Tell me something interesting about Middlesbrough…

Norman_Conquest said:
Christopher Dresser, a prominent designer and design theorist during the Victorian era, was associated with Middlesbrough. While Dresser himself was not born in Middlesbrough, he did spend a significant portion of his career there and had a notable impact on the town's industrial and design landscape.

Christopher Dresser was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1834. He was known for his innovative and influential designs across various fields, including ceramics, metalwork, furniture, textiles, and interiors. Dresser's work was characterized by its simplicity, functionality, and incorporation of natural forms and motifs.

In the mid-19th century, Dresser collaborated with several manufacturers in the Middlesbrough area, particularly in the burgeoning iron and steel industry. He applied his design principles to create aesthetically pleasing yet practical products, such as decorative metalwork, ceramics, and textiles, which contributed to the town's industrial output and reputation for quality design.

Dresser's association with Middlesbrough also extended to his role as the Art Superintendent for the Linthorpe Art Pottery, located in the nearby town of Linthorpe, which operated from 1879 to 1889. Dresser's designs for Linthorpe pottery were innovative for their time, featuring bold geometric patterns and organic forms inspired by nature.

While Dresser's connections to Middlesbrough are primarily through his professional collaborations and contributions to the town's industrial and design sectors, his influence left a lasting mark on the area's cultural and artistic heritage. Today, Dresser is celebrated as one of the pioneers of modern design and is recognized for his significant contributions to the Victorian design movement.
Click to expand...
Great post, but... I believe he only came here once, if at all. He and John Harrison met and had the idea of using ordinary clay to make art pottery. Dresser supplied the designs in the early years of the pottery's total life of just ten, but he didn't work here.
 
fmttmadmin said:
Actually the Sydney Harbour Bridge came first and the Tyne Bridge was a scaled down version.
Click to expand...
The Tyne Bridge was built and opened in October 1928 with construction starting in 1925, the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932. Initial demolition of properties along the river bank and turning of the first sod took place in July 1923. The first steelwork for the Sydney Harbour Bridge was not erected until 1926.

It seems that both bridges were being built simultaneously.

It does sound like both bridges copied Hell Gate Bridge in New York which opened in 1917.
 
Last edited:
One the largest meteorites to land in the UK landed in Middlesbrough , near modern day Park End, during Victorian Times.
 
SuperStu said:
Tell us more chaps. Where were you when it happened?

The event features in the book Ironopolis by Glen James Brown, that's where I first heard about it.
Click to expand...
I was at school - Acklam Hall - and remember going outside into the quad playground by the science labs to experience the darkness.

I don't remember much more. I do remember walking home in torrential rain but can't be 100% sure it was that day. I think it was though because I remember it being very gloomy rather than pitch black. This would have been odd for July at school leaving time. Being July I had a school blazer on - no coat - and was soaked through - literally had water running over my body.

I don't remember anyone being scared at the time.

The problem with memories though is that they can be affected by the subsequent explanation of the event. I may be remembering it as a one off weather event rather than my actual experience of the day.
 
red_clowne said:
When midday turned to midnight.
I was at school - Eston Grammar - on Normanby Road, Teesville.
Click to expand...
I was at school too - St Mary's College. It wasn't the storm that was so unusual - it was the darkness. I was 15 at the time so didn't find it scary but I understand how little kids and the superstitious found it unnerving.
 
JackG said:
I was at school too - St Mary's College. It wasn't the storm that was so unusual - it was the darkness. I was 15 at the time so didn't find it scary but I understand how little kids and the superstitious found it unnerving.
Click to expand...
I was in St Joe's juniors when everything went pitch black. It was so quick the lights weren't on as it had gone from full daylight within seconds.

Everyone thought it was the end of the world. The teacher's put the lights on were shuttling between classrooms until eventually there was a torrent of hailstone and we knew we were saved.

It was the adults reaction which panicked the kids.
 
The first Jewish person born in Middlesbrough [was] the grandfather of Miriam Margoyles.

Edited for correction
 
Last edited:
SuperStu said:
One day in 1968 apparently the sky turned dark in the middle of the day in Middlesbrough. People thought the world was ending. It was actually a freak local weather event.
Click to expand...
Not just in Middlesbrough. It was a scary experience for those of us at Fairfield infant school too.
 
Middlesbrough is the centre of all alien activity in Zetland. It was once home to a secret Redcar and Cleveland scientific laboratory which rivaled a school science lab in capabilities
 
The B&Q on Skippers Lane sells more plastic sheeting than any other branch in the UK. Due to all the bedwetting exclusively from FMTTM.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top