The River Tees - Middlesbrough, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Ironmasters' Trail passes through the Ironmasters’ district of Middlesbrough and the route has lots of information on the iron and steel industry that once dominated this stretch of the river.

At this point a cycle and walking path is alongside the river giving easy access to the information board. This path shares part of the routes of National Cycle Network route 1, The England Coast Path National Trail, The Teesdale Way and the Eight Bridges Way so is seen by many people using these trails as well as locals.

There are 6 points of interest on the trail, and all are shown on the map on this board. There is a convenient car park at Teesaurus Park and the trail can be completed as a circular route.

This information board has the following text.

THE RIVER TEES

THE RIVER TEES was the reason for the location of the new town of MIDDLESBROUGH. The first industrial settlement here was called PORT DARLINGTON where an extension to the railway from STOCKTON loaded coal from the Durham Coalfields onto vessels to be transported to London.

The Tees was a slow, meandering river at its lower reaches and this meant that it could take as long for a vessel dependant on tides to get from Stockton to Teesmouth as it did from Teesmouth to London. In 1810 the MANDALE CUT was made and twenty years later the PORTRACK CUT, both designed to remove big loops in the river and so speed progress to the sea.

NEWPORT BRIDGE, which is in front of you, was built in 1934 by the local firm, DORMAN LONG. It operated on the principle of counterweights, which you can see suspended near the tops of the two towers. Dorman Long also built the TYNE BRIDGE and the SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE.

The river has become cleaner as the heavy industry has declined. Look out for LEAPING SALMON, SEALS, CORMORANTS, COMMON SANDPIPERS, LAPWINGS, COMMON TERNS and other birds.

THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

On the opposite bank of the river you can see the ICI chemical complex. This was established during the First World War in 1917 when the government made a strategic decision to build a large nitrate plant to produce explosives. The war ended before the plant was completed and a Cheshire based company, BRUNNER MOND was persuaded to buy it and adapt it to the production of fertiliser.

In 1926 Britain's four largest chemical companies combined to create ICI BILLINGHAM, which employed 5,000 people locally by 1932. During the Second World War the complex produced aviation fuel from coal, plastics for aircraft cockpits and scientists here carried out some early development work on the atomic bomb.

Type of Historic Marker: Stand alone information board Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Middlesbrough Council Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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