OPINION
TeesTalk
With Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston promising to protect the town ’ s buildings of heritage , we asked Tees businesspeople what their favourite local historic building was .
RICHARD HORNIMAN , DIRECTOR OF REGENERATION , MIDDLESBROUGH COUNCIL Although the role of town centres is changing , I love the grandeur of the old centrepiece buildings in Middlesbrough , such as House of Fraser and Debenhams and the classic sweep of buildings in Exchange Square . These are a great reminder that good design will always stand the test of time .
TREVOR COOK , PARTNER , BAINES JEWITT Stockton ’ s Town Hall can be traced back to 1735 , is positioned on one of widest Georgian high streets in the country and played a significant part in the world ’ s first passenger railway . It was within the Town Hall that it was first suggested that a railway or canal to link Stockton and Darlington with the collieries of west Durham would be beneficial .
And so in 1825 , the world-famous Stockton and Darlington Railway was launched and the Town Hall hosted a special dinner to celebrate George Stephenson driving the railway ’ s opening train into the town .
JASON MAXWELL , MANAGER , STOCKTON BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ( BID ) Stockton Town Hall – or the Town House to give it its original title – is an iconic building . It was erected on its current site in 1735 and assumed the role of the old Toll Booth building and administrative centre for merchants visiting the town to trade .
The bell clock tower was used to mark the opening and closing of the trading day for the Wednesday and Saturday markets that still run today in the heart of town .
KEVIN HYNES , MANAGING DIRECTOR , TEES FIRE SYSTEMS My favourite Middlesbrough building is the Town Hall . This iconic building bears the scars of weather and the Luftwaffe , but this doesn ’ t dampen its beauty and presence in the town centre .
My son Greg and his wife Kelly had their wedding reception there in 2013 , while my father Frank was taken there after being arrested in 1940 . He was given a supper of fists and boots – his crime being that Italy had joined Germany in the war and his mother was Italian . The Town Hall was recently modernised , and my company was proud to be awarded the contract to install a new fire detection system .
DR TOSH WARWICK , CHAIR , HIGH STREET HERITAGE ACTION ZONE STEERING GROUP It is difficult to pick just one favourite building from the hundreds across our region that have fascinating histories and lots of different meanings to many different people . I would have to go with Webb House on Middlesbrough ’ s Zetland Road , a nationally significant building designed by celebrated arts and crafts architect Philip Webb , and which served as the offices of iron and steel manufacturers Bell Brothers and Dorman Long .
The Old Town Hall is another link to modern Middlesbrough ’ s Victorian Ironopolis and for years I have worked with the council to find a purpose for this important part of our town ’ s heritage .
NICK WAITES , MANAGING PARTNER , CP WAITES While I was born and bred in Stockton , for me the most iconic and impressive building in the Tees Valley must be Middlesbrough Town Hall . I started my working life on the 11th floor of what was Corporation House , now known as Centre North East , overlooking the Town Hall , but the true beauty of what is a fantastic piece of gothic architecture is not fully appreciated until you go inside .
The recent refurbishment has been undertaken very subtly to preserve the original interior features but has also opened up a number of areas – including the courtroom – that hadn ’ t been fully utilised in recent years .
EUGENE MCCOY , RESTAURATEUR , THE CRATHORNE ARMS As a young boy I lived in Vaughan Street , just off Linthorpe Road , near the railway lines . We used to go to church at the old cathedral , which was “ over the border ”, as we knew it then . Great days of Middlesbrough . I would very often walk to the Transporter Bridge and always turn off to go and look at the Old Town Hall – a great building even now . I was there a few weeks ago . It still stands strong and bold – a great building that needs some love and care to get it back to its rightful place . Even LS Lowry painted it !
DAVE ALLAN , DIRECTOR , RESOLUTION MEDIA & PUBLISHING The Transporter Bridge is undoubtedly my favourite structure but there are so many beautiful old buildings . The Tees Business offices are now in the historic former home of Middlesbrough ’ s founding fathers , Bolckow and Vaughan , but I think our old office premises in Boho Four are architecturally stunning . It was once the National Provincial Bank of England and later the Cleveland Club . Nearby , we ’ ve also got the beautiful port authority headquarters , now home to PD Ports , and I do love Acklam Hall .
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