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Middlesbrough
is a town in the Tees Valley conurbation of North East England and sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is the largest and most populous settlement within the Borough of Middlesbrough, which encompasses the town and several outlying villages which have become suburbs.
Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 1968 the town became the centre of the County Borough of Teesside, which was absorbed by the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland in 1974.
In 1996 Cleveland was abolished, and Middlesbrough became a unitary authority, within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire.
Middlesbrough is different from the other districts on Teesside, as
the borough is almost entirely urbanised, thus making it the largest town in terms of area and population, but the smallest district. However, the areas of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, and South
Bank in the neighbouring borough of Redcar and Cleveland, are also part of the Middlesbrough agglomeration.Middlesbrough is situated on the south bank of the River Tees, a few miles from the edge of the
North York Moors National Park.
Teesport, the UK's third largest port, lies 3 miles (4.8 km) to the east, and Durham Tees Valley Airport lies 8 miles (13 km) to the west, near Darlington.
Northeast of Middlesbrough, the Tees Estuary with its colony of breeding seals has extensive sandy beaches. Some 7,000 salmon and 13,000 sea trout migrated upstream through the estuary in 2000.
Landmarks
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Panoramic view of Middlesbrough
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Acklam Hall
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Located in the suburb and former village of Acklam and by some distance Middlesbrough's oldest domestic building is Acklam Hall of c.1680-3. Built by
Sir William Hustler, it is also Middlesbrough's sole Grade I listed building. The Restoration mansion, accessible through an avenue of trees off Acklam Road,
has seen progressive updates through the centuries, such that it makes for a captivating document of varying trends in English architecture.
Built on extensive grounds by the Pennyman family now under the jurisdiction of the National Trust, Ormesby Hall, a Palladian mansion actually technically
located within the neighbouring borough of Redcar and Cleveland, but within one of the town's seven conservation areas, was largely built around 1740,
although an older wing dating from around 1599, still exists.
There is also a group of interesting churches, for example at Acklam, Marton and Stainton (c.12th century), as well as
the modern St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral at Coulby Newham, replacing in the 1980s the previous structure on Sussex Street that was left gutted and at the mercy of arsonists in 2000.
But a modest tally of pre-1900 buildings remain in the town centre, however; the priory, farmhouse and any other
elements of the town's pre-industrial landscape (such as the Restoration Newport House and its associated Hustler
Granary, which submitted to demolition in the 1930s by virtue of its vicinity to the then-recently opened Tees Newport
Bridge, and the locally famous "White Cottages" on St. Barnabas Road in Linthorpe) have long since been banished to
history. Indeed, incorporation of the town itself did not occur until 1853. Even so, the urban centre remains home to a
variety of architecture ranging from the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, opened in January 2007 to replace a
number of former outlying galleries; and Centre North East, formerly Corporation House, which remains the tallest
building in the North East of England, having initially opened in 1971. Many believe that there is a beauty to be found in
the surrounding landscape of industry along the River Tees from Billingham to Wilton. The terraced Victorian streets
surrounding the town centre are characterful elements of Middlesbrough's social and historical identity, and the vast
streets surrounding Parliament Road and Abingdon Road a reminder of the area's wealth and rapid growth during industrialisation.
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Middlesbrough Town Hall
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The town hall, designed by George Gordon Hoskins and built between 1883 and 1887 is a Grade II Listed Building, and a very imposing structure. Of
comparable grandeur alongside these municipal buildings is the erstwhile Empire Palace of Varieties of 1897, the finest surviving theatre edifice
designed by Ernest Runtz in the UK. The first artist to star there in its guise as a music hall was Lillie Langtry. Later it became an early nightclub (1950s),
then a bingo-hall and is now once again a night club in the form of 'The Empire'. It has recently, as of 2005, had the missing ornate glass and steel
over-canopy to the front entrance fully restored. Further afield in Linthorpe can be found the Little Theatre (now Middlesbrough Theatre), which was
opened by Sir John Gielgud in 1957 and was one of the first new theatres built in England after the Second World War.
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Middlesbrough Central (Public) Library
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The town can also boast this country’s only public sculpture by the celebrated modern American artist Claes Oldenburg, the "Bottle O' Notes" of 1993, which
relates to Captain James Cook. Based alongside it today in the town's Central Gardens is the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), the successor
to previous art galleries on Linthorpe Road and Gilkes Street. Refurbished in 2006 is the Carnegie library dating from 1912. The Dorman Long office on
Zetland Road, constructed between 1881 and 1891, is the only commercial building ever designed by Philip Webb, the great architect who worked for Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell.
The town centre has been undergoing modernisation in recent years; this includes the addition in 2004 of 'Spectra-txt,' a 10-metre (33 ft) high interactive
tower of metal and fibre-optics inspired by Blade Runner (whose own industrial scenery was inspired by that of
Teesside, by virtue in part of the experiences of its director, the South Shields-born Ridley Scott, a former art college
student up the coast in nearby industrialised West Hartlepool). 'Spectra-txt' allows a member of the public to send an
SMS (text) message via a mobile phone to change the colours of the lights. Texting various codes, such as 'Chromapop' produce a display of changing colour lights.
Transport
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A Travel Information Display at a Middlesbrough Bus Shelter
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Middlesbrough is served well by public transport. The Arriva North East, Stagecoach on Teesside, Leven Valley, Alrite Travel and Go North East bus lines
provide local transport mainly in Middlesbrough and to Durham Tees Valley Airport, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. National
Express and Megabus operate long distance coach travel from the bus station. Middlesbrough has recently benefited from an upgrade in bus services; with digital
displays having being fitted at selected bus shelters in the town and many bus shelters being renovated.
Until the 1970s Middlesbrough bus services consisted of the blue buses of
Middlesbrough Corporation Transport, or the red buses of the United Bus Company, with an occasional green bus from Stockton Corporation Transport. The merger to form Teesside resulted in
a unified Teesside Corporation Transport, with Stockton's green merging with Middlesbrough's blue to give a
turquoise-liveried fleet, a colour which was not universally popular. The United Bus Company, which had operated
fewer services than the other two, but tended to cover longer distances, began operating under the National Bus Company brand at about the same time.
Train services are operated by Northern Rail and Transpennine Express, the latter of which provides direct rail services
to cities such as Leeds, York, Liverpool and Manchester, departing from Middlesbrough station. Currently there are no
direct rail services to London King's Cross from Middlesbrough, however, open access operator Grand Central Trains
operate four weekday return journeys from nearby Eaglescliffe. Northern Rail connect with the East Coast Main Line at
Darlington providing an interchange for direct services to many areas of the UK. Northern also operate the Saltburn
route as well as the beautiful Esk Valley Line to Whitby. The Tees Valley Metro scheme intends to improve railway
services from Middlesbrough to Darlington, Saltburn, Nunthorpe and Hartlepool and open new stations at Teesside
Park, Middlehaven, James Cook University Hospital and Nunthorpe Parkway. The first stages of the scheme were approved by the Department for Transport in 2009.
Economy
There is a large and comprehensive shopping district made up of several separate shopping centres, which include 'The
Mall Middlesbrough' renamed in 2005 from 'Cleveland Shopping Centre,' which has undergone a major refurbishment.
'Dundas Street Shopping' renamed in 2005 from 'Dundas Shopping Arcade', 'Hill Street Shopping Centre' and 'Captain
Cook Square'. Linthorpe Road is home to several independent and national fashion shops. A four-part BBC3
documentary "The Secret Life of the Shop" was made in 2005 about the clothing store Psyche, which highlighted how seriously Teessiders take fashion.
Culture and leisure
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Dorman Museum
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Long-awaited flagship art gallery project, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art opened its doors in January 2007. It currently holds the second
largest collection of Picassos in the United Kingdom. It also holds works by Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and Damien Hirst among others. Its considerable
arts and crafts collections span from 1900 to the present day. Surrounding it is the town's overhauled Victoria Square and Central Gardens, in tandem
producing "the largest civic space in Europe".
Middlesbrough has two major recreational park spaces in Albert Park and
Stewart Park, Marton. The former, originally hailed as 'The People's Park', was donated to the town by Bolckow in 1866. It was formally opened by Prince
Arthur, youngest son of the monarch, on 11 August 1868 and comprises a 30 hectare (70 acre) site accessible from Linthorpe Road. The park underwent a
considerable period of restoration from 2001 to 2004, during which a number of the Park's most well-known landmarks, including a fountain, bandstand and
sundial saw either restoration or revival. Alongside these two parks are two of the town's premier cultural attractions, the century-old Dorman Memorial
Museum and the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum. Close to the latter can be found a granite urn marking the supposed spot of the famous explorer's birthplace.
Newham Grange Leisure farm in Coulby Newham, one of the most southerly districts of the town, has operated
continuously in this spot since the 17th century, becoming a leisure farm with the first residential development of the
suburb in the 1970s. It is now a burgeoning tourist attraction: the chance to view its cattle, pigs, sheep and other farm animals is complemented by exhibitions of the farming history of the area.
Back in the 'Old Town' or St Hilda's, is the Transporter Bridge Visitor Centre, opened in 2000 and offering its own
exhibitions charting the stirring past of the surrounding industrial powerhouse, as well as that of the singular structure it commemorates.
Education
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Constantine Building, Teesside University
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Middlesbrough became a university town in 1992, after a concerted campaign for a distinct 'Teesside University' which had run since the 1960s. Prior to its
establishment, extramural classes had been provided by the University of Leeds Adult Education Centre on Harrow Road, from 1958 to 2001. Teesside
University has more than 20,000 students. It dates back to 1930 as Constantine Technical College (although teaching formalities had begun in the then-new
building as early as September 1929). Current departments of the University include Teesside University Business School as well as the Schools of Arts and
Media, Computing, Health and Social Care, Science & Technology and Social Sciences & Law. The University is internationally recognised as a leading
institute for computer animation and games design and along with Arc arts centre at Stockton-on-Tees, Cineworld cinema in Middlesbrough, and the
Riverside Stadium, hosts the annual Animex International Festival of Animation.
The University is not alone in providing further and higher education in the town. There are also a number of modern
schools, colleges and sixth forms, the largest of which is Middlesbrough College with 16,000 students, which once
covered the four campuses of Acklam, Kirby, Longlands and Marton, including the one-time Acklam Hall until July
2008. From September 2008 Middlehaven is now the new home of further education in the town. Others include St.
David's School in Acklam, Newlands School F.C.J. in Saltersgill and Macmillan Academy on Stockton Road, which
was recently declared the best state school in England.[13] Two of three campuses of Cleveland College of Art and
Design are also based in Middlesbrough, with its primary site on Green Lane having been officially opened in 1960. It
remains the only such college remaining in the North East, and one of only four specialist art and design further education
colleges in the United Kingdom, the others being in Herefordshire, Leeds and Plymouth.
Secondary Schools
Middlesbrough also includes some very competitive secondary schools. The Newlands School is a Specialist
Mathematics and Computing College, located on Saltersgill Avenue. Acklam Grange Secondary School is also a
specialist mathematics and computing college. Its also home to the Acorn Sports centre and Middlesbrough City
Learning Centre. Currently Acklam Grange is being rebuilt on the same site, which is at the end of Lodore Grove.
The £17 million Unity City Academy which replaced the Langbaurgh and Keldholme schools in east Middlesbrough was
one of the first schools to open as part of the government's £5 billion City Academy programme for failing
comprehensives. In 2005 an unusually large proportion of pupils gained no GCSEs and only 14% of pupils gained 5
A*–C grades, compared with a national average of 51%. However in 2006 the school has had a new management in
place and achieved pass rates of 33%. In 2009 Unity City Academy was named the most improved school in Middlesbrough by Ofsted.
In 2007 Ofsted reported that Macmillan Academy and Eston Park School were Grade 1, Outstanding, in overall effectiveness.
Religion
Middlesbrough is a deanery of the Archdeaconry of Cleveland, a subdivision of the Church of England Diocese of York
in the Province of York. It stretches west from Thirsk, north to Middlesbrough, east to Whitby and south to Pickering.
Middlesbrough is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough, which was created on 20 December 1878
from the Diocese of Beverley. Middlesbrough is home to the Mother-Church of the diocese, St. Mary's Cathedral,
which is located in the suburb of Coulby Newham. The Seventh Bishop of Middlesbrough, Bishop Terence Drainey was ordained on Friday 25 January 2008, following the previous Bishop's resignation.
St. Stephen's Middlesbrough, near the university campus, is an evangelical congregation worshipping in the style of the Church of England, but which is in the Evangelical Connexion.
Nightlife
During university term time, Middlesbrough is busy throughout the week with student nights taking place throughout the
bars and clubs. During the holidays, the town is especially busy from Thursday to Sunday.
One of the most popular venues is The Empire in the centre of town. Several famous bands and DJs have played at this
venue, from the likes of Roger Sanchez, Eric Prydz to DJ Disciple. The Crown, Basement, Blu, Cornerhouse,
Walkabout, Aruba, Onyx, Barracuda and the Arena, now re-opened with a seven o'clock license are also popular. A
Cineworld cinema is located at Middlesbrough Leisure Park, as well as a Showcase Cinema in the Middlesbrough part of Teesside Park.
The Rolling Stones, iconic and internationally famous rock-band, played their first gig outside of London on 13 July 1963
at The Outlook, Corporation Road, Middlesbrough. The present Teesside Combined Law Courts now stand on the site
of these premises which were built as a small department store featuring fashion, hair-styling and record sales. The small
'club' was actually a coffee and snack-bar (unlicensed) in the basement. Manchester band, The Hollies appeared the
same night. In 1966 both Stevie Wonder, and rock-band The Who, played a tiny 200 capacity, unlicensed club-venue
called Mr McCoy's, a former Electrical wholesalers warehouse, which until 1970, stood on the site of 'The Mall' indoor shopping centre.
Crime
Middlesbrough uses combined installations of CCTV cameras and loudspeakers to reprimand citizens when they are
committing infringements (throwing cigarette ends on the ground, littering etc.). Middlesbrough was the first place in the
UK to install CCTV with loudspeakers which inspired other towns to use this idea. The crime rate in Middlesbrough is
nearly twice the UK average and was 4th highest in England in 2007 despite seeing year on year reductions according to the Cleveland Police crime statistics.
Politics
Middlesbrough and the surrounding area has two Members of Parliament (MPs): Ashok Kumar and Sir Stuart Bell.
Middlesbrough has been a traditionally safe Labour seat, largely due to its industrial, working class history. The first
Conservative MP for Middlesbrough was Sir Samuel Alexander Sadler, elected in 1900. The Middlesbrough South and
East Cleveland seat is also Labour but incorporates surrounding towns including Guisborough and Saltburn and is a
more marginal seat and a Conservative target (the Conservatives having held the Langbaurgh predecessor seat until 1997).
In 2002, Middlesbrough voted to have a directly elected mayor as head of the council. The current mayor is Ray Mallon
(independent), a former senior, and somewhat controversial, figure in the local police force. Mallon was re-elected for a second term in office in the May 2007 local and mayoral elections.
Future developments
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Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art
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As part of its £1.5 billion investment programme, Tees Valley Regeneration has started work on reclaiming Middlesbrough Docklands with the £500 million
Middlehaven scheme to bring new business and homes to a 250 acres (1.0 km2) area. The first phase around the former docklands has already begun and
is visible from the Riverside Stadium. The master plan drawn up by Will Alsop in 2004, includes proposals for the relocation of Middlesbrough College and the
building of a virtual reality centre by Teesside University as part of the DigitalCity development, in addition to numerous offices, hotels, bars,
restaurants and leisure attractions. Tees Valley Regeneration now has a shortlist of five developers seeking to build at Middlehaven, the list includes some of the
most prestigious and groundbreaking names in development and regeneration, and a decision on the chosen developer is due to be made in the next few months.
The Stockton-Middlesbrough Initiative is a 20 year vision for regenerating the urban core of the Tees Valley, the main
focus being the area of 7,500 acres (30 km2) along the banks of the River Tees between the two centres of Stockton
and Middlesbrough. The master plan has been drawn up by environmental design specialists Gillespies, the eventual aim
being to create a distinctive high-quality city of over 360,000 citizens at the heart of the Tees Valley, by connecting both
Middlesbrough and Stockton along the Tees corridor. The project will include not only the existing developments at Middlehaven and North Shore Stockton, but many others over a 15–20 year period.
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The former Odeon cinema in Middlesbrough, during demolition
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Private local developers have recently announced plans to build a 360-foot (110 m) tower on the site of the old Odeon Cinema (more recently a nightclub) which
collapsed during demolition work in July 2006. The site is in central Middlesbrough at the eastern end of Newport Road and was proposed to be
the tallest building in the North East, surpassing the existing record already held by Middlesbrough's own Centre North East building — although the plan was
later, as of 2007, downscaled. The new development will be the first of such skyscrapers proposed in Middlesbrough with two more envisioned for
Middlehaven. The second one on the Middlehaven site is the most unlikely but still being considered and could see either an American or Dubai based
company to build a skyscraper 750–900 feet (230–275 m) in height, showing Middlesbrough is progressing into the future and is a growing centre for
commerce and development. The idea for such skyscrapers is the result of limited land area in Middlesbrough. Instead of
building outwards and subsequently having to apply for boundary extension, it makes sense to build up. It sees
Middlesbrough a participant in the "skyscraper boom" currently hitting the United Kingdom.
One of Middlesbrough's finest buildings, Kirby College, set in the inner suburb of Linthorpe is currently in the process of
being brought back to life by local developer Green Lane Capital. The building will become known as The Old College.
Middlesbrough, along with other towns and cities in the UK, will be granted a licence to build a new large casino. Manchester won the bid to host the 'Super Casino'.
Sport
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Riverside Stadium 2006
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Middlesbrough is home to the Championship football team, Middlesbrough F.C., owned by local haulage entrepreneur Steve Gibson. The club is based at
the Riverside Stadium on the banks of the River Tees, where they have played since relocating from Ayresome Park (their home for 92 years) near to
Linthorpe Road in 1995. The club was a founder member of the FA Premier League in 1992, and moved from its previous home at Ayresome Park in 1995.
Having endured 128 years without a major trophy, Middlesbrough finally won the Carling Cup under then-manager Steve McClaren, on 29 February 2004,
beating Bolton Wanderers 2–1 in the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. This also qualified them for another club first: competitive European football,
with the first of two consecutive UEFA Cup campaigns. The second resulted in them reaching the final, which they lost 4-0 to Sevilla of Spain. Other notable
successes of the club include a string of promotions to the top flight (the most recent in 1998) and being runners-up in both domestic cup finals in 1997 (the
first two cup finals they ever reached). In 1905 they made history with Britain's first £1,000 transfer when they signed Alf Common from local rivals
Sunderland. Other notable players to have worn the Middlesbrough shirt include Steve Bloomer, Wilf Mannion, George Camsell, George Hardwick, Brian
Clough, Bernie Slaven, Gary Pallister, Juninho, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Graeme Souness. Notable former managers include Jack Charlton, Bruce Rioch, Lennie Lawrence, Bryan Robson and Steve McClaren.
Another league club, Middlesbrough Ironopolis F.C., was briefly based in the town during the 1890s, but folded within a few years.
During the 2005–2006 season, Middlesbrough was the only north eastern team involved in European competition,
having qualified for the UEFA Cup through a club-record seventh-placed finish in the 2004-2005 FA Premier League.
Having beaten FC Basel and Steaua Bucureşti 4–3 in previous rounds (coming back from three goals down on both
occasions), Middlesbrough FC arrived at its first UEFA Cup final. They lost 4–0 to Sevilla FC at the Philips Stadion on
10 May 2006, although three of Sevilla's four goals were scored in the last fourteen minutes. The efforts of McClaren,
however, were recognised in his appointment as Sven-Göran Eriksson's successor at the helm of the England national
team after that summer's World Cup, albeit only remaining in the role until November the following year. He was
replaced as Middlesbrough manager by long-serving defender Gareth Southgate, in an appointment that was
controversial owing to Southgate's initial lack of the coaching qualifications required by English Premier League rules.
The appointment was unsuccessfully opposed by various Football Association officials.
Speedway racing was staged at Cleveland Park Stadium from the pioneer days of 1928 until the 1990s. The post-war
team, known as The Bears, and for a time, The Teessiders, and the Teesside Tigers operated at all levels. The immediate
post war Bears team, which operated between 1945 and 1948, was reputed to be a victim of its own success. The
track operated for amateur speedway in the 1950s before re-opening in the Provincial League of 1961. The track
closed for a spell later in the 1960s but returned in as members of the Second Division as The Teessiders. Speedway returned to the Middlesbrough area in 2006 and the team is known as the Redcar Bears.
Middlesbrough is also represented nationally in Futsal. Middlesbrough Futsal Club play in the FA Futsal League North,
the national championship and their home games are played in Thornaby at Thornaby Pavilion.
Television and filmography
Middlesbrough has featured in many television programmes, including The Fast Show, Steel River Blues, Spender, Play
for Today (The Black Stuff; latterly the drama Boys from the Blackstuff) and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Some of the Movie Billy Elliot was filmed on the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.
Tyne Tees Television used to broadcast its news for the South regions from its studios located at the base of Corporation House (now Walkabout bar), before moving to its new premises in Billingham.
On 17 December 2007, at about 1 p.m. local time, the American television network NBC broadcast live from the
Transporter Bridge, where presenter Ann Curry performed a bungee jump above the river, as part of a fundraising effort
for charities such as Save the Children and United Way. Despite advance publicity in the Evening Gazette and the BBC,
the occasion did not attract many spectators other than the members of the UK Bungee Club supervising the jump, and
the recovery party in a river boat. Despite recent adverse publicity for the town, including a poll conducted by a Channel
4 television programme, Location, Location, Location, making use of criteria questioned by the mayor Ray Mallon,
which listed Middlesbrough as the country's supposed 'worst place to live' in 2007, no local politicians attempted to capitalize on the occasion.
In May 2008 Middlesbrough was chosen as one of the sites in the BBC’s Public Space Broadcasting Project. Like
other towns participating in the project, Middlesbrough was offered a large 27 m2 (290 sq ft) television screen by the
BBC and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games. The screen was installed on 11 July 2008 and is located at the western end of Centre Square.
In November 2009, the mima art gallery was used by the presenters of Top Gear as part of a challenge. The challenge was to see if car exhibits would be more popular than normal art.
Notable former and present residents
The world famous explorer, navigator, and map maker Captain James Cook was born in Marton, which is now a suburb
in the south-east of Middlesbrough.
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James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. 1775, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
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Other famous people from the town include:
* Sports
o Rugby union players Rory Underwood and Alan Old
o Footballers Don Revie, Peter Beagrie, Wilf Mannion, Darren Williams,
Chris Kamara and Brian Clough, as well as current England players, Aston Villa's Stewart Downing and Tottenham Hotspur's Jonathan Woodgate
o Middlesbrough FC Chairman Steve Gibson
o Cricketers Liam Plunkett, Geoff Cook, Bill Athey and Chris Old
o Boxer Paul Truscott
o Olympic swimmer Jack Hatfield and Commonwealth Games swimmer Alyson Jones
o British long jump record holding athlete Chris Tomlinson
o Former Premiership referee Jeff Winter
o Junior World and European Track Cycling Champion David Daniel
o The Football Association's Director of Communications Adrian Bevington
* The Arts
o Model Preeti Desai
o Comedians Dave Morris, Bob Mortimer, Roy Chubby Brown and Kevin Connelly
o Musicians Cyril Smith, Chris Rea, Paul Rodgers, Micky Moody, Alistair Griffin, Vin Garbutt, Chris Corner and Stephen Mark Barchan
o Actors Wendy Richard, Thelma Barlow, Christopher Quinten, Elizabeth Carling, Mark Benton, Jerry Desmonde and Jamie Parker
o Writers Ann Jellicoe - playwright and theatre director, novelists Ernest William Hornung and Richard Milward
o Visual artists Fred Appleyard, Robert Nixon, Mackenzie Thorpe, Chris Dooks and William Tillyer
o Author, Educator, Historian and Lecturer Paul C. Doherty
* Other Entertainers:
o Magician Paul Daniels
o TV Presenter Kirsten O'Brien
o X Factor third place contestants Journey South
o Magician Pete Firman
Other eminent sons and daughters of Middlesbrough and its environs include Martin Narey, chief executive of
Barnardo's, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson,[29] Chief Medical Officer for England, E. W. Hornung, the creator of the
gentleman-crook Raffles (who was fluent in three Yorkshire dialects, and Naomi Jacob novelist. Florence Easton, the
Wagnerian soprano at the New York Met and Cyril Smith, the concert pianist, were also natives. The famous M.P.
Ellen Wilkinson wrote a novel Clash (1929) which paints a very positive picture of ‘Shireport’ (Middlesbrough).
Florence Olliffe Bell's classic study At The Works (1907) gives a striking picture of the area at the turn-of-the-century.
She also edited the letters of her stepdaughter Gertrude Bell, which has been continuously in print since 1927. Pat
Barker's debut novel Union Street was set on the thoroughfare of the same name in the town, its central theme of
prostitution still associated with the area around it to this day. The Jonny Briggs series of books, written by Joan
Eadington (and later to become a BBC Childrens TV series of the same name, was also based in the town.
Ford Madox Ford was billeted in Eston during the Great War (1914–18) and his great novel sequence Parade's End is partly set in Busby Hall, Carlton-in-Cleveland.
Adrian 'Six Medals' Warburton, air photographer, was played by Alec Guinness in 'Malta Story'.
The great model maker Richard Old (1856–1932) resided for most of his life at 6 Ruby Street.
Image gallery
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The Bottle of Notes sculpture by
Claes Oldenburg
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Teesside Crown Court, Middlesbrough
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40,000 Years of Modern Art, at Middlehaven by
Benedict Carpenter
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The mima circa 2007
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