Salvation Data 0800 075 0720

Stockton-on-Tees

Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in North East England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority area and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including Billingham, Yarm and Thornaby. The combined size of the borough equates to approx 180,000 people and makes it larger than Middlesbrough in terms of population and square miles.

History

Stockton began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement on high ground close to the northern bank of the River Tees.

The manor of Stockton was created in around 1138. It was purchased by Bishop Pudsey of Durham in 1189 and since then has undergone many changes.

Stockton's market can trace its history back to 1310, when Bishop Bek of Durham granted a market charter - to our town of Stockton a market upon every Wednesday for ever.

Stockton Castle is first referred to in 1376. It was captured by the Scots in 1644 and was occupied by them until 1646, but was destroyed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell at the end of the Civil War. There is now a shopping centre, called the Castlegate Centre, where the original castle stood. There are no known accurate depictions of the castle in existence.^[1]

In June 1890 Major Robert Ropner offered a piece of land to the people of Stockton which could be used as a public park, providing the local council would lay it out tastefully and keep it forever. Just over three years later, on 4 October 1893, the park was officially opened by the then Duke & Duchess of York. After a century of regular use by the people of Stockton, the park was refurbished and renovated between 2004-2007 to its former glory by Stockton Council, thanks to a £2.65m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It includes a new bandstand, based on the original design, a Park Ranger's Office and a cafe, (run by the local charity, the Friends of Ropner Park).

Transport links

Several bus services operate in Stockton. Most services pass through the High Street. The services cover large areas of the region including Middlesbrough, Teesside Park, Thornaby, Billingham, Sedgefield, Durham, Sunderland, Peterlee and Newcastle upon Tyne. Among the companies operating bus services, Stagecoach on Teesside and Arriva North East are the major providers, while six minor providers also operate in the area.^[2]

At Christmas, Arriva and Stagecoach bus drivers dress up in santa suits and raise money for certain charities.

Economy

Major industries in Stockton have included ship-repairing, steel and chemicals, although most ship building was performed in nearby Hartlepool.

The town is famous for its associations with the Stockton and Darlington Railway on which ran the world's first steam hauled passenger train in 1825. The town also has the world's oldest railway station^{[citation needed]} building, and also contains much Georgian architecture, one notable example being the world's oldest Georgian theatre,^{[citation needed]} constructed in 1766.

During the twentieth century the town's heavy industry declined dramatically, along with that of the surrounding Teesside area. Since the 1980s the town has seen an increase in service industries.^{[citation needed]}

Work is under way to develop the north bank of the River Tees as part of the North Shore development, which will include new offices and housing.

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

Notable people

Lee Turnbull - Former Middlesbrough striker.

Paul Smith of Maxïmo Park was born and grew up in Billingham in the borough of Stockton.

Lee Cattermole - Former Middlesbrough footballer currently playing for Sunderland.

Graham Wright Author and Artist

Elizabeth Estensen Actress well known for her role of Diane Sugden in Emmerdale

Jonathan Franks - Current Middlesbrough winger/striker

Cathrine Kilvington R.M.N. -Innovative psychiatric nurse http://gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2009/05/16/early-death-of-dedicated-nurse-84229-23634139/

Today

The town's High Street is reputed to be the widest in England.^[3]

Stockton-on-Tees has many suburbs with individual identities: Eaglescliffe, Fairfield, Grangefield, Hardwick, Hartburn, Elm Tree Farm, Ingleby Barwick, Norton, Roseworth, Newtown, Bishopsgarth, Oxbridge, Preston-on-Tees, Thornaby and Yarm to name a few.

Stockton town centre has undergone many developments in recent years including the Teesquay Millennium Footbridge, the Queen's Campus of Durham University which actually lies on the southern banks of the river Tees in Thornaby-on-Tees formerly North Yorkshire, several acres of office buildings erected along the south bank of the River Tees within the Teesdale development, Wellington Square, a modern shopping arcade erected upon the old Wellington Street area of the town centre, and Infinity Bridge. At Castlegate Quay there is moored a full size replica of Captain Cook's vessel, the Bark "Endeavour". Kellington was also resident on the river in Stockton between 1993 and 2009 when she was broken up in situ. In 1995, after 4 years in the building, the Tees Barrage was commissioned. A water sports centre, including White Water, is located there. In 2009, the Infinity Bridge was opened.

While Stockton has its own railway station near to the town centre, Stockton railway station, more and longer-distance services operate from Thornaby railway station across the River Tees.

Stockton is also home to the multi-million pound Arc, which opened in 1999 and whose resident drama company is currently the Arden Theatre Company. Stockton F.C. existed from 1882 till 1975, with Thornaby F.C. and Norton & Stockton Ancients F.C. taking over as the local sides.

Stockton has a firework display on the 5^th November which has got bigger in recent years. The 2007 display attracted around 100,000 people and played host to a giant catherine wheel type firework.

Stockton holds the Stockton International Riverside Festival each year, Europe's largest free open air festival.^[4] Its 21st year was 30 July to 3 August 2008. The festival has a "5-day programme of outdoor theatre, street entertainment, circus, music and dance, by some of the world's best artists."^[5] The festival features acts from performers from all across the world^[6] and a carnival procession which travels through the high street^[7]. There is a fringe festival which has performances from "some of the biggest names in UK music"^[8].

Stockton is the location of HMP Holme House, a Category B prison for adult men. The prison hold inmates from the Tees Valley, South West Durham, East Durham and North Yorkshire.

Public services

Stockton-on-Tees falls within the jurisdiction of Cleveland Police. Prior to 1974, it was under the jurisdiction of Teesside Constabulary.