Essential Hotels > England > North Yorkshire > Middlesbrough

Nicknamed Ironpolis, Middlesbrough was in times gone by a world leader in the ironworks and steel production industries, shaping much of its history and economy over the last couple of centuries. It is found on the northern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and though once part of Teeside and Cleveland, it today lies within the boundaries of North Yorkshire. Set on the Tees Estuary Middlesbrough is the largest town on the River Tees and at its mouth is Teesport, the third largest port in the UK. Middlesbrough is a particularly urbanised settlement, based around grid streets, and is home to a swathe of industrial parks and estates, giving a glimpse into its regional focus. Mydilsburgh is the earliest traceable name for the town, and has obviously led to the present day label; at this time an ancient fort was based in the region. In the early days a number of church activities and goings-on took place before the Vikings took over control of the land from the Angles. Many of the villages in the surroundings were subsequently mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 meanwhile.

It was not until 1801 that Middlesbrough’s history really began to take shape however, and at this time it was a simple hamlet of 25 people based around a farm. It began to grow from 1829 when a group of Quaker businessmen bought the farm and developed the surroundings into the Port of Darlington. Then, in the latter half of the century Middlesbrough experienced unprecedented growth, with the extension of the railways, the building of the port and the opening of ironworks and steel production, helping the town become a world leader in the price setting of these metals. Prime Minister William Gladstone even referred to Middlesbrough as ‘an infant Hercules’ on visiting the town. It is worth noting, too, that Middlesbrough’s influence spread to the furthest corners of the globe, with the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge constructed in the north-east England town.

Middlesbrough was once part of the North Riding of Yorkshire before joining the County Borough of Teeside in 1968. This was absorbed into Cleveland in 1974, a region that was abolished in 1996, leading the town forming the northernmost point of North Yorkshire.

A selection of museums and other attractions can be found in Middlesbrough such as the Dorman Memorial Museum, the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum and the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art which is also known as MIMA. There is a distinct lack of pre-1900 buildings in the town although the grade II listed town hall was constructed in the 1880s. One unusual feature of Middlesbrough is the Spectra-txt tower which changes colour as directed by passersby who can text their preferred colour to a particular telephone number.