Eston | |
---|---|
A view of Eston Square from Eston Hills | |
Location within North Yorkshire | |
Population | 7,005 (2011 census. ward) [1] |
OS grid reference | NZ554187 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MIDDLESBROUGH |
Postcode district | TS6 |
Dialling code | 01642 |
Police | Cleveland |
Fire | Cleveland |
Ambulance | North East |
UK Parliament | |
Eston is a former industrial town in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary area of North Yorkshire, England. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the outlying settlements of Grangetown, Normanby, South Bank, Teesville and part of Ormesby. [2]
The local authority ward covering the area (as well as Lackenby, Lazenby and Wilton) had a population of 7,005 at the 2011 census. [3]
The land around Eston has been occupied since 2400 BC. The 1850 discovery of ironstone in Eston Hills by industrialist John Vaughan and mining engineer John Marley saw Eston develop from a small farming settlement in 1850 to a thriving mining town. [4] Miners' cottages, although altered, can still be seen in parts of Eston. The mining history of Eston was the subject of A Century in Stone , which describes how the mines were responsible for making Teesside the iron and steel capital of the world. [5]
Excluding Ormesby, the wider area came under the former Eston Urban District from 1894 until 1968. This was a single civil parish with a district council which had the ability to gain a charter to be a town and become a municipal borough, but in this case it did not. The County Borough of Teesside was created in 1968. The town remains unparished. [6]
The Teesside steel industry that was started from these mines eventually produced the steel that built the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The mines have been closed since 1949, after 100 years of production. In 1967, the Teesside steel industry became part of the nationalised British Steel Corporation, which in turn became the Corus Group. The Middlesbrough area became the world's leading iron and steel producing capital initially due to the output of the Eston mines.
Eston is part of Redcar constituency and will represented by Labour and Co-operative parties MP Anna Turley in the House of Commons following the 2024 general election.
In the 2023 local elections, the following members were returned to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council: [7]
Ward | Councillor | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Eston | Christopher Massey | Labour Party | |
Eston | Stephen Martin | Conservative Party | |
Eston | David Taylor | Conservative Party |
Eston Square, the shopping area on the main road passing through Eston, forms more of a triangle than a square. The square has a war memorial as its centrepiece – the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – that shows the statue of a soldier atop a plinth. The plinth lists the names of local people who died during the World Wars.
Two sides the square are lined with traditional terraced shops, while the third side has the 1960s-built Eston Precinct parade of shops. Eston Square provides an important retail facility for a much wider area than just Eston itself. While some of the shops are well maintained businesses, others, in the words of Redcar and Cleveland Council, "are in need of a facelift". As part of Redcar and Cleveland Council's Greater Eston Regeneration, improvements are planned, including the part-demolition of the Precinct Shopping Centre and the building of a new supermarket.[ citation needed ]
Eston has three major churches, two on the High Street [8] [9] and one in Whale Hill. [10]
Christ Church, the Church of England church in Eston, is the partner church to St George's Church in Teesville. Christ Church is a traditionally designed church built in red brick. It features sixteen stained-glass windows in dressed sandstone settings that bring warm colourful light into the main body of the building; they are themed around saints. [11]
Similarly, St Anne's Church, the Catholic church in Eston, is part of a larger parish, which includes the churches of St Peter's, South Bank, St Andrew's, Teesville and St Mary's, Grangetown. The joint parish is served from, and carries the name of, St Andrew's Parish. St Anne's Church was built in 1970, although the Catholic community had existed as a distinct group for many years before that. Before the church was built a mass took place each Sunday at the Grangetown Royal British Legion Social Club. [12]
The town of Eston lies at the foot of Eston Hills, [13] an escarpment approximately 200 metres (656 ft) above sea level, and a part of the Cleveland Hills. The same hills that overshadow Eston were used to warn of attack in the Napoleonic Era by a beacon, the remains of which can still be seen at Eston Nab. Eston Nab is also home to the communication masts of Bauer Teesside.
At only 243 metres (797 ft) above sea level at its highest point, Eston Hills are classed as lowland heath.
Wildlife includes lapwing, curlew, green woodpecker and linnet. There are various butterflies and dragonflies. [14]
The hills overlooking Eston are managed for their wildlife, archaeology and amenity. Many people use the hills for walking, cycling and horse riding. There are several self-guided walk leaflets, which take in points of interest. These are available at the Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park Visitor Centre, Normanby, Redcar and Cleveland.
The Eston Hills provide access to the wider countryside via the public right of way network. The land owned or managed by the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is mostly bordered by farmland. Eston Nab commands an excellent view of the nearby Roseberry Topping, which stands higher at 320 metres (1,050 ft).
Still in active use, the Eston Cemetery was established in 1863 and enlarged in 1882. It built as an extension to the pre-reformation St Helen Church [15] which was one of the many churches belonging to Gisborough Priory. St Helen's has since been dismantled and rebuilt at Beamish Museum. [16] The cemetery is located off Church Lane, north of Eston's old centre.
Names on the gravestones tell the story off the families whose daily lives created the history of the wider area, throughout the twentieth century until the present. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally, and to this end, war graves with uniform headstones, set in well kept lawns, can be found in cemeteries throughout the British Commonwealth. The Commission lists ninety-eight such graves, [17] at Eston Cemetery, from the First and Second World Wars. [18] The cemetery contains the war graves of 55 Commonwealth service personnel of the First World War and 43 of the Second World War, including one unidentified Royal Navy sailor. [19]
Having more than 40 war graves, a Cross of Sacrifice designed by architect Reginald Blomfield has been erected. It shows a simple cross embedded with a bronze sword and mounted on an octagonal base to represent the faith of the majority of commemorations. It can be seen in front of the West Lodge.
The cemetery also contains the memorial obelisk to William Henry Short VC (4 February 1884 – 6 August 1916) who was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was awarded the medal after being killed showing gallantry and devotion to duty at the Battle of Contalmaison, during the Somme Offensive, in 1916. [20]
Eston also includes the area of Whale Hill, which was initially built between 1966 and 1970, it has mixed tenure housing. It includes a social club and a row of shops, including a chemist, post office, supermarket, fish shop, Chinese takeaway and a corner shop. The area also benefits from a large local community centre.
Middlesbrough, colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside built-up area and the Tees Valley.
The North Riding of Yorkshire was a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point was at Mickle Fell at 2,585 ft (788 m).
Redcar and Cleveland is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Its council has been a unitary authority since 1996.
Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. It is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, and is located 7 miles (11 km) east of Middlesbrough.
Redcar is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Anna Turley, of the Labour and Co-operative parties. She previously represented the constituency between 2015 and 2019, when she was defeated by Conservative Jacob Young.
Teesville is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the settlements of Eston, Normanby, South Bank, Teesville and part of Ormesby.
Normanby is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the outlying settlements of Eston, Grangetown, South Bank, Teesville and part of Ormesby.
Ormesby is a village and area split between the unitary authority areas of Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England.
South Bank is an industrial town in the Redcar and Cleveland borough in North Yorkshire, England on the south bank of the River Tees. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Middlesbrough and 6 miles (9.7 km) south-west of Redcar. The town is served by South Bank railway station.
Nunthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England.
Grangetown is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The area is 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Middlesbrough and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Redcar.
Greater Eston is part of the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The name is used by the borough council to describe the centres of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, South Bank and Teesville.
Langbaurgh West was a division of the wapentake of Langbaurgh in the North Riding of the ancient county of Yorkshire. The area along with Langbaurgh East forms the Anglo-Saxon baronial Liberty of Cleveland and roughly covers the modern districts of Middlesbrough, the western, urbanised portion of Redcar & Cleveland, the southern portion of Stockton-on-Tees, the northern parts of Hambleton and the northern parts of the Borough of Scarborough.
Gillbrook Academy was a mixed academy and sixth form in Teesville, Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire. It merged with neighbouring Eston Park Academy in September 2014 and now forms part of a new single Hillsview Academy.
The County Borough of Teesside was a county borough in the north-east of England, which existed for just six years. It was created in 1968 to cover the Teesside conurbation which had grown up around the various port and industrial towns near the mouth of the River Tees. The council was based in Middlesbrough, the area's largest town. The county borough was abolished in 1974 on the creation of the new county of Cleveland, which covered a larger area, with the county borough's territory being split between three of the four districts created in the new county.
Eston Nab is a rocky outcrop hill in the town of Eston, Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is the local authority for Redcar and Cleveland, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 1996 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council was created in 1974 as Langbaurgh Borough Council and was a lower-tier authority until 1996 when it was renamed and became a unitary authority, taking over county-level functions from the abolished Cleveland County Council.
St Germain's Churchyard is a large cemetery overlooking the North Sea at Marske-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, England. Its church tower is a grade II listed structure at the midpoint to the yard and a landmark for sailors out on the sea. It is a remnant of a demolished church, services at St Germain's were replaced in 1876 by St Mark's.
Eston Town Hall was a municipal building in the Teesville area of Eston, in North Yorkshire, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Redcar and Cleveland District Council, was demolished in 2012.