptor Anish Kapoor with the help
of architect Cecil Balmond. Standing
at 50m high and 120m long, Temenos
is a magnificent public artwork. Stand
underneath it to get a sense of its
enormous scale – it’s even taller than
Antony Gormley’s famous Angel of
the North sculpture at Gateshead.
“Temenos”, which means “sacred
ground” in Greek, is a reference to both
Middlesbrough and the home of the
town’s beloved football club. A fine steel
mesh, resembling a bridge across the
Tees, pulls the £2.7-million sculpture’s
pole and two rings together. Kapoor’s
aim was to create a structure that
had a “fragile” appearance, despite its
kilometre of steel cable.
Step back in time on a walk through
the streets around Ferry Road. On
nearby East Street you’ll see the
Old Town Hall, which was built in
1846, and the impressive Vulcan Street wall – the southern wall of
the old Cleveland Salt Works, dating
from 1887, which operated on the
land between here and the River
Tees. Don’t miss the 1837 Custom House on North Street, which has
been transformed into myplace, a
state-of-the-art meeting place for
Ironopolis by Ian Horn on Bridge Street East
exhibitions. The most exciting art
collection in town, however, has to be
the landmark mima (see also p.22).
Behind this building’s glass facade lies
a wonderful collection of art by such
groundbreaking artists as Grayson
Perry, Bridget Riley and Tracey Emin.
Inside the innovative gallery, don’t miss
the specialist collections of drawing and
British ceramics (make sure you book
on a collection tour). There’s also a great
collection of contemporary jewellery in
the Centre for Social Making, which
features the work of international jewellery artists, including Ted Noten,
Karl Fritsch and Wendy Ramshaw.
Middlesbrough Dock Clock Tower
young people (see pp.33 and 57).
Middlesbrough’s founding fathers –
the ironmasters, mayors and brothers-
in-law John Vaughan and Henry
Bolckow – lived side by side in the
three-storey brick buildings marked
with a plaque on Cleveland Street.
A short bus ride away to the east,
on Middlesbrough Road, is the
Heritage Gallery at Cargo Fleet,
which focuses on art relating to
Teesside’s industrial heritage. This
restored former headquarters of
British Steel shows work from
established artists and emerging
talent, in all styles and media.
Head into the town centre to take
your pick from a number of other
impressive art galleries, including the
contemporary Platform-A Gallery (see
p.22), the innovative House of Blah Blah in Exchange Square and Gallery TS1, on Corporation Road, with its
high-quality, affordable arts and crafts
by local artists. There’s also the Python Gallery on Gosford Street and Teesside
University’s Constantine Gallery, both
of which feature regular changing
39MIDDLESBROUGH
In addition, the venue hosts some
fascinating temporary exhibitions,
events and family-friendly programmes.
It’s not just the exhibitions and events
that make mima such an absorbing
place – the impressive building is a
sight in its own right. Take a moment to
look into its fully glazed, north-facing
exterior and observe the mesmerizing
movement on the inside, as well as
the impressive slate and limestone
staircase that reaches from the ground
floor up to the roof terrace. This superb
structure, designed by the Dutch
architect Erick van Egeraat (who also
designed Centre Square, just outside
the gallery), was completed in 2007.
Highlights of Centre Square include landscaped gardens, the
majestic Victorian Town Hall and
its accompanying row of listed red
telephone kiosks, the Central Library
and the iconic Bottle of Notes sculpture
– a 9m-tall work by Claes Oldenburg
and Coosje van Bruggen, which was
inspired by the journals of Captain Cook.
A stone’s throw from mima and
Centre Square lies historic Exchange Square, which has been cut in two by
the A66 flyover – a fast track for heavy
traffic that keeps the town’s streets free
from congestion. Don’t let that put
you off, though. The square is worth a
visit for the graceful, curved facade of
the Zetland Buildings and the statue
of one of Middlesbrough’s founding
fathers, Henry Bolckow.
Beyond the town centre, off Linthorpe
Road, lies King Edward’s Square, which
is home to some Teesside University
accommodation in the form of an 1890
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Brian Clough statue, Albert Park
terrace with arched windows and a
decorative cornice. A bit further down
Linthorpe Road, you’ll find the beautiful
Forbes Building, an old Victorian
bakery and stables that now houses a
variety of shops.
Just south of the university is the
lovely open space of Albert Park – a
gift from ironmaster Henry Bolckow
to the people of Middlesbrough
in 1868. The Grade-II-listed park
comprises an ornate bandstand, a
statue of football legend Brian Clough
(see p.15) and a cannon from the
Crimean War. The Dorman Museum,
beside the cenotaph on Linthorpe
Road, overlooks the park. As well as
celebrating Middlesbrough life, its
collections include everything from
natural history, social history, geology,
astronomy, to Victorian arts and craft.
Stewart Park , located in the
suburb of Marton, is another lovely
green space on the outskirts of town.
The park is home to the fascinating
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum – a
purpose-built building positioned near
the granite urn that marks the site of
the cottage where Cook was born.
The museum tells the story of one of
the world’s most famous navigators
and mariners (see pp.10–11) through
themed galleries and artefacts from
the lands the great sailor explored.
To the east of Stewart Park lies
Ormesby Hall, a Georgian mansion
that was owned by the Pennyman
family for nearly 400 years. Colonel
Jim Pennyman and his arts-loving wife
lived here, as did “Wicked” Sir James
Pennyman, who earned his nickname
by gambling with the family fortune
in the eighteenth century. The hall is
known for its exquisite plasterwork,
paintings and furnishings, its
magnificent Georgian stable block and
fabulous model-railway exhibition.
41MIDDLESBROUGH
Infinity Bridge, Stockton
There are some splendid attractions to
the west of Middlesbrough, from the
market towns of Stockton-on-Tees and
Yarm to the glorious Georgian house and grounds at Preston Park.
Stockton was a flourishing centre of
heavy industry during the Industrial
Revolution. In 1822, an event took
place here that changed the world
forever – engineer George Stephenson
built the world’s first public railway,
which ran from St John’s Crossing on
Stockton-on-Tees, Preston Park and Yarm
Bridge Road to Darlington, and onward
to the collieries at Shildon in County
Durham. Before the birth of
the railways, coal was pulled by horse
and cart over the hills to the sea.
The fast movement of coal by train
soon became a lucrative business,
and the line was extended to
Middlesbrough in 1833.
Almost a century earlier, the famous
mariner Captain Cook was redrawing
the map of the world (see pp.10–11).
42 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
Stockton’s Castlegate Quay is home
to a full-size replica of his ship, HM Bark Endeavour. Book a guided tour
to learn more about life at sea in the
eighteenth century or join one of the
fantastic on-board lunches.
Five minutes’ walk away from the
quay is the High Street – reputed to be
the widest in the UK – which features
a 1735 town hall and a Georgian-style
market hall. A huge, historic outdoor market is held here every Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday. Speciality markets
offering vintage crafts and antiques
are also held here on most weekends
during the summer.
Tucked away just off the High Street
is the charming Green Dragon Yard
– an enclave of restored warehouses.
Here you’ll find the Green Dragon pub and Green Dragon Studios
– a music facility that was opened in
2007 by Feargal Sharkey, the former
lead singer of the New Wave band
The Undertones. Also of note here
is the 1766 Georgian Theatre (see
p.55), one of Britain’s oldest surviving
Georgian theatres.
Further to the east, around the bend
in the river, is the bowstring Infinity Bridge, which links the north bank
of the Tees with Durham University’s
Queen’s Campus. The bridge, which
measures 240m, was opened in
2009 for pedestrians and cyclists
as part of Stockton’s North Shore
Redevelopment Project.
The lovely Preston Hall (see p.23) is
a few miles upriver from Stockton. This
Georgian estate, which has recently
undergone restoration work, features a
Victorian Street, nature reserve, a walled
kitchen garden and the wonderful
Butterfly World. A museum contains
more than 90,000 items focusing
on the River Tees and the former
inhabitants of Preston Hall.
Further along the Tees is the small
and scenic town of Yarm, with
its olde-worlde charm, upmarket
shops and contemporary bars and
restaurants. A plaque outside the
George & Dragon hotel recalls the
1820 meeting during which plans for
the Stockton and Darlington Railway
were discussed.
Victorian street, Preston Park Museum
43AROUND TEESSIDE
The market town of Darlington is
famous for having been the terminus
of the world’s first passenger railway.
This part of its history is celebrated at
the Head of Steam railway museum,
where visitors can walk around
George Stephenson’s legendary
Locomotion No. 1. This engine hauled
the first train along the Stockton and
Darlington Railway (see p.42). Exhibits
in the museum include station signs,
old uniforms and vintage posters.
Darlington’s contribution to the
railways is commemorated by David
Mach’s striking 1997 Train sculpture,
which is perched alongside the A66.
This life-size sculpture of a steam
locomotive emerging from a tunnel
was modelled on the 1938 engine
Mallard, which set a railway speed
Darlingtonrecord of 126 mph. The piece was
made from 185,000 bricks, cost
£760,000 and took a team of 34
bricklayers, labourers and apprentices
five months to build.
Darlington’s town centre offers
visitors a two-hour heritage trail. Beginning at the town hall, follow the
coin-markers and you’ll come across
Pease House, once home to Edward
Pease, who was a railway pioneer like
his father, Joseph (see p.8); Michael
Pinksy’s award-winning Market Cascade water feature; and High Row, the town’s best-known street,
which formed part of the Great North
Road from London to Edinburgh
until 1965. Look out for the Clock Tower, set amid attractive Quaker
Darlington’s train station
David Mach’s Train sculpture
44 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
architecture, and stop for a drink at
the Edwardian Hole in the Wall pub
in Horsemarket, which is thought
to take its name from the town’s
medieval boundary wall.
Darlington is a thriving town
where modern enterprise keeps on
developing. There’s an award-winning
business park at Lingfield Point and an urban regeneration project
in Central Park, where Teesside
University opened its £13-million
landmark building in 2011.
There are also some peaceful spots,
such as the Grade-II-listed South Park – it opened in 1853 and was
the first Victorian park in England’s
northeast. Here, you can step into the
sensory rock and rose garden, sit
on a south-facing seat and watch the
wildlife on the lake.
A panel from the Joseph Pease statue
High Row, with its statue of Joseph Pease
45AROUND TEESSIDE
February 2016. This high-ropes course is
the tallest of its kind in the UK, reaching
heights of 18m.
The barrage itself is fascinating to
walk around, and landscaped gardens
and pathways give you a good view of
the floodgates and the watersports in
action. A “fish pass”, which visitors can
observe from a viewing area, allows
fish to navigate the barrage. There is
currently no access to the barrage itself.
A mere kilometre from the barrage
is the nature reserve of Maze Park.
This oasis of calm, slap-bang in the
middle of an urban landscape, includes
woodland, open grassland and a
varied selection of wildlife, including
The meandering River Tees has long
been the lifeblood of the region. With
its industrial heritage, wealth of wildlife
and huge outdoorsy appeal, the river
is – both literally and metaphorically –
at the very heart of Teesside.
Midway between Stockton and
Middlesbrough lies the mighty Tees Barrage. This feat of engineering was
designed to prevent flooding in the Tees
Valley; it took four years to build and
used 650 tonnes of steel. The structure
opened in 1995 at a cost of £4.6 million,
at the same time as the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre
– an artificial white-water course.
Here, you can also try water-skiing,
kayaking, rowing, dragon-boat racing
and powerboating. The Air Trail Tees Barrage opened on the same site in
The Riverside Stadium, beside the Tees
The River Tees
A lesser redpoll at Saltholme
46 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
This industrial hub handles more than
5000 vessels and 40 million tonnes
of cargo a year. Steel, petrochemical
and engineering companies, as well as
high-street shops and supermarkets, all
use the port. You can watch cargo ships
and tankers coming in and out of the
port at Coatham Sands beach, to the
northwest of Redcar. While you’re here,
take a walk to the 1884 lighthouse
on the South Gare peninsula for a
spectacular view of the estuary.
On the other side of the river lies
Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
(see also p.20). This 3.5-square-kilometre
reserve, another natural gem in an
otherwise industrial setting, is home to
abundant flora and fauna. North Gare is
an area of dunes populated by flocks of
curlews, short-eared owls and skylarks,
and at Seal Sands (see also p.20), you’ll
see waders pecking in the mud and
seals basking beside the tidal channels.
Colourful fishing boats at South Gare
twelve species of butterflies and a small
colony of sand martins. The riverbanks
are the perfect vantage point from
which to observe the seals that prey on
salmon as they negotiate the fish pass.
A riverside track runs through
Middlesbrough to Saltholme wildlife
reserve (see p.21), where the air is filled
with birdsong. This haven is home to
foxes, hares and one of the largest
colonies of common terns in the UK.
Lapwings, peregrines, water rails and
yellow wagtails also thrive here. There’s
a seal-viewing platform at nearby Greatham Creek.
Teesport – the UK’s third-largest port
– sits at the mouth of the River Tees.
47AROUND TEESSIDE
By the sea
The historic seaside town of Redcar,
to the southeast of Teesmouth, boasts
a splendid sandy beach stretching for
16km from the South Gare peninsula
in the north to Saltburn-by-the-Sea in
the south. Another must-see sight in
town is the purple-and-yellow Redcar Beacon, known locally as the “vertical
pier”. Head to this seafront viewing
tower to take in the 27-turbine offshore
wind farm, cargo ships waiting to sail
into Teesport and tourists searching
for crabs on the Redcar Rocks. Redcar’s
Zetland Lifeboat Museum, which
contains the world’s oldest-surviving
lifeboat, is well worth a visit, as is the
nearby Kirkleatham Museum, with its
inspiring local-history displays.
Teesside’s industrial coastline harbours
some surprising gems, from bustling
towns and charming fishing villages
to windswept promenades and sandy,
fossil-strewn beaches.
Historic Hartlepool, to the north
of Teesmouth, is home to the superb
1817 HMS Trincomalee (see also p.23),
the oldest British warship still afloat
today. Visitors can board the ship to get
a flavour of life on a naval frigate two
centuries ago. Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience recaptures the atmosphere
of an eighteenth-century seaport, while
sleek, modern boats jostle for space in
the nearby marina. A promenade leads
from here to Seaton Carew, where
there’s a fine, sandy beach.
A coastal view of historic Hartlepool
48 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
At Saltburn-by-the-Sea, a Victorian
spa town and surfing hotspot (see
p.29), the 1869 pier has been retained
and the 1884 cliff lift still transports
holiday-makers to the beach below.
In the eighteenth century, the town
was a centre for smuggling – goods
were passed from caves through secret
tunnels to inns that had hidden rooms
and false floors.
Head southeast to the dramatic,
54km-long North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast, between
Saltburn and Scalby Mills, which forms
part of the North York Moors National Park. Boulby is known for its huge cliff,
which, at 203m, is one of the highest
in the country. Fossil-hunters will love
the shores around the villages of Robin Hood’s Bay and Ravenscar, where
you don’t need to poke around in the
sand for long before finding dozens of
the relics. Smuggling was rife along
the Yorkshire coast, and in both Robin
Hood’s Bay and Staithes, further up the
coast, tightly packed cottages, alleyways
and stepped lanes helped smugglers go
about their stealthy business.
Tourists flock to the seaside town of
Whitby in summer, whether it’s to visit
the ruins of Whitby Abbey or to soak
up its literary heritage – part of Bram
Stoker’s novel Dracula is set here. If you
don’t like crowds, head to Runswick Bay, where you’re guaranteed a quiet
day on a sheltered, sandy beach.
The summer resort of Whitby
The former smuggling centre of Staithes
The pier at Saltburn
49AROUND TEESSIDE
Picturesque Great Ayton
Teesside is the perfect base from
which to explore the superb attractions
of the wider northeast area. The cities
of Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland
and York are on its doorstep, while
the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks are also accessible. There
are also lesser-known sights, within
much easier reach of Teesside, which
make for wonderful days out.
The pretty village of Great Ayton,
which lies 11km to the southeast of
Middlesbrough, was the boyhood
Beyond Teesside
home of Captain James Cook (see
pp.10–11). The Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum tells the story
of Cook’s early life, education and
adventures at sea.
The Cook family home on Bridge Street was built by James’s father in
1755. In 1933, in a patriotic attempt to
prevent the house from being taken to
the United States, the owner made it a
condition of sale that the building must
remain in England. However, she was
persuaded to change “England” to “the
50 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
The ruins of Gisborough Priory
Cleveland Way signpost
Empire”, and accepted an Australian bid
of £800. So each stone was numbered
and transported to Melbourne, where
it was painstakingly reconstructed in
1934 as an exact replica of the original.
A granite obelisk now marks the spot
where the cottage stood.
To the southwest of Great Ayton is
Stokesley, an elegant market town
where the seventeenth-century Pack
Horse Bridge crosses the Riven Leven.
The town’s historic high street is lined
with fine Georgian architecture and
independent shops and restaurants.
Another market town, Guisborough,
lies to the northeast of Great Ayton.
Here, the ruined Gisborough Priory
dates from the twelfth century and the
distinctive Gisborough Hall, an 1856
reconstruction of the Jacobean original,
is now a hotel (see also p.59). While
you’re here, don’t miss the chance to
stretch your legs on the 177km-long
Cleveland Way national trail, which
passes close to Guisborough on its
route to Saltburn. Alternatively, follow
the historical De Brus Trail, taking
in the towns of Hartlepool, Yarm,
Guisborough, Skelton, Danby and
Staithes, which all have a connection
with the De Brus dynasty. Their most
famous clan member was Robert the
Bruce, the Scottish King who secured
independence from England.
Finally, the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum at Skinningrove is
a must for history and engineering
buffs. Ironstone mining led to the
development of Teesside and shaped
its industrial landscape, and at this
captivating museum, you have the
chance to venture into an old mine.
51BEYOND TEESSIDE
Stockton is also home to a wide range
of independent shops, including luxury
bakers, jewellers and clothes shops.
Middlesbrough’s town centre is your
best bet for high-street chains. There’s
the Cleveland Centre (clevelandcentre.
co.uk), the Hillstreet Shopping Centre (hillstreetshopping.co.uk) – which has
both Debenhams and House of Fraser
– the Captain Cook Square Shopping Centre (captaincookshopping.com)
and the Dundas Shopping Centre (dundasshoppingcentre.co.uk). To the
southwest of town lies the vast Teesside Shopping Park (teessideshoppingpark.
co.uk). Nearby, you’ll also find Lazy Joe’s The stylish department store Psyche
ShoppingNewcomers are likely to be pleasantly
surprised at the great shopping on offer
in Middlesbrough, which boasts huge
shopping malls, national chain stores
and quirky independent boutiques.
Posters in a shop on Baker Street; Middlesbrough Theatre; the shop at mima
52 THINGS TO DO
THINGS TO DO
independent shops, vintage boutiques,
hair salons, cafés and pubs, and hosts the
wonderful Orange Pip Market once a
month (see p.60).
Middlesbrough also has some popular
specialist shops. Forbidden Planet
(forbiddenplanet.co.uk) on Dundas
Street is a big hit with comic-book
and sci-fi fans. Arty types should visit
the shop at mima (see pp.39–40)
and Gallery TS1 (facebook.com/
GalleryTS1) on Corporation Road, which
sells high-quality works by emerging
and established artists. If it’s a dose
of nostalgia you’re after, visit Sound It Out (sounditoutrecords.co.uk) on
Yarm Street in Stockton, where you can
buy vinyl, cassettes and CDs. By far the
most curious shop in Middlesbrough,
though, is Shelly’s Reborn Dolls
(shellysreborndolls.com) on Wilson
Street, which sells lifelike human dolls –
and monkeys, too!
(lazyjoesclothing.bigcartel.com), an
American vintage clothing store on
Newport Road, and the academic-
book emporium Fahrenheit Books
(facebook.com/FahrenheitBooks) on
Wilson Street.
For something a bit different, walk
south down Linthorpe Road, where
you’ll find delightful independent shops.
Begin at the award-winning designer
department store Psyche (psyche.co.uk),
then take your pick from the rest: fashion
store Triads I (triads.co.uk); Steven James Guitars (northeastguitar.co.uk),
established by the former bassist of the
rock band Dogs D’Amour; Kate Fearnley Boutique for women’s party and
wedding dresses (katefearnleyboutique.
co.uk); and European and Chinese
supermarkets.
Baker Street, one of the town’s
most fashionable streets, is just north
of the university. It’s lined with quirky
Independent outlets on Bedford Street
Whether you’re after live music or DJs,
you’ll find it in Teesside. The region
offers a vast and varied selection of
concerts and club nights covering a
spectrum of musical genres.
Middlesbrough Town Hall (middlesbroughtownhallonline.co.uk)
on Albert Road is one of Teesside’s best
entertainment venues. This beautiful,
Grade-II-listed, Victorian concert hall
has hosted classical concerts, as well as
pop, rock and comedy acts. Big names
that have performed here include rock
bands Oasis, The Clash and Radiohead,
and the comedian Jimmy Carr. In
January 2016, the hall began a major,
Music and entertainmenttwo-year refurbishment to return the
building to its former glory.
Teesside University Students’ Union
(tees-su.org.uk) has had a £1-million
makeover, with improved facilities
alongside its two award-winning
venues: The Terrace Bar and The Hub (see
also p.62). Professor Green, Calvin Harris
and Example have all performed here.
Entrance restrictions apply; check the
website for details. At the Medicine Bar
(facebook.com/medicine.bar) nightclub
and cocktail bar on Corporation Road,
you can dance to indie, alternative and
trash music on Thursdays and vintage
indie and pop punk on Saturdays (see
also p.63). On the same street, Mink Bar is a gorgeous music venue built
from salvaged bricks, driftwood and
local scrap. The Westgarth Social Club (westgarthsocial.com) on Southfield
Road has gigs by up-and-coming bands.
Back on Corporation Road
there’s another historic hotspot:
The Middlesbrough Empire
(themiddlesbroughempire.co.uk). Since
opening in 1897, this Grade-II-listed
club and music venue has hosted
comedian Charlie Chaplin, escape
artist Harry Houdini and the American
pop-rock band the Scissor Sisters. The low-lit Mink Bar
54 THINGS TO DO
The Empire features in local author
Richard Milward’s acclaimed debut
novel, Apples (2007).
You can see live bands on Linthorpe
Road at TS One (facebook.com/
ts1.middlesbroughltd) and Sticky Fingers Café and Rock Bar next to
Steven James Guitars. Alternatively,
head to Doctor Browns (facebook.
com/docbrownsmiddlesbrough) on
Corporation Road or The Longlands Club (longlandsclub.co.uk) on Marton
Road, which features tribute acts and
touring musicians. TeesValley Arena
(teesvalleyarena.co.uk), a venue for
more than 3000 people, has played
host to rapper Tinie Tempah.
Centre Square hosts outdoor events
throughout the year, including films on
the Big Screen, pop concerts with big
names such as Snoop Dogg and the
Middlesbrough Mela (see p.17).
Tucked away in a courtyard just off
Stockton’s riverside is The Georgian Theatre (teesmusicalliance.org.uk).
Built in 1766, this is one of the oldest
Georgian theatres in the country.
The Empire, in all its dazzling glory
The exterior of The Empire
Teesside isn’t short of colourful cultural venues to keep you entertained in the
evenings. Whether you love the stage
or the silver screen, this vibrant region
really does have it all.
The superb Middlesbrough Theatre (www.middlesbroughtheatre.co.uk),
Theatre, cinema and comedy
located on The Avenue in the south
of town, opened in 1957 after a thirty-
year campaign to build a theatre on
site of an old opera house. Designed
by London architects Elder and De
Pierro, the 486-seat venue is now
a thriving theatre, boasting a busy
Cineworld in Middlesbrough
56 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
For the latest films, go to the
14-screen Showcase Cinema
(showcasecinemas.co.uk) at Teesside
Shopping Park or Middlesbrough’s
11-screen Cineworld Cinema
(cineworld.co.uk). Arc in Stockton also
has a cinema, which regularly screens
theatrical performances as well as
feature films. Finally, if you are – or
have ever been – a student of Teesside
University, you can join the Cinema Society at Teesside University, which
specializes in world, classic, cult and
independent cinema.
performance programme featuring
everything from tribute bands to
drama and dance.
You’re invited to an evening of rib-
tickling fun at the Big Mouth Comedy Club (bigmouthcomedy.co.uk), the
biggest comedy club in the northeast.
Shows will be held at the town’s Jurys
Inn hotel (see p.58) while its regular
home, Middlesbrough Town Hall (see
p.54), undergoes refurbishment. For
more laughs, as well as music, dance,
drama and screened National Theatre
live performances, head to Stockton’s
arts centre, Arc (arconline.co.uk),
on Dovecot Street.
At the excellent Forum Theatre
(forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk) on
Queensway in Billingham, a busy
programme of events includes
song, circus, comedy and tribute
bands. Further afield is the beautiful
Edwardian Darlington Civic Theatre
(darlingtoncivic.co.uk). The theatre is
undergoing refurbishment from May
2016 until the autumn 2017, when it
reopens as the Darlington Hippodrome.
Middlesbrough’s innovative myplace (see also p.33) is a youth activity centre
and venue that boasts a theatre, TV
studio and two theatre schools, where
classes include drama workshops,
street dance and musical theatre.
Poster for the Big Mouth Comedy Club
57THINGS TO DO
You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes
to accommodation in Teesside, with
its range of excellent hotels, historic
country houses and chic, modern
apartments to suit all budgets.
As part of a major regeneration project
in Middlesbrough, a former office block
has been transformed into the 138-room
Holiday Inn Express Middlesbrough – Centre Square (hiexpress.com). You can’t
beat this hotel for convenience, as it’s
right in the town centre close to Teesside
University. Nearby, the four-star Jurys Inn (jurysinns.com) is an excellent choice
for both business and pleasure, with
132 rooms, function rooms, a pool, gym,
jacuzzi, sunbed, sauna and steam room.
Another high-end option is the
lovely Wynyard Hall Country House Hotel (wynyardhall.co.uk), set in
sprawling parkland to the north of
Middlesbrough. The elaborate interiors
of this 1846 manor house reflect the
ostentatious style of French King Louis
XIV. An equally idyllic weekend could
be spent at the Rockliffe Hall Hotel (rockliffehall.com) golf and spa resort,
set in an eighteenth-century estate in
The stunning Wynyard Hall Country House Hotel
Beautiful Blackthorn Gate
Where to stay
Hurworth-on-Tees, near Darlington. Its
restaurant, The Orangery, holds three
AA rosettes and is regarded as one of the
finest dining experiences in the region.
Other grand hotels in the area include
the Jacobean-style Gisborough Hall (macdonaldhotels.co.uk) and Yarm’s
outstanding offerings: the handsome
Crathorne Hall (handpickedhotels.co.uk)
and the Judges Country House Hotel at
Kirklevington Hall (judgeshotel.co.uk).
If you’re on a tighter budget, try The Old Mill (bedandbreakfastyarm.com)
in Yarm, which dates from 1750 and
was converted into a house in 1968.
Nearby, you’ll find the Stables at the Vale (thestablesatthevale.co.uk), a bed
and breakfast in a converted barn at
High Leven, Yarm. Other affordable
options include the Best Western Parkmore Hotel and Leisure Club
(bestwestern.co.uk) in Stockton and
the Travelodges (travelodge.co.uk) in
Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.
There are self-catering lodges at
award-winning Blackthorn Gate
(blackthorngate.co.uk) on Eastfields
Farm at the foot of Roseberry Topping
(see p.31) – Teessiders’ much-loved “mini
mountain” in the North York Moors
National Park. Tees Valley Apartments (teesvalleyapartments.co.uk) provide
centrally located, serviced rooms in
Middlesbrough.
Teesside has some fantastic camping
and caravan sites too. The White Water Park Caravan Club Site (caravanclub.
co.uk) is close to the Tees Barrage, and
Lordstones (lordstones.com), on the
North York Moors at Carlton Bank, offers
camping and luxury camping pods.
Hydrotherapy pool at Rockliffe Hall
A luxury camping pod at Lordstones
59THINGS TO DO
When eating out in Teesside, you must
leave your calorie concerns at home
and try the local delicacy, “parmo”.
The tasty dish is made of flattened,
breadcrumbed chicken topped with
bechamel sauce and melted cheese.
If this indulgent feast doesn’t appeal,
there are plenty of other options, from
Mediterranean, North African and
Indian fare to nouvelle cuisine and
traditional English grub.
Middlesbrough has an exciting, new
foodie hub. The former workers’ houses
on Bedford Street are now home to
independent cafés and restaurants,
including The Curing House (thecuring.
house), an excellent charcuterie
bar-restaurant; Mohujo’s Burrito Bar (mohujos.co.uk), with its Mexican
Where to eatfavourites; and Rounton Coffee’s Bedford Street Coffee house (rountoncoffee.
co.uk). On the last Saturday of every
month, nearby Baker Street hosts the
Orange Pip Market (facebook.com/
OrangePipMarket) – Middlesbrough’s
first artisan street-food market, where
you can sample regional food and enjoy
live music, arts and performances.
For chic dining, try Brasserie Hudson Quay (brasseriehudsonquay.com),
which overlooks the old Middlesbrough
Dock (see p.35). The contemporary
restaurant serves classic dishes, such
as sixteen-hour braised beef-cheek
bourguignon and poached local pork
fillet with North Sea shellfish.
Stunning Acklam Hall has had a
makeover. Middlesbrough’s only
Grade-I-listed building now features
The Brierley (thebrierley.co.uk), where
you can enjoy à la carte menus in its
formal Dining Room or afternoon tea in
The Salon, a cosy hideaway.
On Linthorpe Road, don’t miss the
award-winning Akbars (akbars.co.uk),
a superb Indian restaurant where
there’s a picture of former Top Gear
presenter Jeremy Clarkson (see p.13) in
the window with the quote: “One of the
best curries in my life”. The Dosa Houze Brasserie Hudson Quay
60 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
(dosahouze.co.uk) serves southern
Indian curries and pancake-like dosas.
Oven Restaurant, which serves
affordable gourmet cuisine, is a new
arrival on Linthorpe Road.
Middlesbrough Football Club’s
Riverside Restaurant (mfc.co.uk) is an
unexpected foodie hotspot. TV cook
and Norwich City supporter Delia Smith
put this place on the map when she
pronounced the food “the best in a
football club ever!” At La Pharmacie
(lapharmacie.co.uk) on Corporation
Road, you can choose from an express
lunch menu or take your time browsing
the bistro board (see also p.63), while the
classic Italian and creative international
dishes at Al Forno (al-forno.co.uk) on
Southfield Road are mouthwatering.
Further afield, the award-winning
vegetarian restaurant The Waiting Room (the-waiting-room.co.uk) at
Eaglescliffe offers inspiring European
and Middle Eastern dishes. At
Hartlepool marina, you can sample
North African and Mediterranean food
at Portofinos (portofino.co.uk). Oven Restaurant
Go on a café crawl and taste the best
cakes in Middlesbrough – but don’t
try them all at once. Start on Grange
Road, where you can sit beneath
tasselled lamps in the homely The Olde Young Tea House (facebook.
com/oldeyoungteahouse). Stroll to
Bedford Street for creative cupcakes at
the Songbird Bakery (songbirdbakery.
com). On the corner of Baker Street,
rest your legs in one of the comfortable
leather armchairs of the Baker Street Kitchen (thebakerstreetkitchen.co.uk).
A Middlesbrough Cake TrailFurther along the street, try freshly
baked flapjacks at the hip, wood-walled
Chilli Cake Deli (chillicakedeli.com). At
Sugar Craft (sugarcraftmiddlesbrough.
co.uk), on Borough Road, the white
walls and tables mimic the icing on the
wedding cakes at the entrance.
Head along Linthorpe Road to tuck
into waffles and pastries at De Melo
(demelo.co.uk). Dresser’s Tea Room,
on the ground floor of the Dorman
Museum, is a quaint spot with lace
tablecloths and parquet flooring.
61THINGS TO DO
Lose yourself among hundreds of
people in one of Middlesbrough’s
large clubs, sip cocktails in a swanky
bar or enjoy a pint in the quiet comfort
of a tiny micropub (see box opposite).
Teesside has exciting nightlife options
both for serious party-goers and more
retiring types.
The town offers many historic pubs
to choose from. Try the former county
court on Wilson Street, now the
Isaac Wilson (jdwetherspoon.co.uk)
Wetherspoon pub, which is named
after a Middlesbrough industrialist.
Drinking and nightlifeDoctor Browns (01642 803648), on
Corporation Road, was originally three
terraced houses and was licensed as a
pub in 1866. TS One (facebook.com/
ts1.middlesbroughltd) on Linthorpe
Road is a former bank with a beautiful
balustrade roof.
There are a huge number of watering
holes on and around Linthorpe Road.
Head there, or explore the upmarket
streets of the old port of Yarm, which
is awash with chic bars and a few
contemporary restaurants.
Entertainment at the multi-award-
winning Hub, a 1000-capacity Teesside University Students’ Union (see also
p.54) venue, includes themed nights,
comedy acts and live music. Southfield
Road runs through the university
campus and is popular with night-time
revellers: try the Dicken’s Inn and
Dickens 2 (thedickensinn.co.uk), The Star (thestar-middlesbrough.co.uk) or
TS One
The Hub, Teesside University Student’s Union
62 MINI ROUGH GUIDE TO TEESSIDE
Corporation Road. This Middlesbrough
institution, which opened in 1897, boasts
three floors devoted to a range of genres,
including dubstep and heavy-metal.
Don’t miss the Medicine Bar (see p.54)
– a cellar club and cocktail bar beneath
La Pharmacie restaurant (see p.61) that
hosts indie, alternative and trash nights.
Tiny (facebook.com/clubtiny) on
Albert Road, Middlesbrough, is the only
bespoke LGBT venue in Teesside. Some
venues host club nights: try Avalon (facebook.com/AvalonDarlington) or
Harvey’s Late Bar (facebook.com/
harveysdarlo) in Darlington or Club Ice (clubice-stockton.co.uk) in Stockton.
The Southfield (thesouthfield.co.uk).
Bedford Street also has some great new
cocktail bars, including The Nuthatch
(the-nuthatch.co.uk).
For a taste of true “Boro” fervour, visit
the landmark Navigation Inn (01642
226857) on Marsh Road. The regular
haunt of Middlesbrough Football Club
fans now stands alone in what was once
a bustling dockside area.
Clubbers should make for Spensley’s Emporium and Atik (01642 218484),
which is housed in a Gothic building
on Albert Road and embraces all kinds
of music, from indie folk to dance.
Then there’s the Empire (see p.54) on
Britain’s pub scene may be in decline,
but Middlesbrough’s micropubs are
booming. Most are independent,
compact pubs of just one room serving
locally brewed real ales.
The Infant Hercules, on Grange
Road, takes its name from a description
of Middlesbrough by former Prime
Minister William Ewart Gladstone. His
words are emblazoned on a wall, along
with framed prints of the town.
On Bedford Street, you’ll find The Chairman, a hip bar with brick walls
and an open kitchen. The Twisted Lip (thetwistedlip.co.uk) on Baker Street
A Craft-Beer Trailis decorated with antique-style bric-a-
brac and hosts live music on Fridays.
Sherlocks, a couple of doors along, has
a stove heater and its window bears the
distinctive profile of Sherlock Holmes.
On Borough Road, you’ll come to The Devil’s Advocate, whose wood seats are
strewn with cushions. Round the corner,
on Linthorpe Road, Sticky Fingers Café
and Rock Bar (stickyfingersrockbar.
co.uk) shares premises with a guitar store
and features live music (Fri and Sat).
A 15-minute walk to Roman Road is
worth it for the beer at Dr Phil’s Real Ale House (drphilsrealalehouse.co.uk).
63THINGS TO DO
Picture credits
Resources
All images are courtesy of Teesside University, Middlesbrough Council and Stockton Council except:
(Key: b-bottom; c-centre; l-left; r-right; t-top)
Alamy: John Warburton-Lee Photography 12bl, Edward Westmacott
14, Zak Hussein / WENN.com 15tr; Andrew Jones: 54bl; Harry Murphy: 46br.
Jacket images All cover images are the copyright of Teesside University except: back (cr) © Eve Photography.
Download a digital version of this guide at tees.ac.uk/roughguides
Darlington ✪ For tourist information, visit: thisisdarlington.com/visit or
www.darlington.gov.uk/leisure-and-
culture/visitor-information/
Hartlepool ✪ Tourist Information Centre: Tel: 01429 869706 destinationhartlepool.com
Middlesbrough
✪ For a guide to Middlesbrough, visit: lovemiddlesbrough.com facebook.com/lovemiddlesbrough twitter.com/lovembro
✪ For more information about Teesside University, visit: tees.ac.uk youtube.com/user/UniversityofTeesside
✪ For all events held at mima, visit: visitmima.com/whats-on
✪ For information about sports facilities
in Middlesbrough, visit:
everyoneactive.com
Redcar ✪ Tourist Information Centre: Tel: 01642 471921 redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/visit
Stockton ✪ For an events guide, visit: events.stockton.gov.uk
Walking and cycling ✪ For information about trails, visit: www.lovemiddlesbrough.com/downloads www.stockton.gov.uk/arts-culture-and-leisure/cycling-and-walking