Port Clarence
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Port Clarence is a small village now within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Tees, and hosts the northern end of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.
It was formerly known as Samphire Batts but was renamed Port Clarence around 1833, after the opening of the Clarence Railway in 1833 which terminated at the village and also in adjoining Haverton Hill, a half a mile upstream. The Clarence Railway was a fierce rival to the Stockton and Darlington Railway, with both railway lines enabling colliery owners to load coal onto ships for transportation to destinations such as London. A railway extension of the Stockton and Darlington Railway to Middlesbrough, on the opposite side of the river, was completed in 1830 for the same reason. Prior to 1830 the shipment of coal was problematic due to the shallow waters around Stockton. The opening of the railways provided the stimulus for the growth of both Middlesbrough and Port Clarence.
The area has a strong history of immigration from Ireland, with many travellers settling in the village between 1900 to 1920, particularly from counties Tyrone, Monaghan and Wicklow. They arrived to work in the local steel and chemical industires, as well as the local Furness shipyards.
The village has a high crime rate as some derelict houses have been set on fire by arsonists and other houses have been boarded up. Such an example was the Queen's Head pub that was destroyed by arsonists in 2005. The village also has a high unemployment rate but it has few amenities and residents need to travel to nearby Billingham, Middlesbrough or Stockton. It is served by the Stagecoach service 1 between Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. The A1046 links the village to Stockton and Middlesbrough (via the Newport Bridge) in the west and the A178 links to Hartlepool and Middlesbrough (via the Transporter Bridge) in the east.
Port Clarence is also the former name of Malabo, the current capital of Equatorial Guinea.
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