Port Clarence

Last updated

Port Clarence
Vulcan Street - geograph.org.uk - 3241980.jpg
Vulcan street
Durham UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Port Clarence
Location within County Durham
OS grid reference NZ485227
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town MIDDLESBROUGH
Postcode district TS2
Police Cleveland
Fire Cleveland
Ambulance North East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°35′19″N1°13′48″W / 54.58861°N 1.23000°W / 54.58861; -1.23000

Port Clarence is a small village in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. It is on the north bank of the River Tees, and near the northern end of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.

Contents

History

Formerly known as Samphire Batts, it is situated on the River Tees. As the Industrial Revolution took shape and ships got bigger, access to Stockton became harder, and so colliery owners needed better access to the North Sea. It became known as Port Clarence following a visit by the then Duke of Clarence, who would later become King William IV.

19th century

Investors created the Clarence Railway which connected Stockton to the newly developed port at Samphire Batts, and also Haverton Hill, a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) upstream. The village was hence renamed after the port. Meanwhile, its great rival the Stockton and Darlington Railway extended to Middlesbrough, on the opposite side of the river.

The S&DR extension was completed by 1830, while the CR was completed by 1833. The opening of the railways provided the stimulus for the growth of both Middlesbrough and Port Clarence. Prior to the opening of the railway, ship access to Port Clarence was very slow and difficult, often taking as long to carry the coal to the port, as it had to sail from the port to London.

However, the CR shared rail track owned by the S&DR near to the County Durham coal mines and never made a profit due to the restrictions and fees imposed by the owners of the S&DR and eventually the PCR was taken over by the Stockton and Hartlepool Railway, a subsidiary of the Hartlepool Docks and Railway Company, to allow quicker onward shipment via new docks at Hartlepool.

20th century

The area has a strong history of immigration from Ireland, with many travellers settling in the village between 1900 and 1920 to work in the local steel and chemical industries, as well as the local Furness Shipyards.[ citation needed ]

Present

Transporter Bridge View of the Tees Transporter Bridge, Middlesbrough.jpg
Transporter Bridge

It is served by the Stagecoach service 1 between Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. The A1046 links the village to Stockton and Middlesbrough (via the Newport Bridge) in the west and the A178 links to Hartlepool and Middlesbrough (via the Transporter Bridge) in the east.

Three hundred homes in Port Clarence were evacuated in December 2013 after the Tees burst its bank. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tees</span> East coast river of Northern England

The River Tees, in Northern England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for 85 miles (137 km) to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar near Middlesbrough. The modern day history of the river has been tied with the industries on Teesside in its lower reaches, where it has provided the means of import and export of goods to and from the North East England. The need for water further downstream also meant that reservoirs were built in the extreme upper reaches, such as Cow Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartlepool</span> Town in County Durham, England

Hartlepool is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough named after the town which also governs the civil parishes of Greatham, Hart, Dalton Piercy and Elwick. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton and Darlington Railway</span> English railway company, 1825 to 1863

The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, and was officially opened on 27 September 1825. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. While coal waggons were hauled by steam locomotives from the start, passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton-on-Tees</span> Town in County Durham, England

Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough named after the town, which is part of the devolved Tees Valley area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesbrough</span> Town in North Yorkshire, England

Middlesbrough is a town in North Yorkshire, England. A borough covers the town, governed by a unitary council. The town is in Teesdale, near the North York Moors National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley</span> Mayoral combined authority area in North East England

Tees Valley is a mayoral combined authority area in North East England, around the lower River Tees. The area is not a geographical valley; the local term for the valley is Teesdale. The area covers five council areas: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingate, County Durham</span> Human settlement in England

Wingate is a village in County Durham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haverton Hill</span> Human settlement in England

Haverton Hill is an area within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. Once considered a part of Billingham, Haverton Hill was once a thriving industrial community which has suffered significant depopulation since the 1960s as a result of pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham Coast Line</span>

The Durham Coast Line is an approximately 39.5-mile (63.6 km) railway line running between Newcastle and Middlesbrough in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the line; it provides an important diversionary route at times when the East Coast Main Line is closed. Light rail services of the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line also operate over the same tracks between a junction just south of Sunderland station and Pelaw Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornaby railway station</span> Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Thornaby is a railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 3 miles 17 chains (5.2 km) south-west of Middlesbrough, serves the market town of Thornaby-on-Tees, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by TransPennine Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton railway station (County Durham)</span> Railway station in County Durham, England

Stockton is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 5 miles 45 chains (9.0 km) west of Middlesbrough, serves the market town of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billingham railway station</span> Railway station in County Durham, England

Billingham is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 10 miles 8 chains (16.3 km) north-west of Middlesbrough, serves the town of Billingham, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartlepool railway station</span> Railway station in County Durham, England

Hartlepool is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 18 miles 5 chains (29 km) south-east of Sunderland, serves the port town of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornaby TMD</span>

Thornaby TMD was a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Thornaby, England, latterly operated by DB Schenker. The depot was situated to the east of Thornaby, on the northern side of the line to Middlesbrough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A178 road</span> Road in North Yorkshire, England

The A178 is a road that runs from Hartlepool in County Durham to Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence Railway</span> Former railway company in England

The Clarence Railway was an early railway company that operated in north-east England between 1833 and 1853. The railway was built to take coal from mines in County Durham to ports on the River Tees and was a competitor to the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). It suffered financial difficulty soon after it opened because traffic was low and the S&DR charged a high rate for transporting coal to the Clarence, and the company was managed by the Exchequer Loan Commissioners after July 1834. An extension of the Byers Green branch was opened in 1839 by the independent West Durham Railway to serve collieries in Weardale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Marshalling Yard</span> Railway marshalling yard in Middlesbrough, England

Tees Marshalling Yard is a railway marshalling yard, used to separate railway wagons, located near Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, Northern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Eden Railway</span>

The Castle Eden Railway was a railway line built by the North Eastern Railway between Bowesfield Junction near Stockton-on-Tees and Wingate, County Durham, Northeast England. Although its route actually never went near Castle Eden, it was also informally known as the "Cuckoo Line".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Middlesbrough</span> Aspect of history

Middlesbrough started as a Benedictine priory on the south bank of the River Tees, its name possibly derived from it being midway between the holy sites of Durham and Whitby. The earliest recorded form of Middlesbrough's name is "Mydilsburgh", containing the term burgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlehaven</span> Area of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England

Middlehaven is the oldest part of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It is directly south of the River Tees and it is to the north of the current centre, separated by the railway and the A66.

References

  1. Richardson, Lucy (5 December 2013). "Hundreds of homes evacuated in Port Clarence, Stockton". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 27 December 2013.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Port Clarence at Wikimedia Commons