Eston

For other uses, see Eston (disambiguation).

Eston
A view of Eston Square from Eston Hills
Eston Eston shown within North Yorkshire
OS grid reference	NZ554187
Unitary authority	Redcar and Cleveland
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MIDDLESBROUGH
Postcode district	TS6
Dialling code	01642
Police	Cleveland
Fire	Cleveland
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	Redcar
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 within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland, England. As with the rest of Redcar and Cleveland, it is part of the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire.

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.^[1]

History

Eston Hospital: commemorative flowerbed sculpture

The land around Eston has been occupied since 2400 BC, but it was the discovery of ironstone in Eston Hills by industrialists from Middlesbrough (most notably Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan) in 1841, that saw Eston develop from two cottages in 1850 to a thriving mining town.^[2] Miners' cottages, although altered, can still be seen in parts of Eston. The mining history of Eston was the subject of a film, 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,^[3] not only sold out in local cinemas, but also across Australia.

The Teesside steel industry that was started from these mines, eventually produced the steel that built the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Steel making continues on the Tees now: the mines have been closed for more than sixty years though, after one hundred years of production. Teesside steel became part of the nationalised British Steel, which in turn became the Corus Group. It can be said that the town of Middlesbrough becoming the world's iron-producing capital was initially due to the output of the Eston mines.

Politics

Eston is part of Redcar constituency and is represented by Liberal Democrat Ian Swales 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.

2011 local elections results

Borough Council

In the 2011 local elections, the following members were returned to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council:^[4]

	Councillor	Party
Eston	Christopher Massey	Labour Party
Eston	Olwyn Peters	Labour Party
Eston	Steven Goldswain	Labour Party

Eston Square

The tomb of the unknown soldier

Eston Square

Eston Square, the curiously named 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 – which 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, whilst 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. Whilst some of the shops are well maintained businesses, others, in the words of Redcar and Cleveland Council, "are in need of a facelift".^[5] 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 which serve people both from within Eston itself 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 in recent years, 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^[6]^[7] and one in Whale Hill.^[8]

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.^[9]

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.^[10]

Eston Hills

The town of Eston lies at the foot of Eston Hills,^[11] a ridge around 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 their forest of aerials and transmitters – broadcasting local radio from this convenient high spot.

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.^[12]

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

Eston Cemetery is one of those places in the area which was probably named at the time of the Eston Urban District Council, which included Normanby. Nevertheless, Eston Cemetery can be said to be in Normanby.

Still in active use, 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.^[13] 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.^[14]

Whale Hill

Eston also includes the area of Whale Hill, which was built in 1966–70. Whale Hill is a private housing estate. It includes a large private members' 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

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.^[15]

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 for his gallantry in the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918.^[16]