Haverton Hill
Encyclopedia
Haverton Hill is an area within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees
and ceremonial county of County Durham
, England
.
It is situated to the north of the River Tees, near Billingham
. The A1046 is the main road linking to Stockton and the A19 in the west and Port Clarence and the A178 in the east.
, grew as a result of the Clarence Railway opening in 1833. The railway, owned by Christopher Tennant, was a rival to the Stockton and Darlington Railway
and transported coal from the Durham
coalfields to colliers
for shipment to places like London
.
Haverton Hill and Port Clarence was chosen as termini as the river at that stretch was deep enough to accommodate ships. Further upstream near Stockton-on-Tees, navigation was extremely difficult due to shallow waters. Directly opposite, on the other side of the River Tees, the Stockton and Darlington Railway was, for the same reason, extended, in 1830, to Middlesbrough
.
The Clarence railway used track belonging to the Stockton and Darlington Railway, between Shildon
and the coal mines. Rivalry between the two railway companies hindered the prosperity of the Clarence Railway, despite its shorter distance to the coalfields, and prevented Haverton Hill and Port Clarence from growing as quickly as Middlesbrough
.
Between 1833 and 1850 small scale industries such as an iron works followed by glass works sprang up in Haverton Hill, making use of the improved transportation.
In 1850, iron was discovered in Eston Hills
, south of the River Tees, which was a further stimulus to the area, especially Middlesbrough, which already had many iron foundries built by John Vaughan
and Henry Bolckow.
In 1860 Haverton Hill became a parish.
In 1861 Vaughan and Bolckow discovered salt deposits near Middlesbrough, but it was deemed not economically viable to extract.
This prompted John Bell, in 1874, to drill north of the river where he discovered a vast salt bed at Saltholme Farm, near to Haverton Hill. Improved techniques for salt extraction were developed in 1882 which led to salt exploitation by Bell Brothers and other companies. This new industry led to further growth of Haverton Hill and neighbouring settlements with the salt industry building housing for its workers.
A further stimulus for Haverton Hill’s growth took place in 1917 when the Furness shipyard was authorised to be built in order to replace ships sunk by German U-boats in the First World War. The first ship was launched in 1919, named 'War Energy'. A model village or garden city was built to accommodate 500 men as skilled labour for the shipyard.
In 1920 the Brunner Mond
company, already having a salt extraction industry in the locality, diversified into producing fertiliser by setting up the company, Synthetic Ammonia and Nitrates Ltd. Brunner Mond
in 1926 amalgamated with another company to form the Imperial Chemical Industries
.
ICI rapidly expanded its presence in the area over the next few decades. Other companies soon followed, such as Casebourne who established a cement works.
Unfortunately atmospheric pollution, primarily from a Boiler and Sulphuric Acid Plant built by I.C.I. became a major concern after the Second World War. This led to the total demolition of the residential houses in Haverton Hill during the 1960’s and 1970’s with the bulk of its population being moved to nearby Billingham
.
Today, a light industrial estate occupies the site of Haverton Hill. The nearby I.C.I. plants responsible for most of the pollution have now been demolished.
Stockton-on-Tees (borough)
Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority area and borough in the Tees Valley area of north east England, with a population in 2001 of 178,408, rising to 185,880 in 2005 estimates....
and ceremonial county of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is situated to the north of the River Tees, near Billingham
Billingham
Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...
. The A1046 is the main road linking to Stockton and the A19 in the west and Port Clarence and the A178 in the east.
History
In 1828 Haverton Hill was a small hamlet. The settlement along with adjoining, Port ClarencePort Clarence
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.-History:...
, grew as a result of the Clarence Railway opening in 1833. The railway, owned by Christopher Tennant, was a rival to the Stockton and Darlington Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
and transported coal from the Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
coalfields to colliers
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
for shipment to places like London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Haverton Hill and Port Clarence was chosen as termini as the river at that stretch was deep enough to accommodate ships. Further upstream near Stockton-on-Tees, navigation was extremely difficult due to shallow waters. Directly opposite, on the other side of the River Tees, the Stockton and Darlington Railway was, for the same reason, extended, in 1830, to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
.
The Clarence railway used track belonging to the Stockton and Darlington Railway, between Shildon
Shildon
Shildon is a town in County Durham, in England. It is situated 2 miles to the south east of Bishop Auckland and 11 miles north of Darlington. It is 13 miles away from Durham, 23 miles from Sunderland and 23 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
and the coal mines. Rivalry between the two railway companies hindered the prosperity of the Clarence Railway, despite its shorter distance to the coalfields, and prevented Haverton Hill and Port Clarence from growing as quickly as Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
.
Between 1833 and 1850 small scale industries such as an iron works followed by glass works sprang up in Haverton Hill, making use of the improved transportation.
In 1850, iron was discovered in Eston Hills
Eston Nab
Eston Nab is a local landmark to those who live along the River Tees, in north-east England.A nab is a rocky promontory, or outcrop, and Eston Nab, marking the highest point – at - on the escarpment which forms Eston Hills, appears as a clear sandstone cliff on the northernmost edge of Eston Moor...
, south of the River Tees, which was a further stimulus to the area, especially Middlesbrough, which already had many iron foundries built by John Vaughan
John Vaughan (Middlesbrough)
John Vaughan was born in Worcester, he worked as a foreman at Dowlais Ironworks in South Wales. Later he moved to Walker-on-Tyne near Newcastle and became a manager for Losh, Wilson and Bell Ironworks....
and Henry Bolckow.
In 1860 Haverton Hill became a parish.
In 1861 Vaughan and Bolckow discovered salt deposits near Middlesbrough, but it was deemed not economically viable to extract.
This prompted John Bell, in 1874, to drill north of the river where he discovered a vast salt bed at Saltholme Farm, near to Haverton Hill. Improved techniques for salt extraction were developed in 1882 which led to salt exploitation by Bell Brothers and other companies. This new industry led to further growth of Haverton Hill and neighbouring settlements with the salt industry building housing for its workers.
A further stimulus for Haverton Hill’s growth took place in 1917 when the Furness shipyard was authorised to be built in order to replace ships sunk by German U-boats in the First World War. The first ship was launched in 1919, named 'War Energy'. A model village or garden city was built to accommodate 500 men as skilled labour for the shipyard.
In 1920 the Brunner Mond
Brunner Mond
Tata Chemicals Europe is a UK-based chemicals company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, itself a part of the India-based Tata Group...
company, already having a salt extraction industry in the locality, diversified into producing fertiliser by setting up the company, Synthetic Ammonia and Nitrates Ltd. Brunner Mond
Brunner Mond
Tata Chemicals Europe is a UK-based chemicals company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, itself a part of the India-based Tata Group...
in 1926 amalgamated with another company to form the Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
.
ICI rapidly expanded its presence in the area over the next few decades. Other companies soon followed, such as Casebourne who established a cement works.
Unfortunately atmospheric pollution, primarily from a Boiler and Sulphuric Acid Plant built by I.C.I. became a major concern after the Second World War. This led to the total demolition of the residential houses in Haverton Hill during the 1960’s and 1970’s with the bulk of its population being moved to nearby Billingham
Billingham
Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...
.
Today, a light industrial estate occupies the site of Haverton Hill. The nearby I.C.I. plants responsible for most of the pollution have now been demolished.