I only get beck to Middlesbrough occasionally after 35 years away, but such fond memories and not really caring that outsiders think we're a little bit low brow. Great presentation, and I'll be there soon to wander about the buildings I didn't appreciate the history of.
I just found out,FINALLY, that my grandfather was from Middlesbrough as well as my entire family on his side all the way back to 18th century at least. I always knew my grandfather was from England and had moved to Detroit in the 40’s as he was a very accomplished musician (brass), where he met my grandmother. My aunt is a genealogist and put together our family tree with so much detail. I’ve been asking for it for 20 years and she just sent it to me. It even has the street address in Middlesbrough where my grandfather was born. Now I am in a rabbit hole of finding as much out about my ancestry and hoping to find possible family thereabouts. My son and I are coming to visit is September and I just can’t wait! I hate hearing people say awful things about it though, is much the same here in the U.S. but truth be told, ALL places have their pros and cons. I’m just so happy you made this video as I can’t find much about the area outside of football 😂. Please, any information would be so greatly appreciated. Much thanks! 🌹
Wow! Glad you enjoyed the vid - and you’re right, Middlesbrough does get bad press. Which street and which part of middlesbrough was your grandfather from?
@@JasonSmartTravel He was born at 18 Upper Graham St. South Bank, Normandy, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire. That’s what it says on the chart my Aunt sent me.
Loved watching this! I'm 40 now but grew up in Eaglescliffe. Middlesbrough was my teenage years, shopping for cds in HMV, clubbing at empire and drinking round town. And my first proper job was a weekend job in........Charles Clinkards! I worked on the ladies department. In October I stopped over for a night in Middlesbrough for my husband's birthday as he'd never been. It trained but we had fun. Some good little pubs and bars on bedford and baker street and linthorpe Road. The Nuthatch especially. We also visited the dorman and Albert Park.
Wow, how interesting to see my old hometown! I haven't been back since 1993, so a lot has changed. MIMA wasn't there, but I remember the old Town Hall and the two office towers. I spent a lot of my early life living in Captain Cook's Crescent in Marton, and went to Captain Cook's Infants School then Captain Cook's Junior School - Captain Cook looms large in the area's pre-Middlesbrough history! I remember crossing the River Tees on the Transporter Bridge with my nan when I was little and peering over the side of the gondola to look at the surface of the river, which looked like a bright green pea soup. That left quite an impression. It was only much later that I learned about algal blooms caused by pollution! Thank you for posting this video; I found it very interesting.
I was born an brought up in Middlesbrough until I also left and went to University. My Grandfather worked in the steel works and where I now live (Whanganui in Aotearoa (New Zealand)) has a railway bridge with girders with D. Long &Co stamped on them. This is Further from Middlesbrough than Sydney in fact it is almost impossible to get further from Middlesbrough without usinhg a space rocket.
UTB! A very nostalgic watch for me as i've not been in the town centre for about 20 years, I never thought i'd see the day that we got a modern art museum!
My great grandfather was demobbed from the boar war he went back to Leeds packed a hand cart and walked all the way to middlesbrough to start a new life. It has an amazing history with the best stories you'll ever hear.
@@stevewooly6168 not everyone can spell, try respecting that as well. The condition does have a title but I can’t spell that either. Your too quick to judge people.
I moved away about 35 yrs ago. I grew up in Norton, when I left school in the 70's I started my apprenticeship at Haverton Hill shipyard. When Thatcher got in power it was downhill all the way. I remember seeing The Clash at the Town Hall and SLF but I was frequently at Middlesborough Rock Garden in my punk days. I really missed the place and returned back a couple of years ago and it's all changed, especially Stockton. At least I've still got my memories of Ayresome Park and all that went with it. I really miss the old place. UTB.
Im about ur age, and its good you show Boro town centre at least in a good light. But Boro is mainly - poverty line people, and the town is pretty dirty and dangerous.- just look at that little pond and what a mess it was, or the pub the pig iron - great pub but you need watch yourself. You grew up in marton, went to uni, spent time in the libraries.... I grew up grove hill, never finished school, and before i got involved in a life of crime, i left the town. But never had a night out like a night out in Boro, so like you its a nostalgic place i will always love.
Boro born and bred only go back to watch the Boro play, went to numerous metal concerts, seen some great bands play, but seeing a band(Black Rose among many) in the crypt was awesome, low ceiling the audience was right on top of the group it was mental.
My hometown in Kentucky was named "Middlesborough" after your hometown. It was built in the 1880's and was intended to be an iron city, based on local coal and iron ore. Unfortunately it was funded by British investors and when a depression hit in the 1890s in England the funding to build it dried up, and the iron ore was not high enough quality to be worth mining, so Middlesborough almost collapsed, but the coal mining kept it going. Thank you for showing off your hometown, I want to go there and see your town for myself one day.
@@JasonSmartTravel Well it is a really small town after all, not really on anyone's radar! No reason for anyone to have heard of it, outside of the area! Glad you found it interesting, I like my old hometown, even though I had to move away for work years ago.
What a cool video mate,i ive a few miles down the road,i saw the arctic monkeys play at the empire,aswell as loads of other bands,& worked in the steelworks at lackenby for a good few years before it closed,the pig iron has always been a popular boozer,used to go in there when it was called the central,shame everything has changed so much,but maybe its a sign of the times,things & areas look so run down.
Hey Jason old pal , I had my bike pinched that day too ….. we were studying for a history project and if I remember right we chained them to the police station next door to the library Racing style bikes Happy days Geoff lodge
Yes, you were with me on Theft Day. Our racers gone after a while toiling about Ghandi’s life I think. Nice hearing from you, Mr Lodge. And you’re correct, they were happy days!
Believe it or not, I visited Middlesbrough as a tourist in 2008, 2015 and 2017. While I mainly used it as a base to explore the Northeast, I always enjoyed spending some time in the city itself. The area which really intrigues me is St. Hilda's, the former old town and for many years a deserted area. It's great to see that the place is coming back to life while preserving the old heritage like the Vulcan wall, the old town hall and hopefully the Transporter bridge. Thanks for the great video, it brought back some nice memories from my visits.
Is House of Frazier or Debenhams theshop I use to know as Binns. I think it was part of the John Lewis group.The Town centre looks so depressed with so any shops boarded up and closed It also looks much more pedestrianised than I remember but I suppose Middelsbrough is not the only town centre struggling to remain relevant in modern 2023 England. 😢
it's funny you should talk about "The Exchange", today it's an underrated gem, with the upstairs area accessible by a side entrance opposite the train station, while the ground floor has been renovated into a restaurant. sadly overshadowed by the Empire and other clubs, Stereo as it's now known has some of the best nights out in the town
Some famous sons of Middlesbrough. Brian Clough, Paul Daniels, Don Revie, James Cook, Bob Mortimer, Chris Rea, Chris Kamara, James Arthur. Just off the top of my head. Proud of my hometown.
I lived in Nunthorpe in the 1960’s and my parents took us shopping every Saturday morning in Middlesbrough. I revisited this year to see all the big shops closed down. Also the dereliction of land in the St Hilda’s area near the Transporter Bridge.. I used to love going over that bridge as a foot passenger. We didn’t have a car! Pleased to see the cosmetic restoration of the Captain Cook Pub. Hope it gets put into long term use. Although not a Labour supporter I do get the feel that the council is trying its best to regenerate the town.
used to remember when the park in front of the library use to have a hedge around it and in summer had a few local tramps sleeping and drinking (keo) and I never knew what happened to the erimouse (hairy mouse) under the cleveland center opposite the park
@damright , I lived at 'The Erimus' as a kid. It consisted of a front row of houses with Ped,s pub at one end and Bob Johnson,s shop at the other. That row of houses was Erimus Terrace. Behind it was Pioneer Street and we lived at no. 5. Stockton Racecourse was opposite and Whitehouse Farm behind it. The Erimus houses were built {I think} for railway workers, of which my grandad worked there all his life except for the war years and he got his gold watch for long service. The Middlesbrough of that time was very different. Middlesbrough Park was always beautiful, {Albert Park} and I remember the boating lake and roller skating rink, not to forget, the little train with sixpenny rides. I live in New Zealand now but I know everything has changed there.
Putting City's aside, Boro has to be the roughest Town in England. Always a lively place for an away football fan. My Uncle Billy was best man at John Hicktons wedding here in Chesterfield, Hickton being a top striker for the Boro back in the 70s. Used to know some Boro lads that attended the Northern Soul niters, Wigan Casino and Rotherham Clifton Hall, late 70s early 80s, Paul Debrick, Boza and Clarky, a few names i remember.
Hello Jason, nice video thanks, nice to see Boro, I have a similar story left when I was 18/19 and bought shoes from Clarkcards, (actually a Mboro company) I hung around the shops Martin shops as a kid, it’s a travesty what the council has allowed to happen to the town, only valet shops and take aways. Definitely in decline. Thanks D
St Hilda's church is/was St Mary's cathedral. My sister was the last person to be married there before it closed and also had the first christening in the new St Mary's when it opened in Coulby Newham
Yes that bridge is lovely and i love it myself. The only thing though is the area around it is rife for improvement but the bridge 🌉 has stopped any from happening.
That Charles Clinkard shop was the first store of what is now a national chain of Charles Clinkards. But it was announced last week that the store is to close down. Sad times on all town high streets.
I was born in middlesbrough but left in my 20s but still have family there. And I worked for a short time in the library. Remember many a good night out there with friends. Still go back to see family. My dad worked in the steel works. I am sure there was a cafe I the town hall we went to for our lunch. My family on my mums side is descended from captain cooks sister.
@@italianjob4947 Stewart's park if yor gunna be an ass. Boros a shit hole but its our shithole. That fountain park is fairly new it was called Pidgeon park back in the day, with all the gorgeous statues, there was one of queen victoria. I wonder what happened to them
Good memories of when centre square used be Victoria gardens old man's park then the Big Glass House in Stewarts Middlesbrough Council changed so much dunning street Police Station had Tunnel that through to magistrates streets like Garnet street and Amber street people used to just leave there front doors open Borough had the holy shop and Ross's still open selling school uniforms.
Great video, I was there in the 70s and the local kids would ask for 1 pound to protect my parked car, or it would be trashed on return. When i informed the police they advised me to give them the pound. Has the price gone up now?
My mate parked his car ,and a young kid asked him for £1.00, to watch it.! My brother said my alsatians in the car he will guard it ,whereupon the kid asked if his dog could put out fires 😯
I have a plan to apply to Teesside University in next intake,2025. Please let me know that what are part time jobs oppurtunities for international students? Thank you in advance😊 I have another question : which is better between middlesbrough and Stoke on trent?
Won't happen as too much needs doing & the only reason former Mayor Andy Preston kept banging on about it is so the council will get more money because they always piss money away left, right & centre which is what you get being ran by Labour.
Exactly as I live there & it's a fkn sh1thole full of wreckhead scum and infested with foreigners galore. Every time I walk along Parly Road I feel like a foreigner in my own area where I've lived all of my life.
60's I lived in South Bank. Went to St Peters, Normanby Road. I travel usually twice a year to attend from my home in Northern Ireland to attend to 4 graves, on Normanby Road, Cemetery. I've been doing this for 30+ years. Those remember are not relatives, but those who at that time were very kind to me as a 9-10-11 year old. Yes! times were hard but I wouldn't change the memories for anything. Everyone was friendly, everyone was on the same level. Schooling was great, would never have missed it. Northern Ireland school on the Antrim road, were 5hit, the teachers nothing more than BULLIES and HATE FILLED bigots. Never done fighting, but the CAWARDS would never one one one. Still hate the place today. Belfast IS A 5HIT HOLE. I always enjoy going back to South Bank, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Saltburn-by-the sea. the best places ever. Thank you for the memories.
Fun facts you missed. Middlesbrough had the first indoor shopping centre and first cash point. Used to get our shoes from that shoe shop and my mum worked in Burtons. My dad drove cranes for JD Whites all around Boro. Used to go to work with him all around ICI and the steel works.
