Eston

For other uses, see Eston (disambiguation).
Eston

A view of Eston Square from Eston Hills
Eston
 Eston shown within North Yorkshire
Population 7,005 (2011.ward)[1]
OS grid referenceNZ554187
Unitary authorityRedcar and Cleveland
Ceremonial countyNorth Yorkshire
RegionNorth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town MIDDLESBROUGH
Postcode district TS6
Dialling code 01642
Police Cleveland
Fire Cleveland
Ambulance North East
EU Parliament North East England
UK ParliamentRedcar
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire

Coordinates: 54°33′36″N 1°08′38″W / 54.560°N 1.144°W / 54.560; -1.144

Eston is a town in North Yorkshire, England. The local council, a unitary authority, is Redcar and Cleveland.

Eston is next to Normanby, Grangetown and Teesville, indeed several institutions in Teesville and Normanby have Eston in their name, such as Eston Sports Academy and Eston Cemetery. It is included in the Redcar and Cleveland redevelopment initiative named Greater Eston.[2] As with the rest of Greater Eston, it forms part of the Middlesbrough sub-division of the Teesside built-up area.[3]

History

Eston Hospital: commemorative flowerbed sculpture

The land around Eston has been occupied since 2400 BC. The 1841 discovery of ironstone in Eston Hills by industrialists from Middlesbrough (most notably Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan) saw Eston develop from two cottages 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. The film, by Craig Hornby of Pancrack Films,[5] sold out in local cinemas and across Australia.

The Teesside steel industry that was started from these mines eventually produced the steel that built the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Steelmaking continues on the Tees now: the mines have been closed for more than 60 years, after 100 years of production. Teesside steel 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.

Politics

Eston is part of Redcar constituency and is represented by Labour Party MP Anna Turley in the House of Commons. It is part of the North East England European Parliament constituency, where it is represented by two Labour MEP's and one UKIP MEP.

2015 local elections results

Borough Council

In the 2015 local elections, the following members were returned to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council:[6]

WardCouncillorParty
Eston Christopher Massey Labour Party
Eston Geraldine Williams Labour Party
Eston Ann Higgins Eston Independent Party

Eston Square

The tomb of the unknown soldier
Eston Square

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".[7] 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.

For such a small town, there is a high number of popular public houses that serve people both from within Eston and from neighbouring towns like Normanby, South Bank, Whale Hill and Grangetown. Theses establishments contribute to a number of local sports leagues, with darts and pool having the most participants.

The square has also been entered into the regional Northumbria in Bloom competition, with regular work being carried out by members of the Eston Residents Association.

Churches

Christ Church, Eston

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]

Eston Hills

The town of Eston lies at the foot of Eston Hills,[13] a ridge 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 Bauer Teesside and aerials and transmitters.

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).

Eston Cemetery

Still in active use, Eston Cemetery it was established in 1863 and built as an extension to the church of St Helen, which has since been dismantled and rebuilt at Beamish Museum.[15] Names on the gravestones tell the story of the families whose daily lives created the history of the wider area throughout the twentieth century until the present.

The cemetery contains the war graves of 55 Commonwealth service personnel of World War I and 43 of World War II, including one unidentified Royal Navy sailor.[16]

Whale Hill

Eston also includes the area of Whale Hill, which was built in 1966–70. Whale Hill has mixed tenure housing. It includes a social club and a row of shops, including a chemist, post office, supermarket, fish shop and a corner shop. The area also benefits from a large local community centre.

Notable people

See also

Places near Eston
Teesville, South Bank Whale Hill, Grangetown Lazenby
Normanby Lackenby
   Eston  
Ormesby Great Ayton Guisborough

Eston gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Redcar and Cleveland ward population 2011". Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Redcar and Cleveland Council – Greater Eston
  3. ↑ "2011 UK Census statistics". Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  4. ↑ BBC – How Eston's mines changed history
  5. ↑ Pancrack Films – A Century in Stone
  6. ↑ "Redcar & Cleveland". May 2015.
  7. ↑ Greater Eston Regeneration Projects
  8. ↑ The Evangelical Congregational Church, Eston
  9. ↑ Christ Church, Eston
  10. ↑ St. Anne's Church, Eston
  11. ↑ The stained-glass windows of Christ Church, Eston
  12. ↑ St. Andrew's Parish Online
  13. ↑ Eston Hills
  14. ↑ Redcar and Cleveland Council – Eston Moor
  15. ↑ Beamish – The Living Museum of the North: St Helen's Church, Eston
  16. ↑ CWGC Cemetery Report.
  17. ↑ Remembrance – The Yorkshire Regiment, First World War Private William SHORT, V.C.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 October 2004. Retrieved 28 November 2004. Grave Locations of Holders of the Victoria Cross in the County of Cleveland.

External links

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