Stockton-on-Tees: A Potted History

Stockton-on-Tees was a small port and market town in the north-east of England for much of its history.Shipbuilding and other industries gradually established themselves over the years, but it was with the Industrial Revolution that the town received a massive boost.The opening of the pioneering Stockton & Darlington Railway enabled coal to be transported to the port.Industries developed around the discovery of iron ore locally, as well as engineering and potteries, and the population expanded rapidly.The town was transformed by large areas of Victorian dwellings, absorbing neighbouring settlements.By the turn of the twentieth century the town was supported by a thriving market, theatres, pubs, schools, libraries, fairs, parks and churches.The depression of the interwar years and the closure of shipyards saw many lose their jobs, but the period also saw the start of the chemical industry at Billingham, which grew into a vast complex.Although today Stockton has lost much of its traditio