Saturday, September 13, 2008
Middlesbrough FC History
Middlesbrough FC History
Middlesbrough is a town in North-East England, with a resident population in 2001 of 134,855.
It is historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but in 1974 became part of the new administrative county of Cleveland. In 1996 Cleveland was abolished, and Middlesbrough became a unitary authority, though it is still part of North Yorkshire for ceremonial purposes.
Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor, currently Ray Mallon. Mr Mallon was previously an officer in Cleveland Constabulary, and was noted for a zero-tolerance approach to crime.
Situated on the south bank of the River Tees, it became a town in 1830 as a result of industrial expansion connected with iron production and the growth of railways, including the development of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The Pease family of Cleveland, landowners with major iron interests, are seen as largely responsible for the explosion of Middlesbrough from little more than a hamlet into a fully-fledged town. It is still an industrial town, with chemicals, fertilizers, iron and steel as its main industries. The Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia was constructed by a Middlesbrough firm.
Middlesbrough has a large and comprehensive shopping district made up of several separate shopping centres, which include 'Cleveland Shopping Centre', 'Dundas Arcade' and 'Hill Street Shopping Centre'. The town's centre has been undergoing a makeover in recent years, with the addition of 'Spectra-txt', a 10 metre high interactive tower of metal and fibre-optics inspired by Blade Runner. 'Spectra-txt' allows the public to send an SMS (text) message to change the colours of the lights. Texting various codes, such as 'Chromapop' produce a display of changing colour lights.
The Premiership football team, Middlesbrough F.C., owned by local entrepreneur and Bulkhaul boss Steve Gibson (of Middlesbrough), is based on the outskirts of Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge is a famous piece of engineering, one of only three in Britain and the largest operational bridge of this kind in the world.
Captain James Cook was born in Marton, Middlesbrough, which is now close to Middlesbrough. Famous people from the town include comedian Bob Mortimer, film directors Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, musician Chris Rea, magician Paul Daniels, rugby player Rory Underwood, footballers Don Revie and Brian Clough, comedian Roy Chubby Brown, and actress Wendy Richards.
Labels: Middlesbrough FC History
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