South Bank is a former
industrial town
An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' ...
in the
Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Its council has been a unitary authority since 1996.
The borough was created in 1974 as Langbaurgh, and was one of four ...
borough in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England on the south bank of the
River Tees
The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...
. It is east of
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
and south-west of
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. It is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, and is located east of Middlesbrough.
The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdiv ...
. The town is served by railway station.
The area forms part of the
Teesside
Teesside () is an urban area around the River Tees in North East England. Straddling the border between County Durham and North Yorkshire, it spans the boroughs of Borough of Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, Stockton ...
built-up area's Middlesbrough subdivision and is also a part of
Greater Eston
Greater Eston is an urbanised area in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The name of Greater Eston is a concept devised by town planners from Redcar and Cleveland Council. It canno ...
.
Demographics
Within Redcar and Cleveland, the South Bank ward had a population of 6,548 at the 2011 census.
History
Formerly known as "Tees Tilery", South Bank has a long history of steelmaking in the companies
Bolckow Vaughan
Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd was an English steelmaking, ironmaking and mining company founded in 1864, based on the partnership since 1840 of its two founders, Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan (ironmaster), John Vaughan. The firm drove the dramat ...
and
Dorman Long
Dorman Long & Co was a UK steel producer, later diversifying into bridge building. The company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange.
History
The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired '' ...
, and shipbuilding at
Smiths Dock Company
Smith's Dock Company, Limited, often referred to simply as Smith's Dock, was a British shipbuilder, shipbuilding company.
History
The company was originally established by Thomas Smith who bought William Rowe's shipyard at St. Peter's in Newcas ...
. The area was also known by the nickname of "Slaggy Island" as it was surrounded by
slag heaps
The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be cl ...
.
South Bank was historically part of the
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
of
Normanby in the
ancient 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Ormesby
Ormesby is a village and area split between the unitary authority areas of Borough of Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England.
Demographics
The Ormesby ward, including Overfields and Ormesby Hall, ...
. A
local government district
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
covering the township was created in 1865, governed by a local board. A
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
was built for the district in 1878. Such districts were reconstituted as
urban districts under the
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...
. At the second meeting of the urban district council in January 1895 it voted to change the district's name from Normanby to "South Bank in Normanby", acknowledging that South Bank was the larger settlement within the district. The change of name was confirmed by
North Riding County Council
North Riding County Council (NRCC) was the county council of the administrative county of the North Riding of Yorkshire. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 31 March 1974. The council met at County Hall in Northallerton ...
in May 1895.
South Bank in Normanby Urban District was abolished in 1915, being absorbed into the neighbouring
Eston Urban District
Greater Eston is an urbanised area in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The name of Greater Eston is a concept devised by town planners from Redcar and Cleveland Council. It canno ...
, which in turn was abolished in 1968 to become part of the
County Borough of Teesside
The County Borough of Teesside was a county borough in the north-east of England, which existed for just six years. It was created in 1968 to cover the Teesside conurbation which had grown up around the various port and industrial towns near t ...
.
South Bank formed part of the
Middlesbrough parliamentary constituency from 1867 until 1918.
Shipbuilding

In 1907,
Smiths Dock Company
Smith's Dock Company, Limited, often referred to simply as Smith's Dock, was a British shipbuilder, shipbuilding company.
History
The company was originally established by Thomas Smith who bought William Rowe's shipyard at St. Peter's in Newcas ...
, a firm of shipbuilders from
North Shields
North Shields ( ) is a town in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. The population of North Shields at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom cens ...
, set up part of its business on the
River Tees
The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...
at South Bank. Smiths Dock closed its
North Shields
North Shields ( ) is a town in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. The population of North Shields at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom cens ...
Yard in 1909 focussing its operations on the
River Tees
The River Tees (), in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries ...
.
Smiths Dock built ships that served during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, including
trawlers Trawler may refer to:
Boats
* Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing
* Naval trawler
Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the World War I, Fir ...
that the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
* Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Tra ...
requisitioned and converted to
armed trawler
Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the First and Second World Wars. Some, known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers", were purpose-built to na ...
s of the
Royal Naval Patrol Service
The Royal Naval Patrol Service (RNPS) was a branch of the Royal Navy active during both the First and Second World Wars. The RNPS operated many small auxiliary vessels such as naval trawlers for anti-submarine and minesweeping operations to prot ...
such as or , in which Lieutenant
Richard Stannard (
RNR) won the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
. Smiths Dock prepared the design of the , an
anti-submarine
An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...
convoy escort of the Second World War.
In 1966 Smith's Dock merged with
Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson
Swan Hunter, formerly known as Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, is a shipbuilding design, engineering, and management company, based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England.
At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three pow ...
to form Associated Shipbuilders, later to become Swan Hunter Group.
[Fears for Tyneside tradition as Swan Hunter ship is towed to Govan for completion]
Guardian, 15 July 2006
In 1968, the company completed the first British-built and owned
container ship
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
, ''Manchester Challenge'' of 12,039
gross register tons. This was for operation on
Manchester Liners new container service to ports on the
St Lawrence Seaway
The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...
, Canada. By 1971, the company had delivered three further ships of this design to
Manchester Liners.

South Bank's shipbuilding era came to an end on 15 October 1986, when the last ship was launched from Smith's Dock, the shipyard itself closing in February 1987. The dock was re-used as Tees Offshore Base in 1988 and became home to offshore service industry companies including Tees Dockyard. Tees Dockyard was bought by Cammell Laird in 1998. On 15 April 2001, Cammell Laird closed the ship repair yard.
Politics
South Bank is part of the
Redcar
Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. It is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, and is located east of Middlesbrough.
The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdiv ...
Parliamentary constituency in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
.
Borough Council
In the 2023 local elections, the following members were returned to
Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Its council has been a unitary authority since 1996.
The borough was created in 1974 as Langbaurgh, and was one of four ...
Borough Council:
Places of worship
The Catholic parish of St. Peter was created in 1874, followed by St. Mary's, in nearby Grangetown, in 1886. Together they served the Irish and Lithuanian immigrants who worked in the smelting works by the River Tees. These days, South Bank's Catholic Church is part of a larger parish, which includes the churches of St. Anne's,
Eston
Eston is a former industrial town in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary area of North Yorkshire, England. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the outlying settlements of Grangetown, North Yorkshire, Grangetown, Normanby, Redcar and Clevel ...
and St. Andrew's,
Teesville
Teesville is an area in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. It is part of Greater Eston, which includes the area and the settlements of Eston, Normanby, South Bank, Teesville and part of Ormesby.
Demographics
A ...
. The joint parish is served from, and carries the name of, St. Andrew's Parish.
The Anglican Communion is represented by the church of St. John the Evangelist. The foundation stone for the church was laid in 1893, and was completed two years later in 1895. It is part of the Deanery of Middlesbrough within the
Diocese of York
The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The diocese is headed by the ar ...
.
The South Bank Baptist Church also dates from the late 19th century and the 'non-aligned' South Bank Mission, although not in its original building, was founded in 1908.
Other established places of worship include the Redcar and Cleveland Islamic and Quranic Cultural Association, which mostly serves the Bangladeshi community.
Notable people
*
Steve Buxton, footballer
*
Ken Churchill, paralympic Athlete
*
Greg Clark
Gregory David Clark (born 28 August 1967) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2016 to 2019. He also was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2015 t ...
, Conservative MP, former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
*
Jack Curtis, footballer
*
Paul Daniels
Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series '' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', whic ...
, magician
*
Florence Easton,
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
*
Vin Garbutt
Vincent Paul Garbutt (20 November 1947 – 6 June 2017) was an English folk singer and songwriter. A significant part of his repertoire consisted of protest songs covering topics such as Troubles, "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland (''Welcome ...
, folk singer
*
Wilf Mannion
Wilfrid James Mannion (16 May 1918 – 14 April 2000) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blonde ...
, footballer
*
David Mulholland, artist
*
Dusty Rhodes
Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance ...
, footballer
*
Paul Truscott (boxer)
See also
*
St Peter's Catholic College, South Bank
References
Sources
*
*
External links
The Homepage of the South Bank Nostalgia Society(archived version)
Tribute to the late South Bank painter David Mulholland*
ttp://www.bluestarline.org/list_of_ship_builders.html#sd South Bank built ships sailing with the Blue Star line
{{authority control
Redcar and Cleveland
Places in the Tees Valley
Towns in North Yorkshire
Greater Eston