Eston is a
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
in the borough of
Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland is a borough with unitary authority status in North Yorkshire, England. Its main settlements are Redcar, South Bank, Eston, Brotton, Guisborough, the Greater Eston part of Middlesbrough, Loftus, Saltburn and Skelton. Th ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England. The ward covering the area (as well as
Lackenby,
Lazenby and
Wilton) had a population of 7,005 at the
2011 census. It is part of
Greater Eston
Greater Eston is an unparished area in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The name is used by the borough's council to describe the centres of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, South Bank and Teesville.
It had ...
, which includes the outlying settlements of
Grangetown,
Normanby,
South Bank,
Teesville
Teesville is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. A ward covering the area had a population of 6,517 at the 2011 census. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the settlements of Eston, N ...
and part of
Ormesby
Ormesby is an area which is split between Borough of Middlesbrough and Borough of Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Middlesbrough part of the Teesside built up area.
Spencer Beck to the east and the B1380 road to ...
.
Excluding Ormesby, the wider area came under the former
Eston Urban District
Greater Eston is an unparished area in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The name is used by the borough's council to describe the centres of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, South Bank and Teesville.
It had ...
from 1894 until 1968. This was a single
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
with a district council which had the ability to gain a
charter to be a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and become a
municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
in this case it did not. The
County Borough of Teesside was created in 1968. The town remains
unparished.
History
The land around Eston has been occupied since 2400 BC. The 1850 discovery of ironstone in Eston Hills by industrialists from Middlesbrough (most notably
Henry Bolckow
Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow, originally Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Bölckow, (8 December 1806 – 18 June 1878) was a Victorian industrialist and Member of Parliament, acknowledged as being one of the founders of modern Middlesbrough.
In a ...
and
John Vaughan) saw Eston develop from a small farming settlement in 1850 to a thriving mining town. 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
''A Century in Stone'' is a 2004 documentary film by Craig Hornby. It tells the story of how the discovery of ironstone at Eston in 1850 sparked the transformation of Teesside from rural backwater to iron-making capital of the world.
Craig Hor ...
'', 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 Pictures, sold out in local cinemas and across Australia.
The
Teesside
Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
steel industry that was started from these mines eventually produced the steel that built the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...
. The mines have been closed since 1949, after 100 years of production. In 1967, the Teesside steel industry became part of the nationalised
British Steel Corporation
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, which in turn became the
Corus Group
Corus may refer to:
Places
*Çörüş, Gazipaşa, a village in Antalya Province, Turkey
Facilities and structures
* Corus Quay, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; an office tower
Fictional locations
* Corus, a fictional world that is the setting for the ...
. The
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
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 Conservative Party MP
Jacob Young
Jacob Wayne Young (born September 10, 1979) is an American actor and producer. He is a five-time Daytime Emmy Award nominee, winning once in 2002 for his role as Lucky Spencer in the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (2000–2003). He is best kn ...
in the House of Commons.
2019 local elections results
Borough Council
In the 2019 local elections, the following members were returned to
Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland is a borough with unitary authority status in North Yorkshire, England. Its main settlements are Redcar, South Bank, Eston, Brotton, Guisborough, the Greater Eston part of Middlesbrough, Loftus, Saltburn and Skelton. Th ...
Borough Council:
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". As part of Redcar and Cleveland Council's
Greater Eston
Greater Eston is an unparished area in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The name is used by the borough's council to describe the centres of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, South Bank and Teesville.
It had ...
Regeneration, improvements are planned, including the part-demolition of the Precinct Shopping Centre and the building of a new supermarket.
The area has number of popular public houses that serve people both from within and around Eston. These establishments contribute to a number of local sports leagues, with darts and pool having the most participants.
The square was also been entered into the regional
Northumbria in Bloom competition, with regular work being carried out by members of the Eston Residents Association.
Churches
Eston has three major churches, two on the High Street and one in Whale Hill.
Christ Church, the Church of England church in Eston, is the partner church to St. George's Church in
Teesville
Teesville is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. A ward covering the area had a population of 6,517 at the 2011 census. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the settlements of Eston, N ...
. 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.
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
Teesville is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. A ward covering the area had a population of 6,517 at the 2011 census. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the settlements of Eston, N ...
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
The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
Social Club.
Eston Hills
The town of Eston lies at the foot of
Eston Hills, a ridge approximately above sea level, and a part of the
Cleveland Hills
The Cleveland Hills are a range of hills on the north-west edge of the North York Moors in North Yorkshire, England, overlooking Cleveland, England, Cleveland and Teesside. They lie entirely within the boundaries of the North York Moors National ...
. 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 above sea level at its highest point, Eston Hills are classed as
lowland heath.
Wildlife includes
lapwing
Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. A gro ...
,
curlew
The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been in ...
,
green woodpecker and
linnet
The common linnet (''Linaria cannabina'') is a small passerine bird of the finch family, Fringillidae. It derives its common name and the scientific name, ''Linaria'', from its fondness for hemp seeds and flax seeds—flax being the English n ...
. There are various butterflies and dragonflies.
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
Normanby is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. A ward covering the area had a population of 6,930 at the 2011 census. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the outlying settlements of E ...
.
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
Redcar and Cleveland is a borough with unitary authority status in North Yorkshire, England. Its main settlements are Redcar, South Bank, Eston, Brotton, Guisborough, the Greater Eston part of Middlesbrough, Loftus, Saltburn and Skelton. Th ...
Borough Council is mostly bordered by farmland. Eston Nab commands an excellent view of the nearby
Roseberry Topping
Roseberry Topping is a distinctive hill in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Great Ayton and Newton under Roseberry. Its summit has a distinctive half-cone shape with a jagged cliff, which has led to many comparisons with the much h ...
, which stands higher at .
Cemetery
Still in active use, the Eston Cemetery was established in 1863 and enlarged in 1882. It built as an extension to the pre-reformation St Helen Church which was one of the many churches belonging to
Gisborough Priory
Gisborough Priory is a ruined Augustinian priory in Guisborough in the current borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1119 as the Priory of St Mary by the Norman feudal magnate Robert de Brus, also an ances ...
. St Helen's has since been dismantled and rebuilt at
Beamish Museum. The cemetery is located off Church Lane, north of Eston's old centre.
Names on the gravestones tell the story off the families whose daily lives created the history of the wider area, throughout the twentieth century until the present. The
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations m ...
is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally, and to this end, war graves with uniform headstones, set in well kept lawns, can be found in cemeteries throughout the
British Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
. The Commission lists ninety-eight such graves, at Eston Cemetery, from the First and Second World Wars. The cemetery contains the
war graves
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regu ...
of 55 Commonwealth service personnel of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and 43 of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, including one unidentified
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
sailor.
Having more than 40 war graves, a
Cross of Sacrifice designed by architect
Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (20 December 1856 – 27 December 1942) was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.
Early life and career
Blomfield was born at Bow rectory in Devon, w ...
has been erected. It shows a simple cross embedded with a bronze sword and mounted on an octagonal base to represent the faith of the majority of commemorations. It can be seen in front of the West Lodge.
The cemetery also contains the memorial obelisk to
William Henry Short VC (4 February 1884 – 6 August 1916) who was an English recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and
Commonwealth forces. He was awarded the medal after being killed showing ''gallantry and devotion to duty'' at the
Battle of Contalmaison, during the
Somme Offensive
The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place be ...
, in 1916.
Whale Hill
Eston also includes the area of Whale Hill, which was initially built between 1966 and 1970, it has mixed tenure housing. It includes a social club and a row of shops, including a chemist, post office, supermarket, fish shop, Chinese takeaway and a corner shop. The area also benefits from a large local community centre.
Notable people
*
William Henry Short V.C. (1884–1916) – born and lived at 11, William Street, Eston, until the family moved to
Grangetown in 1900. He played football for Grangetown Albion and Saltburn and Lazenby United Football Clubs. He fought in the early stages of the
Battle of the Somme where he was killed ''showing gallantry and devotion to duty''. His name is recorded on the Grangetown war memorial and the obelisk in
Eston Cemetery.
*
Richard Douglas Sandford V.C. (1891-1918) - died as patient at Eston Hospital 12 days after the Armistice and buried at Eston Cemetery. He received the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
for his gallantry in the
Zeebrugge Raid
The Zeebrugge Raid ( nl, Aanval op de haven van Zeebrugge;
) on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The British intended to sink obsolete ships in the canal entrance, to prevent Germ ...
in April 1918.
[ Grave Locations of Holders of the Victoria Cross in the County of Cleveland.]
*
Joseph Stoddart MD, FRCA, FRCP (1932-2019) - Consultant
Anaesthetist
Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine ...
who served in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
and developed the use of Intensive Care in the UK, based at the
Royal Victoria Infirmary
The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) is a 673-bed tertiary referral hospital and research centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with strong links to Newcastle University.
The hospital is part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation T ...
. Born in Eston.
See also
*
Bolckow Vaughan
*
Eston Nab
*
Eston railway station
References
External links
Genuki – History of Eston parish & DistrictDescriptions from Bulmer's ''History and Directory of North Yorkshire'' (1890), retrieved 8 February 2006
Official Tees Archaeology – Eston HillsSome pictures of Eston in the past
{{authority control
Towns in North Yorkshire
Places in the Tees Valley
Unparished areas in North Yorkshire
Redcar and Cleveland
Greater Eston