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CASTLEGATE GETS GREY TO GREEN TRANSFORMATION
The scheme links Castlegate to the under-visited ‘hidden jewel’ of Victoria Quays and has transformed the almost redundant former inner ring road from a barrier to a green corridor with sustainable drainage, floral meadows, segregated cycle lanes and public art.
Castlegate (the Street) has been closed to vehicles to create a large riverside terrace with potential to accommodate outdoor seating for existing and future cafes and bars including the former public toilet due to open as the Two Rivers Bar and the Tap and Barrel, now under new management by the Peddlers Market team. The street will also hold the newly established Sheffield Pollen Market, the first fresh flower market in Sheffield, which will take place every third Sunday of the month.
Fifty-seven new trees have been planted as part of the scheme, along with a multitude of low maintenance perennial meadow plants and bulbs which will provide a year long succession of colour and natural habitat for insects, birds and mammals.
The scheme includes four distinctive, specially designed ‘totems’ containing ‘bug hotels’ which provide places for bees and other insects to thrive, along with nature and heritage insights.
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Christmas lights leading into the Coppergate Centre from Castlegate in York, Yorkshire, England, UK. 2012
In the heart of granite Aberdeen, one man dares to bare thigh while navigating Google Maps like a digital Highland explorer. With neon kicks, a trusty backpack, and a scroll-induced frown, he’s ready for anything — except maybe the north-east wind.
A view of Castlegate, Berwick upon Tweed, seen from the defensive wall that surrounds the town.
To the left is 'Queen Victoria's Fountain', a stone fountain built in memory of Queen Victoria, and was commissioned in 1901.
For those who follow the buses, the vehicle descending Castlegate is YX20ODT, an Alexander Dennis Enviro 200MMC operated by Borders Buses.
08jun2021
This fortified gateway once marked the transition from the outside world into the stronghold of the Viscounts of Vallespir. With its stone arch and iron portcullis still intact, the entrance to Castelnou Castle is a striking reminder of medieval defensive design. Above the gate, a sculpted coat of arms hints at noble lineages long past. Cross this threshold, and you step into centuries of Catalan history, intrigue, and resilience.
Cette porte fortifiée marquait autrefois le passage du monde extérieur vers la citadelle des vicomtes de Vallespir. Avec son arche en pierre et sa herse en fer toujours en place, l’entrée du Château de Castelnou reste un exemple frappant d’architecture défensive médiévale. Au-dessus de l’arche, un blason sculpté évoque des lignées nobles depuis longtemps disparues. Franchir ce seuil, c’est entrer dans des siècles d’histoire catalane, d’intrigues et de résistance.
Grantham, St Wultram's Church. The church is a grade 1 listed building, restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott 1866/7. It dates from the medieval period. It has a wealth of detail in the carvings.
Grantham, Lincolnshire, England - St Wulframs Parish Church, Castlegate and Swinegate
January 2020
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Valley, on the northern bank of the River Tees.
The Tees was straightened in the early 19th century for larger ships to access the town. The ports have since relocated closer to the North Sea and ships are no longer able to sail from the sea to the town due to the Tees Barrage, which was installed to manage tidal flooding. The Stockton and Darlington Railway, on which coal was ferried to the town for shipment, served the port during early part of the Industrial Revolution. The railway was also the world's first permanent steam-locomotive-powered passenger railway.
Stockton is an Anglo-Saxon place name with the common ending ton, meaning farm, or homestead. Stock is thought by some to derive from the Anglo-Saxon Stocc, meaning log, tree trunk, or wooden post. Stockton could therefore mean a farm built of logs. This is disputed because when Stocc forms the first part of a place name, it usually indicates a derivation from the similar word Stoc, meaning cell, monastery, or place. Stoc in place name such as Stoke or Stow usually indicates farms which belonged to a manor or religious house. It is thought that Stockton fell into this category, and perhaps the name is an indication that Stockton was an outpost of Durham or Norton which were both important Anglo-Saxon centres. Stockton was a township in the ancient parish of Norton until 1713, when it became an independent parish in its own right. Norton and Stockton's historic roles were reversed in 1913 when Norton was absorbed into the borough of Stockton.
Stockton is reportedly the home of the fossilised remains of the most northerly hippopotamus ever discovered. In 1958, an archeological dig four miles (6 km) north-west of the town uncovered a 125,000-year-old hippo's molar tooth. However, no one knows exactly where the tooth was discovered, who discovered it, or why the dig took place. The tooth was sent to the borough's librarian and curator, G. F. Leighton, who then sent it to the Natural History Museum in London. Since then, the tooth has been missing despite efforts to locate it.
Stockton began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement on high ground close to the northern bank of the River Tees.
Stockton was described as a manor by 1138, and was purchased by Bishop Pudsey of Durham in 1189. During the 13th century, the bishop changed the village of Stockton into a borough; the exact date the borough was founded is unknown, but it was being described as a borough by 1283. When the bishop freed Stockton's serfs, craftsmen moved to the new town. The bishop had a residence in Stockton Castle, which was a fortified manor house, the first recorded reference to which was in 1376.
Stockton's market traces its history to 1310, when Bishop Bek of Durham granted a market charter to our town of Stockton a market upon every Wednesday for ever. The town grew into a small but busy port, exporting wool and importing wine, which was in demand by the upper class. However, even by the standards of the time, medieval Stockton-on-Tees was a small town, with a population of only approximately 1,000, and the town did not grow for centuries.
Scotland captured Stockton Castle in 1644, and occupied it until 1646. The castle was destroyed at the order of Oliver Cromwell at the end of the Civil War. A shopping centre, the Castlegate Centre, now occupies the castle area, and this is scheduled for demolition in 2022.[needs update] No known accurate depictions of the castle exist.
The Town House (now called the Town Hall) was built in 1735, and Stockton's first theatre opened in 1766. In 1771, a five-arch stone bridge was built, replacing the nearby Bishop's Ferry. Until the opening of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge in 1911, this was the Tees's most downstream bridging point. From the end of the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution transformed Stockton from a small and quiet market town into a flourishing centre of heavy industry.
In 1833 the then Bishop of Durham, William Van Mildert (1765 - 1836) gifted five acres and the land of an existing burial site called "The Monument" (originally a mass grave from a prior cholera outbreak) to the town of Stockton. Upon this land, the process of building of and designing the gothic style Holy Trinity Church began, using funds originally allocated for church building in the Commissioners' church Act of 1818. It was designed by John and Benjamin Green, and construction began in 1834. It was consecrated as an Anglican church on December 22, 1835.
Shipbuilding, which had started in the 15th century, prospered in the town through the 17th and 18th centuries, with smaller-scale industries also developing. These included brick, sail, and rope making, the latter now reflected in road names such as Ropery Street in the town centre. Stockton became the major port for County Durham, the North Riding of Yorkshire, and Westmorland during this period, exporting mainly rope, agricultural produce and lead from the Yorkshire Dales. Iron making and engineering entered the local economy in the 18th century
The town grew rapidly as the Industrial Revolution started, the population grew from 10,000 in 1851 to over 50,000 in 1901 as workers moved in. The discovery of iron ore in the Eston Hills resulted in blast furnaces lining the River Tees from Stockton to the river's mouth. In 1820, an Act set up the Commissioners, a body with responsibility for lighting and cleaning the streets, and from 1822, Stockton-on-Tees was lit by gas.
In 1822, Stockton witnessed an event which changed the face of the world forever, and which heralded the dawn of a new era in trade, industry and travel. The first rail of George Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington Railway was laid near St. John's crossing on Bridge Road. Hauled by Locomotion No 1, Stephenson himself manned the engine on its first journey on 27 September 1825. Fellow engineer and friend Timothy Hackworth acted as guard. This was the world's first passenger railway,[citation needed] connecting Stockton with Shildon. The opening of the railway greatly boosted Stockton's economy, making it easier to bring coal to the factories; however, the port declined as business moved downstream to Middlesbrough.
Stockton witnessed another development in 1827. Local chemist John Walker invented the friction match in his shop at 59 High Street. The first sale of these matches was recorded in his sales-book on 7 April 1827, to a Mr. Hixon, a solicitor in the town. Since he did not obtain a patent, Walker received neither fame nor wealth for his invention, but he was able to retire some years before his death. He died in 1859 at the age of 78, and is buried in the parish churchyard in Norton village.
The first bell for Big Ben was cast by John Warner and Sons in Norton on 6 August 1856, but it was damaged beyond repair while being tested on site, and it had to be replaced by a foundry closer to Westminster, the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
To cater to the increased population, a hospital opened in Stockton in 1862, and a public library opened in 1877. Public transport also became important. Steam trams began running in the streets in 1881, and these were replaced by electric trams in 1897.
Stockton was still dominated by the engineering industry in the 1930s, and there was also a chemicals industry in the town. Buses replaced the trams in 1931. Public housing also became necessary, and in the 1930s, slums were cleared, and the first council houses were built.
On 10 September 1933, the Battle of Stockton took place, in which between 200 and 300 supporters of the British Union of Fascists were taken to Stockton to hold a rally, but they were driven out of town by up to 2,000 anti-fascist demonstrators.
In the late 20th century, manufacturing severely declined, with the service industries developed into the town's primary employers.
The Ragworth district near the town centre was the scene of rioting in July 1992, when local youths threw stones at buildings, set cars alight, and threw missiles at police and fire crews. The area later saw a £12 million regeneration which involved mass demolition and refurbishment of existing properties, and construction of new housing and community facilities.
Stockton lies on the north bank of the River Tees. The town's northern and western extremities are on slightly higher ground than the town centre, which is directly on the Tees. Stockton experiences occasional earth tremors. For example, it was the epicentre of a tremor measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale on 23 January 2020. The town has many areas outside of the town centre; Fairfield, Portrack, Hardwick, Hartburn, Elm Tree Farm, Norton, Roseworth, Newtown, Bishopsgarth and Oxbridge. Norton is the second largest centre in the town.
Stockton-on-Tees has an oceanic climate typical of the United Kingdom. Being sheltered by the Lake District and Pennines to the west, Stockton is relatively dry for the U.K., with on average 25 inches (643 mm) of rain a year. Its climate is more continental climate than other parts of the U.K., with above average summer temperatures, and below average winter temperatures. Summer highs typically reach approximately 20 °C (68 °F), while winter lows can fall to several degrees below 0 °C (32 °F). The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate).
Stockton town centre is the heart of the borough. The High Street—the widest in the UK—heads north through the town centre from the junction of Bridge Road and Yarm Lane, to Maxwell's Corner, where Norton Road and Bishopton Lane begin. Dovecot Street runs west from the High Street's midway point, and further north, Church Road extends east toward Northshore and the River Tees. At the centre of the High Street stands Stockton-on-Tees Town Hall, dating from 1735, and the Georgian-style Shambles Market Hall. Around the town hall, the largest outdoor market in North East England, which has been in existence since the 1300s, continues to be held every Wednesday and Saturday.
Much of the town centre has a Georgian and late medieval influence, with a number of listed buildings and a variety of architectural types, which help to define the town's identity. The shops predominantly have narrow frontages stretching back to gain floorspace. This burgage plot style is particularly evident around the marketplace and on side streets such as Silver Street, Finkle Street and Ramsgate. There is also the surviving ruins of the gothic style church in Trinity Green, which dates back to 1834.
Before 2022, the town centre retail was largely concentrated within two shopping centres, Castlegate and Wellington Square. Wellington Square has open shops on pedestrian-only paths whereas the Castlegate, opened in 1972 and currently undergoing demolition, was a building which incorporated a multi-storey car park and an indoor market. Its façade was a dominant feature along the south east of the High Street, its site bounded by Finkle Street, Bridge Road and Tower Street. The Riverside dual carriageway and the River Tees run almost parallel to the rear of the centre. The Teesquay Millennium Footbridge links the Castlegate Quay on the north side of the river to Teesdale Business Park and Durham University's Queen's Campus on the south side in the ceremonial county of the North Riding of Yorkshire. Situated at the north west end of the town centre is Wellington Square shopping centre, built on the old Wellington Street. Opened in 2001 at a cost of £43 million, it houses 46 shop units.
The town centre has retained a number of original yards such as Wasp Nest Yard, Hambletonian Yard, and Ship Inn Yard. Most notable is Green Dragon Yard, a courtyard of restored historic warehouses within a series of alleyways. Considered the cultural quarter of the town, this houses the Green Dragon public house, the Green Dragon Studios (recording studios) and Britain's oldest surviving Georgian Theatre.
Alongside retail outlets, Stockton town centre also has a variety of services including national banks and building societies, travel agents, a post office, hairdressers, beauticians, cafés, and restaurants. The refurbishment of some period buildings has provided space for small firms including solicitors, recruitment agencies, and accountants.
Since the construction of the Tees Barrage in 1995, the level of the River Tees through the town has permanently been held at high tide, creating a backdrop for riverside events and facilitating watersports activities such as rowing, canoeing, jet skiing, and dragon boat racing. Stockton town centre is elevated above the river, and is separated from the riverside by the A1305 Riverside Road, a dual carriageway which runs parallel to the river from Northshore to Chandlers Wharf.
From the town centre, Bishop Street, Silver Street, Calvert's Lane, and Thistle Green offer views of the river where it meanders around Teesdale Business Park. Durham University Queen's Campus can be seen on the opposite side, alongside the skyline of Middlesbrough in the middle distance and Roseberry Topping in the Cleveland Hills, approximately fifteen miles (24 km) south east.
Chandlers Wharf is situated on the north side of the river where Bridge Road approaches Victoria Bridge. The area is characterised by a mixture of office and residential accommodation, including the colourful twelve-storey Mezzino student apartments at Rialto Court, a Mecca Bingo hall, Burger King and the two-storey Grosvenor Casino, which opened in September 2011. Adjacent to the wharf is Castlegate Quay, which was once the town's main dock. The quayside is still occupied by Georgian warehouses which have been converted into a number of business units, restaurants, and a gym. A full-size replica of Captain James Cook's ship HM Bark Endeavour was once moored at the quayside, but was sold and moved after refurbishment to a mooring in Whitby. The Teesside Princess, a two-deck river boat, is docked alongside, and offers river cruises all year to Yarm via Preston Park.
Both the north and south banks of the Tees are retained by steel sheet pile walls, and have footpaths along the river edge. The Tees Walkway on the north bank of the river can be accessed from the town centre by the Teesquay Millennium Footbridge or the Riverside Footbridge, and incorporates a cycle path which forms part of the National Cycle Network.
The 11-metre Aeolian Motion wind sculpture stands on a grassy slope overlooking the riverside, which becomes an amphitheatre during large events. From Castlegate Quay, the tree-lined path along the waterfront toward the Princess of Wales Bridge opens into green space and a car park for events. Beyond the Princess of Wales Bridge, the slipway at the River Tees Watersports Centre is situated at the western area of Northshore, which is currently under development, and which leads to the Tees Barrage.
The town is served by two main arterial roads: the transpennine A66 (east/west) and the A19 (north/south). The A19 connects Stockton with York in the south, and extends to Peterlee and Sunderland, to the north. East of the town centre is the A1046, a mostly dual carriageway which runs through Portrack as Portrack Lane, a major retail zone, particularly for home furnishings and DIY. From Portrack, the A1046 continues to its northern terminus at Port Clarence. The A139 connects the town centre with the northern suburb of Norton. This was the original route for the A19 before a bypass was built to the east of the town.
The A177 runs from Stockton town centre to Durham. Known as Durham Road, it passes Sedgefield en route, and is a major route in to and out of Stockton.
The A66 connects Stockton directly to Middlesbrough (8 miles (13 km) to the east) and Darlington (10 miles (16 km) to the west). Beyond Darlington lies the A1(M). The A66 is connected to Stockton centre by the A135. The old A135 was renumbered A1027, and this continues through the town to Billingham. The A135 is named '1825 Way' to commemorate the former Stockton and Darlington Railway's opening; the 1825 Way's northern end is St John's Crossing, adjacent to the old Stockton Railway Station buildings.
A number of bus services operate in Stockton, and most services pass through the High Street. The services cover large areas of the region including Middlesbrough, Teesside Park, Thornaby-on-Tees, Billingham, Sedgefield, Durham, Sunderland, Peterlee, and Newcastle upon Tyne. Stagecoach on Teesside and Arriva North East are the major service providers, while six smaller companies also operate in the area.
Stockton station, located above the High Street, serves the town; however, more regular and long-distance trains run from nearby Thornaby.
Northern routinely serves both stations with local and regional services, whereas at Thornaby TransPennine Express runs an hourly service between Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Manchester Airport via York and LNER stops once both ways every weekday between Middlesbrough and London King's Cross.
Teesside International Airport is partially located within the borough, several miles west of the town. The airport offers domestic flights and services international festival destinations, especially in the EU.
Stockton is famous as the home of the friction match and the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which operated the world's first steam-hauled passenger train in 1825. The town also has the world's oldest passenger railway station building. Industry and engineering remained central to Stockton's economy over many years, and major industries have included shipbuilding and repair, heavy engineering, steel, and chemicals manufacturing. However, during the twentieth century, Teesside's heavy industry declined dramatically.
Since the 1980s, Stockton has seen an increase in service industries. The development of Teesdale Business Park on the south bank of the River Tees has created commercial space with many large service providers opening call centres and offices in the area. Durham University's Queen's Campus is also situated within the Teesdale development, which is linked to the town centre by the Teesquay Millennium Footbridge, Princess of Wales Bridge, and Infinity Bridge.
In 1995, after four years' construction, the Tees Barrage was commissioned, permanently holding the upstream river waters at the level of an average high tide.
In 2007, funding from the European Regional Development Fund and English Heritage secured the ruins of the Holy Trinity Church, and renovated the site into Trinity Green, removing the site from Historic England's 'Heritage At Risk register'.
Work is under way to develop the north bank of the River Tees in Stockton with the £300 million Northshore scheme, which will include new offices, leisure facilities, housing, a 150-bedroom hotel, and a new campus for Durham University.
In 2012, a long-term scheme aimed at transforming the town centre area was announced, with investment of approximately £38 million, just over £20 million being contributed by Stockton Borough Council, and the remainder coming from the private sector and grants. The investment programme aimed to attract more retailers, businesses, and shoppers to the town by opening up new spaces and links to the River Tees, providing easier access and parking, and capitalising on the town's heritage and cultural assets.
Plans include the introduction of an expansive plaza area 'Infinity View' that will open up the pedestrian area to dramatic views of the award-winning Infinity Bridge. Under the scheme, the banks of the River Tees will be transformed with a series of impressive light installations which will stretch along the waterfront, from the Princess of Wales Bridge to the Millennium Bridge. This permanent colourful illumination is intended to add value to the riverside businesses and restaurants and play an important part in the council's events programme throughout the year.
Stockton is one of 12 towns in England to share in £1.2 million of funding, support from retail guru Mary Portas and her own team, as part of the Portas Pilot scheme. Selected from over 370 applications, Stockton's Town Team Consortium, comprising Stockton Council, Tees Music Alliance, Durham University Queen's Campus, town centre retailers, A Way Out and Stockton Heritage in Partnership, will have the opportunity to share in expert advice and guidance from a range of retail experts.
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 (12 sq mi) 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 bring distinctive high-quality city-scale assets to the centre of the Tees Valley, including the town centres of Stockton and Middlesbrough. The project will include the existing developments at North Shore, Stockton and Middlesbrough, with many others over a 15- to 20-year period.
In February 2020 it was announced that the Castlegate Shopping Centre is set to be demolished in 2022.
The mean weekly income for Stockton residents was £522.70 in 2017. This is below the U.K. mean of £538.70. In some parts of Stockton, most households' income is below the poverty threshold. The mean privately rented house in Stockton cost £525 per month in 2017, compared with a mean of £480 across North East England.
The town recorded 125 crimes for every 1,000 people in 2020, higher than similarly sized Darlington and Hartlepool and 29% higher than ceremonial County Durham's 89 out of 1,000 average. The most common crimes in 2020 were "violence and sexual offences"; 4,445 of this type were recorded in 2020. Eight out of 14 crime trends improved compared to 2019. The Eastbourne and Newham Grange Ward recorded the worst crime statistics in the town. The borough came out lower than the four other Tees Valley boroughs in 2017.
Stockton comes under Cleveland Police's jurisdiction. There are two police stations in town, town centre main and Newton neighbourhood. Teesside combined courts are located in Middlesbrough.
HMP Holme House, in Portrack, is a 1211-capacity Category B prison for male adult prisoners who are either remanded in custody or convicted. It also accommodates a small number of young offenders aged 18–21 years. The prison opened in May 1992 and mainly serves south of county Durham as well as north of North Yorkshire.
In the 2021 census, the borough was recorded as having a population of 196,595 with 50.9% being female.
For religion, 51.1% identified themselves as Christian, 39.1% having no religion, 3.4% Muslim, 0.4% Hindu, 0.4% Sikh, 0.3% Buddhist, and 0.3% answering 'Other' as well as 5% not answering.
For ethnicity, those who identified as White were 92.0%, Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh were 4.6%, Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African were 1.1%, Mixed or 'Multiple ethnic groups' were 1.4%, and the 'Other' ethnic group category recorded 0.8%.
For sexuality, those who identified as Straight or Heterosexual were 91.6%, Gay or Lesbian were 1.4%, Bisexual was 0.9%, Pansexual was 0.2%, Asexual was 0.0%, Queer was 0.0%, 'All other sexual orientations' were 0.0% and those who did not answer were 5.9%.
Stockton centre also has a number of restaurants, amusement arcades, a bingo hall, a snooker club, and health and fitness facilities.
Stockton Calling is an Easter Sunday music festival which has taken place across several of Stockton's music venues annually since 2010. In 2019, it celebrated its 11th year, and was headlined by Sophie and the Giants.
The Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF), one of Europe's largest open air festivals, has taken over the town once a year since 1988. Spread over a long weekend, for either four or five days, it attracts over 250,000 visitors, and features a variety of acts such as circus, comedy, music, dance and street theatre.
The annual riverside firework display happens on the first Sunday closest to 5 November, and is typically attended by up to 100,000 spectators from the wider region. The year's events always conclude with the Stockton Sparkles Christmas festival and associated markets.
The ARC Theatre & Arts Centre on Dovecot Street was built in 1999, and comprises a multi-purpose arts centre for cinema, theatre, dance, and music. It has three floors including four venues: a 260-seat theatre, a 100-seat studio theatre, a point/music area accommodating 550 standing, and a 130-seat cinema. It also has exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, a café, and two bars.
The Georgian Theatre at Green Dragon Yard is Grade II listed, and is the oldest Georgian theatre in the country. Originally opened in 1766, it fell into disrepair during the 19th century, but later functioned as a sweet factory and then a community building. Between 2007 and 2008, the building was given a full makeover along with the neighbouring Green Dragon Studios, and now serves as an intimate venue for live entertainment with a capacity of 200.
The Grade-II listed Globe Theatre built in 1936 is at the north western end of the High Street, the theatre reopened in 2021 following extensive restoration. It was built on the same site as two previous theatres, and has hosted many famous acts such as Buddy Holly, the Platters, Guy Mitchell, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Cilla Black, Carl Perkins, Cliff Richard, the Shadows and Chuck Berry. The Beatles famously played the Globe on Friday 22 November 1963, the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
On 12 June 2016, Stockton Council launched The Stockton Flyer, a stylised model of a flying steam locomotive in a plinth on Stockton High Street. The Flyer was unveiled to mark Queen Elizabeth II's official 90th birthday on 12 June 2016. The Stockton Flyer appears from the plinth every day at 1 p.m., and often draws a crowd of people watching the rising and lowering of the structure.
Designed by Phil Johnson of Ratho Forge, the wind sculpture Aeolian Motion was constructed at the end of Silver Street in March and April 2001. The design is said to impart a unique identity to the seating area, reflecting the character of Stockton, and creating a sense of place.
Public services provided in Stockton include a general hospital, health advice centres, dental and medical surgeries, a library, churches, employment advice centres, youth projects, energy advice centres and an international family centre. A cluster of municipal buildings is concentrated primarily along Church Road. The police headquarters is the only emergency service station located within the centre, next to Stockton Central Library.
The University Hospital of North Tees is located in the town and serves south east County Durham. It is part of the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust.
Stockton has a number of public parks and nature reserves. Most notable is Ropner Park, a Victorian-style park on the outskirts of the town, near Hartburn village. Opened in 1893 and renovated in 2007, the park has tree-lined avenues approaching an ornate water fountain, surrounded by rockeries and floral displays. Overlooking a lake, a bandstand features live band music on Sunday afternoons in the summer. Seasonal fairs and occasional organised events are staged at the park throughout the year. Close by, there is also the smaller park housing the ruins of the Holy Trinity Church, now called Trinity Green.
Further upstream is Preston Park, a 100 acres (40 ha) public park by the River Tees. The park hosts many events each year that attract people from across Teesside and further afield. Preston Hall, once the home of Sir Robert Ropner, is situated within the grounds, and is now a museum. The park also houses 'Butterfly World', an artificial tropical environment housing various species of exotic butterflies and reptiles.
Downstream is Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve, a 50 acres (20 ha) nature reserve by the northern bank of the river between the Tees Barrage and the Tees Viaduct near Portrack housing estate. It is the last remaining wetland on the lower Tees. Ownership of the reserve is divided between the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust and Northumbrian Water, but the reserve is managed by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. The western and northern parts of the reserve are mature marsh, while there are a series of man–made ponds in the south east.
The town's main leisure facility is 'Splash', a large wet and dry facility on Church Road which includes a 25m pool with a wave machine and flumes, a learner pool, a spa pool, a two-storey fitness facility, dry multi-activity spaces, a café and Sportwall & dance facilities. The Castlegate Quay Watersports Centre also offers opportunities for sailing and paddling on the River Tees.
Stockton Central Library on Church Road is the largest public library serving the borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Built in 1967, it was fully refurbished in 2011 at a cost of £1.9m. It occupies two floors: the ground floor incorporates Stockton Borough Council's Customer Services Centre, an adult lending library, and a children's library, while the first floor houses the reference library (the central reference department for the borough), a family history suite, a computer suite with free internet access, and the 'Starbooks' café. The library also has conference facilities and an exhibition area.
Stockton is a Church of England deanery of the Archdeaconry of Auckland, in the Diocese of Durham. The churches of St Peter, Stockton Parish Church (St Thomas'), and St Paul are in the town. Holy Trinity Church was built as an Anglican church, later became Greek Orthodox, and was then destroyed by fire in 1991. The ruins remain on site.
Stockton is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, and is home to the parishes of St Bede, St Cuthbert, English Martyrs and SS Peter and Paul, St Joseph, St Mary, and St Patrick.
Stockton also has a sizable Muslim population (6,675), with mosques such as Farooq E Azam Mosque and Islamic Centre serving this community. The Farooq E Azam mosque is especially of note, due to the recent council decision to allow the call to prayer, or Adhan, to be played once at week at an agreed volume, the first mosque in the north-east of England to do so.
Stockton Cricket Club was established in 1816, and has been located at the Grangefield Cricket Ground since 1891. The club currently fields three senior teams at weekends in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions of the Dukes North East Premier League.
Stockton Football Club existed from 1882 until it folded in 1975. They played at the Victoria Ground which also held greyhound racing (one of two venues in the town to do so along with Belle Vue Park). The club's assets were transferred to Norton Cricket Club, who subsequently founded the Norton & Stockton Ancients Football Club. There are two other football clubs in the town. Stockton Town F.C. play in the Northern Premier League Division One East after consecutive promotions winning the Wearside League in 2016 and Northern League Division 2 in 2017. Meanwhile, Stockton West End currently play in the North Riding Football League Premier Division.
Stockton Rugby Club, established in 1873, is the local Rugby Union team. Home games are now played at the Grangefield Ground following a community partnership agreement with Stockton Cricket club and Grangefield Academy in 2015.
People born in Stockton include:
Francis Arthur Bainbridge, physiologist
Matthew Bates, footballer
Jamie Bell, actor
Neal Bishop, footballer
C. J. Bolland, electronic music producer in Belgium
Daniel Casey, actor
Lee Cattermole, footballer
Ivy Close, actress
Edward Cooper, soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross.
Brass Crosby, Lord Mayor of London
Freddie Dixon, motorcycle and car racing driver
Lesley Duncan, pop singer-songwriter
Maurice Elvey, film director
Charles Foulkes, Canadian Army officer who served in the Second World War and became a four-star general
Jonathan Franks, footballer
James Gaddas, actor
Martin Gray, footballer
Will Hay, comic actor
Frank Hawley, Japanologist (1906–1961).
Richard Anthony Hewson, jazz-funk music producer
Thomas Hornby, cricketer
Peter Howells, cricketer
Robert Icke, director and writer
David Ingman, engineer, Chairman of the British Waterways Board 1987–1993
Heather Ingman, Professor of English, novelist and journalist
Jimmy James, comedian
Richard Kilty, sprinter
Macaulay Langstaff, footballer
Jordan Nobbs, footballer
Geoff Parling, England and British and Irish Lions rugby player
Luke Pearson, cartoonist
Colin Renfrew, archaeologist
Joseph Ritson, literary critic and editor
Franc Roddam, film director/producer
Graham Rowntree, England rugby player
Thomas Sheraton, furniture designer
Michael Short, Professor of Engineering and author
Paul Smith, singer in rock band Maxïmo Park
Peter Smithson, architect
Calvert Spensley, American politician
Bill Steer, co-founder and lead guitarist of extreme metal band Carcass
Jeremy Swift, actor
Bruce Thomas, new wave bass guitar backing musician
Denis Thwaites, footballer murdered in the 2015 Sousse attacks
Stephen Tompkinson, actor
Lee Turnbull, footballer
John Walker, inventor of the friction match
Eric Young, footballer
Other notable residents include:
Duncan Bannatyne, entrepreneur, moved to Stockton when he was 30, before he made his fortune.
William Christopher, Hudson's Bay Company captain and explorer
Alan Davey, former civil servant, council administrator and BBC Radio 3 controller
Elizabeth Estensen, actress
Don Heath, footballer, winner of the 1968–69 League Cup
Harold Macmillan, MP for Stockton (1924–29, 1931–45), later Prime Minister (1957–63), invested as Earl of Stockton (1984)
Michael Marks, founder of Marks & Spencer, started his business career in Stockton in 1883.
George Orwell, author, resided for a year (1944–45) in Greystones, near Carlton, a village in the borough.
Bill Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank, MP for the town (1962–83), co-founder of the SDP
Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, film directors, both lived in Stockton during their youth.
Reg. YJ09 OUG
Fleet number. 10901
Optare Solo with Optare Solo bodywork dating from 2009 and based at Berwick depot. This vehicle is wearing 'Borders Buses' livery and was new to Perrymans where it was allocated the fleet number 032.
Seen on Castlegate in the Northumberland Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed working a route number B1 Berwick Circular.
Porchetta I made a few weeks ago.
This was the recipe I followed: www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/porchetta_53969
The pork was from Castlegate Farm Shop in Stoney Middleton.
I read that the first Caisson had arrived into Aberdeen South Harbour construction site at Nigg Bay.
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson (/ˈkeɪsən/ or /ˈkeɪsɒn/) is a watertight retaining structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships.
I have followed this project for the past 2 years now, visiting the site periodically and capturing the progress, today I visited to do exactly that and capture the first Caisson before it is put into its permanent location.
News Item I read is below.
Aberdeen Harbour’s £350-million expansion has reached another landmark stage with the first 6,000-tonne caisson beginning its journey to South Harbour today, Monday 25th February 2019.
The concrete unit departed from Cromarty Firth this evening and will have an anticipated 48-hour arrival period into Aberdeen South Harbour between Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th February, weather and tide dependent.
The first caisson measures 50 meters long, 15 meters wide and an incredible 16 meters deep and will be used to form the closed quay section of the development. In order to transport the caisson safely, it will travel the 180-nautical mile journey at two nautical miles per hour, escorted by ‘The Strathdee’ towage vessel.
Once the caisson has safely arrived in South Harbour, GPS equipment will be used to position it into its designated location with an accuracy of +/- 20mm. It will then be filled with water to sink it to the sea bed. When in place, various fill material will be used to displace the water. The process from arrival to sinking takes approximately 30 hours.
A total of 22 caissons will form the foundations of Castlegate and Dunnottar Quays, which will be 540 and 400 meters long respectively.
Keith Young, Engineering Director at Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “The arrival of the first caisson in South Harbour will be significant milestone in the expansion project, and a logistical achievement for us all. I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who has been involved in the design, manufacture, transport and positioning of these caissons.
“Aberdeen South Harbour is of vital significance for our region and the rest of the country, and we look forward to the remaining caissons arriving as the project progresses.”
The caissons have been manufactured in La Coruna in North-west Spain and travel more than 1,000 miles by sea to the Cromarty Firth for quality checks and inspections. They are then individually towed to Aberdeen, when required, as construction of South Harbour continues.
In accordance with maritime tradition, each caisson is named after a family member of someone closely involved with the expansion project. The first caisson to arrive will be named ‘Caisson Brenda’ – named after the Aberdeen Harbour Board’s Chief Executive’s mother.
Grantham, St Wultram's Church.The organ originally by John Harris and John Byfield dates from 1735 and was located in the centre of the church. It was rebuilt by George Pike England in 1809 & 1833, by Forster and Andrews between 1845 and 1868 (when it was moved to its current location), by Norman and Beard in 1906, by Rushworth and Dreaper in 1952, by Cousans of Lincoln in 1972, and by Phillip Wood and Sons of Huddersfield in 1993–94 when a fourth manual was added. It contains 3,294 pipes and has 4 manuals (upgraded from 3 in the 1994 restoration). The case was designed by Sir Walter Tapper during the 1906 restoration. The instrument is regarded as one of the finest in the county.
Grantham, Lincolnshire, East Midlands - Parish Church of St Wulfram, Swinegate and Castlegate
January 2020
I read that the first Caisson had arrived into Aberdeen South Harbour construction site at Nigg Bay.
In geotechnical engineering, a caisson (/ˈkeɪsən/ or /ˈkeɪsɒn/) is a watertight retaining structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships.
I have followed this project for the past 2 years now, visiting the site periodically and capturing the progress, today I visited to do exactly that and capture the first Caisson before it is put into its permanent location.
News Item I read is below.
Aberdeen Harbour’s £350-million expansion has reached another landmark stage with the first 6,000-tonne caisson beginning its journey to South Harbour today, Monday 25th February 2019.
The concrete unit departed from Cromarty Firth this evening and will have an anticipated 48-hour arrival period into Aberdeen South Harbour between Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th February, weather and tide dependent.
The first caisson measures 50 meters long, 15 meters wide and an incredible 16 meters deep and will be used to form the closed quay section of the development. In order to transport the caisson safely, it will travel the 180-nautical mile journey at two nautical miles per hour, escorted by ‘The Strathdee’ towage vessel.
Once the caisson has safely arrived in South Harbour, GPS equipment will be used to position it into its designated location with an accuracy of +/- 20mm. It will then be filled with water to sink it to the sea bed. When in place, various fill material will be used to displace the water. The process from arrival to sinking takes approximately 30 hours.
A total of 22 caissons will form the foundations of Castlegate and Dunnottar Quays, which will be 540 and 400 meters long respectively.
Keith Young, Engineering Director at Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “The arrival of the first caisson in South Harbour will be significant milestone in the expansion project, and a logistical achievement for us all. I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who has been involved in the design, manufacture, transport and positioning of these caissons.
“Aberdeen South Harbour is of vital significance for our region and the rest of the country, and we look forward to the remaining caissons arriving as the project progresses.”
The caissons have been manufactured in La Coruna in North-west Spain and travel more than 1,000 miles by sea to the Cromarty Firth for quality checks and inspections. They are then individually towed to Aberdeen, when required, as construction of South Harbour continues.
In accordance with maritime tradition, each caisson is named after a family member of someone closely involved with the expansion project. The first caisson to arrive will be named ‘Caisson Brenda’ – named after the Aberdeen Harbour Board’s Chief Executive’s mother.
Borders Buses operated Optare Solo SR number 11101 (YJ11EJV) workinga B1 Spittal and Highcliffe service on Castlegaye, Berwick upon Tweed, on 7/7/2023.
Grantham, St Wultram's Church. The rood screen, the roofs and the open-plan layout all date from the 1860s. The church is a grade 1 listed building, restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott 1866/7. It dates from the medieval period. It has a wealth of detail in the carvings. In 1550 the south aisle was lengthened and the Lady Chapel was built.
Grantham, Lincolnshire, East Midlands, England - St Wulframs Parish Church, Castlegate and Swinegate
January 2022
CASTLEGATE GETS GREY TO GREEN TRANSFORMATION
The scheme links Castlegate to the under-visited ‘hidden jewel’ of Victoria Quays and has transformed the almost redundant former inner ring road from a barrier to a green corridor with sustainable drainage, floral meadows, segregated cycle lanes and public art.
Castlegate (the Street) has been closed to vehicles to create a large riverside terrace with potential to accommodate outdoor seating for existing and future cafes and bars including the former public toilet due to open as the Two Rivers Bar and the Tap and Barrel, now under new management by the Peddlers Market team. The street will also hold the newly established Sheffield Pollen Market, the first fresh flower market in Sheffield, which will take place every third Sunday of the month.
Fifty-seven new trees have been planted as part of the scheme, along with a multitude of low maintenance perennial meadow plants and bulbs which will provide a year long succession of colour and natural habitat for insects, birds and mammals.
The scheme includes four distinctive, specially designed ‘totems’ containing ‘bug hotels’ which provide places for bees and other insects to thrive, along with nature and heritage insights.
This is the historic market cross at the Castlegate in Aberdeen it was originally erected in 1686 and was moved here in 1827. I like the old cobblestones and every year Aberdeen City Council are gifted a big Christmas tree from their twin city Stavanger in Norway. In olden days there was a market here and the old pictures show it was quite a busy occasion. On the odd occasion they still hold a market and quite often they have events of one kind or another in this location.
This is a fund raising event, and the tractors travel in convoy on the lanes around Foolow, Bretton, Eyam, Castleton etc.... stopping along the way at various farms for refreshments and finishing at the pub in Foolow - looked like a lot of fun - and made me want to have a go at driving a tractor myself!!
An iconic red post box in Katherine Grainger’s home town of Aberdeen was painted gold by Royal Mail to celebrate her Olympic gold medal win.
To mark Katherine’s gold medal winning performance with team mate Anna Watkins in the Woman’s rowing double sculls, Royal Mail has painted the iconic red post box at Castlegate Post Office, 33 Castle Street, Aberdeen AB11 5BB gold. The UK is the first country to paint post boxes gold to celebrate Olympic and Paralympic gold medal wins.
To celebrate the win, Royal Mail also produced special gold medal stamps yesterday, which are on sale in more than 500 Post Offices today, including Westhill’s Post Office branch. The stamps feature an image of Katherine and her team mate Anna Watkins on the podium with their gold medals for the Woman’s rowing double sculls. A further 4,700 branches will be selling the gold medal stamps within a week of a win.
Royal Mail will be painting one of its iconic and much-loved red post boxes gold to celebrate every Team GB and ParalympicsGB gold medal win during the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
This is a unique, highly visible and fitting way to recognise the successes of Team GB and ParalympicsGB gold medal win during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Royal Mail’s post boxes are a much-loved part of the UK landscape. The UK was among the first countries to erect post boxes. Anthony Trollope, the famous nineteenth century author and former Chief Secretary to the Postmaster General, is credited with introducing pillar boxes to the UK, having seen them in France and Belgium.
Many of the first UK post boxes were painted green to blend in with the landscape. However, to make them more visible to the public, bright red was introduced in 1874. Red has remained the standard colour for UK boxes from then on, with few exceptions.
The gold boxes will remain in use and customers will be able to post mail in these boxes as normal. Mail collections from the boxes will also be unaffected. The boxes will be repainted in Royal Mail's traditional red in due course.
Castle Gate, Nottingham.
Owned by the Trease family for the past 4 generations.
Geoffrey Trease was the brother of a previous director, and was a Children's Historical Novel Author.
In his novel, 'The Chocolate Boy' published 1975 featured a 'Mrs. Toplady' who he took from a family of Vintners headed by Francis Toplady, who was an Alderman, Sheriff and Mayor of Nottingham in the 17th C.
Francis was also my 9th Great Grandfather.
The Mercat Cross in Aberdeen is a historic monument located within the city’s Castlegate square. It dates back to the late 17th century and stands as a symbol of Aberdeen’s trading rights, granted by royal charters over the centuries. It was built in 1686 by John Montgomery, an Aberdeen architect.
Borders Buses 11401 BU14 EHW In Castlegate Berwick Upon Tweed On the 12:52 267 Berwick to Wooler Service
The Sub-Ed was on annual leave perhaps.
Obviously do not subscribe too "less is more" - a 19th century proverbial phrase. It is first found in print in Andrea del Sarto, 1855, a poem by Robert Browning and often associated with the architect and furniture designer Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe (1886-1969)
Make It Interesting, Challenge #1 - Castlegate
Starter image with thanks to Sammydavisdog
Thank you also:
Horse and carriage pmarkham
Bird Bird brush Shadowhouse Creations/ SkeletalMess
Snow brush Obsidian Dawn
CASTLEGATE GETS GREY TO GREEN TRANSFORMATION
The scheme links Castlegate to the under-visited ‘hidden jewel’ of Victoria Quays and has transformed the almost redundant former inner ring road from a barrier to a green corridor with sustainable drainage, floral meadows, segregated cycle lanes and public art.
Castlegate (the Street) has been closed to vehicles to create a large riverside terrace with potential to accommodate outdoor seating for existing and future cafes and bars including the former public toilet due to open as the Two Rivers Bar and the Tap and Barrel, now under new management by the Peddlers Market team. The street will also hold the newly established Sheffield Pollen Market, the first fresh flower market in Sheffield, which will take place every third Sunday of the month.
Fifty-seven new trees have been planted as part of the scheme, along with a multitude of low maintenance perennial meadow plants and bulbs which will provide a year long succession of colour and natural habitat for insects, birds and mammals.
The scheme includes four distinctive, specially designed ‘totems’ containing ‘bug hotels’ which provide places for bees and other insects to thrive, along with nature and heritage insights.
Arriva North East 7564 SK72 CVD In Castlegate Berwick Upon Tweed On the 08:38 X15 Newcastle to Berwick Service
The Gardens
Grantham House is located on Castlegate in the town, close to St Wulfram's Church. The house was originally built in 1380 and is one of the oldest buildings in Grantham. The house has been remodelled many times over the centuries and today has a grand Georgian facade. The building and gardens are owned and managed by the National Trust.