APPENDIX 1

Heritage Lottery Fund

Middlesbrough’s Prospectus:

2007 / 2009


CONTENTS

Page No.

Heritage Lottery Fund & Middlesbrough 2007 / 20093

A Short History of Middlesbrough4

Heritage Lottery Fund – Overview5

Heritage Lottery Themes6

Middlesbrough’s Proposals

Heritage Grants

A)Central Library8

B)British Steel Archive9

C)Transporter Bridge10

D)Middlesbrough Town Hall11

E)Old Town Hall and Custom House12

F)Dock Clock Tower13

G)Captain Cook Birthplace Museum14

Parks for People

H)Stewart Park16

I)Newham Grange Leisure Farm17

J)Acklam Hall and The Avenue18

Your Heritage Grants

K)Reference Library20

L)St. Cuthbert’s Churchyard21

M)Dorman Museum22

N)Brian Clough Memorial Statue23

Landscape Partnerships

O)Church of St. Columba’s25

The Heritage Lottery Fund and Middlesbrough

2007 / 2009

Introduction (Cllr David Budd, Executive Member for Economic Regeneration and Culture)

  1. You have only to look around Middlesbrough to see that it is changing. Regeneration is underway to modernise the town’s shopping, commercial, educational and cultural facilities. Middlesbrough has moved on from its traditional dependence on heavy industries and is forging a new future as a culturally diverse, economically vibrant town at the heart of the Tees Valley.
  1. As part of this transformation it is critical that the town builds on its heritage. This will entail bringing many of the oldest assets back to life in new and exciting ways. The world famous Transporter Bridge will act as the gateway tourist attraction for the Middlehaven development, with the Town Hall becoming a first-class performance venue and the Carnegie Library extended to incorporate a unique and inspiring archive research and education centre.
  1. The vision for Middlesbrough places these historic assets at the centre of an ambitious re-configuration and expansion of cultural, social and civic facilities. The plans will promote access, understanding and involvement with the town’s heritage. They will also create high quality, accessible facilities relevant to modern urban life.
  1. Middlesbrough’s vision is for heritage to be at the heart of progressive change. A series of multi-million pound investments in iconic sites and buildings (such as mima) alongside significant improvements to the public realm of Middlesbrough is at the heart of the town’s programme for regeneration. As part of this renaissance, the vision is to allow the transition of our historic buildings from the past to the present and ensure their pivotal role in town centre regeneration.
  1. As part of this programme it is recognised that there is a need to involve all sections of the public in the work, particularly partner organisations in the community and the voluntary sector that have been actively involved in the production of this document, with specific emphasis on the small heritage projects that make such a difference to grassroots groups.
  1. This brochure captures simply the future aspirations of the town relating to heritage. It sets out the key projects and a timetable for action.
  1. The brochure is intended as work in progress, and will updated and reviewed on a bi-annual basis.

A Short History of Middlesbrough

  1. At the turn of the 19th century Middlesbrough was still a tiny farming hamlet of some 25 souls. Its phenomenal expansion (current population around 137,500) owes everything to the Industrial Revolution, which brought prosperity to many and transformed a rural landscape into one of the greatest concentrations of industry to be found anywhere in Britain.
  1. The beginning of change was in itself modest enough. In 1829 a group of Quaker businessmen led by Joseph Pease started to develop ‘Port Darlington’ on the banks of the Tees near the original farmstead estate and a town grew up to service the flourishing coal trade. Within a year the Stockton & Darlington Railway had been extended to the new port and by 1851 its population had already reached 7,600.
  1. New staithes, wharves and workshops were constructed. Foundries, warehouses, dwelling houses and churches sprang up, bringing to fruition Joseph Pease’s prophecy that one day ‘the bare fields will be covered with a busy multitude’.
  1. In the mid-1850s, following a discovery by John Vaughan of substantial ironstone deposits in the nearby Eston Hills, pig iron production soon outgrew coal as Middlesbrough’s principle industry. Vaughan had a German business partner by the name of Henry Bolckow and together they established Teesside’s first blast furnace in 1851. Britain’s appetite for iron was insatiable and soon Middlesbrough was responsible for producing almost a third of the entire nation’s supply. Such was the respect and gratitude for Bolckow’s pioneering enterprise that he was elected Mayor of Middlesbrough in 1853 and 15 years later became the town’s first Member of Parliament.
  1. The iron industry went from strength to strength, drawing in workers from far afield and creating employment for those supplying ancillary goods and services. At the dawn of the twentieth century, with a modern history no longer than 75 years, Middlesbrough had swelled to a population of 90,000.
  1. Today, by virtue of its administrative, commercial and cultural activities, Middlesbrough fulfils a role as the main commercial centre for the Tees Valley City Region. This is not to say that its earlier prosperity has been maintained. Heavy industries, which sustained communities here over many decades, have been run down and unemployment is well above the national average.
  1. Despite this shrinkage in its traditional industrial base, Middlesbrough has in place an ambitious programme for urban regeneration. Major retail outlets and high-tech business parks both feature in the area’s strategy for creating jobs and wealth through diversification. The University of Teesside has been the leading English modern university for graduate employment and/or graduate-level further study or training for the previous three years. The institution has helped to nurture 70 graduate-run businesses on its Middlesbrough campus and created 150 jobs since 2000.

Heritage Lottery Fund - Overview

  1. Heritage has been defined as many different things that have been, and can be, passed on from one generation to another. These things range from historic buildings, habitats or landscapes to historical archives and even oral traditions. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was established to provide a range of targeted grants developed to enhance and conserve the diverse heritage of Britain.
  1. In summary, the HLF aims to:

a.safeguard and enhance the heritage of buildings, objects and the environment, whether man-made or natural, which have been important in the formation of the character and identity of the United Kingdom;

b.assist people to appreciate and enjoy their heritage; and,

c.maintain opportunities for access and enjoyment by future generations.

  1. The HLF draws its resources from National Lottery revenues under the ‘Good Causes’ umbrella. The financial support is then reallocated throughout the UK on projects and initiatives directly associated with heritage of local, regional and national significance.
  1. The North East currently receives £6million out of a £200-300million annual Heritage Lottery Fund budget nationally. Grants are approved by regional committee and a maximum of £2million can be allocated (between all projects) at any one sitting of the committee.
  1. A declining Heritage Lottery budget means that the North East Regional Board is promoting bids from smaller projects to stretch the impact further. £250,000 is currently the indicative maximum that might be awarded to any one project by the Regional Board whilst the National Board will deal with projects requiring over £2million. Negotiation between the local and national board would be required between these amounts.
  1. Matched funding requirements are also a consideration:

a.projects costing less than £1 million, matched funding of 10% is necessary; and,

b.projects £1 million and over the matched funding requirement is 25%.

  1. With a decline in Heritage Lottery funding, each bid must be of the highest quality as competition for resources increases. Projects must demonstrate their suitability and understanding of and a direct link with local/national and heritage.
  1. Consequently, there is a need to ensure that the Council adopts a strategic approach to future HLF applications. This will ensure that access to these resources is concentrated on the highest priority areas.
  1. A number of issues will need to be considered when developing a strategic approach to HLF projects, they include:

a.proposed developments;

b.potential estimated overall costs, financial deliverability and viability of each project;

c.potential phasing of the programme; and,

d.levels of matched funding required, potential sources and availability.

Heritage Lottery Themes

The Heritage Lottery Fund breaks down into seven different themes as follows:

  1. Heritage Grants

With the aim to promote conservation of, access to and involvement in all types of heritage. This includes historic buildings, records and collections held in museums, archives and special libraries, photographic collections, oral history, language projects, industrial, maritime and transport proposals.

25.Your Heritage Grants

A simplified application process for schemes requesting less than £50,000 but still addressing the underlying priorities of conserving heritage, encouraging community involvement and increasing opportunities for learning.

  1. Parks for People

Focusing on public parks in the UK through the creation of new opportunities for communities to learn about and enjoy the local environment, alongside improving parks and making them safer.

  1. Landscape Partnerships

Supports schemes led by local or regional partnerships that aim to conserve landscape areas of distinct local character. These can include historic built structures, features related to farming and the protection or expansion of traditional habitats.

  1. Young Roots

Schemes should increase opportunities for young people (aged 13 to 20 years) to learn about heritage and widen participation/appreciation of heritage, including cultural and local traditions and historic buildings.

  1. Townscape Heritage Initiative

Support for schemes that aim to regenerate the historic environment in towns and cities. Eligible activities include structural and external repair of historic buildings that are still in use, or the repair/conversion for new uses of empty historic buildings.

  1. Repair Grants for Places of Worship in England

Support for urgent high-level repair work to the historic fabric of places of worship in England listed grade I, II* or II. Administered by English Heritage in partnership with HLF.

HERITAGE

GRANTS

A:Central LibraryPage 8

B: British Steel ArchivePage 9

C: Transporter BridgePage 10

D: Middlesbrough Town HallPage 11

E: Old Town Hall and Custom HousePage 12

F: Dock Clock TowerPage 13

G: Captain Cook Birthplace MuseumPage 14

A: Central Library

  1. Middlesbrough’s Central Library building is an important example of an early twentieth century library design. Its historical links to Andrew Carnegie are of particular importance. It is the central library for the Tees Valley region.
  1. The architectural significance of the building is recognised in its Grade 2 listed status. The external appearance of the main facade is of a high quality, worthy of an important civic building. Equally, the interior has some fine qualities, particularly the first floor reference library which retains all the original oak shelving and tables.
  1. The Reference Library owns the internationally renowned Kelly Collection of religious tracts. It also houses a major local studies resource - the Cleveland Collection.

Aspirations

  1. When Mayor Ray Mallon, articulated his vision for Middlesbrough in May 2002 he spoke of the desire to create ‘a thriving, designer-label town where people want to live, work, play and invest’.
  1. Buildings such as the Library are key to Middlesbrough’s ambition to have a city-scale centre. Revitalised older buildings can be at the heart of regeneration and Middlesbrough’s relative youth as a town highlights the need to maximise the benefit of these older cultural assets.
  1. As part of Middlesbrough’s aspiration for regeneration, the further development of its cultural quarter is critical to providing the assets appropriate to the Tees Valley City Region overall. The quarter is centred on the new mima art gallery and public square. This proposal would be to build an extension onto the Carnegie building to house the Teesside Archives - the archive collections for the four Tees Valley boroughs, and the Kelly Collection. As part of this, there would be a drive to promote the education and interpretation of the archive material to future generations through interactive and engaging formats, using the latest multimedia technology.
  1. An extension would also provide a new entrance onto the public square - facing the Town Hall and adjacent to mima, whilst retaining the historic entrance. There would be potential to take advantage of external views to the new public spaces not afforded by the high windows of the listed building and to take advantage of links to the new mima. Demolition of terraced housing adjacent to the building has left a scar to this elevation that detracts from the building and the setting of the square and an extension that wraped around the building to the north would mitigate this.
  1. The vision places the Library at the centre of an ambitious re-configuration and expansion of cultural, social and civic facilities. The plans will promote access, understanding and involvement with the historical collections within this building and would create high-quality, accessible facilities relevant to modern urban life.
  1. It is hoped to renew the Library buildings and restore their primary purpose as a symbol of civic pride and engagement, enriching the lives of not only Middlesbrough’s citizens but also those of the whole Tees Valley.

Applicant:Middlesbrough Council

Implementation:January 2008 to July 2009

Grant Sought: £5m Heritage Grants, £2m match required

Overall Scheme Cost:£7m

B: British Steel Archive

  1. Teesside Archive holds the records of the British Steel Corporation Teesside, an archive of regional, national and international significance. The collection brings together material from approximately 40 companies involved in iron and steel making in the Tees Valley since the 1850s. This is a unique record of the region’s proud industrial heritage and its central place in British history.
  1. The archive currently occupies 600 linear feet of shelving and includes a substantial business archive of legal, financial and manufacturing records. In addition, the archive contains maps, plans and engineering drawings of sites and civil engineering projects such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Over 25,000 glass plate, slide and printed photographs offer a unique record of conditions in the works, employees, social events and a visual history of iron and steel works around Teesside, many of which have since been demolished.
  1. The material is currently un-catalogued and much of it in need of conservation work before it can be made accessible to a wide range of potential users.

Aspirations

  1. As iron and steel making is central to the history of Middlesbrough and the Tees Valley, the opening up of this archive to public use and understanding through a range of engagement activities will form a cornerstone of the plans for the cultural quarter.
  1. The project aims to preserve, conserve and catalogue the collection to facilitate a major programme of access, engagement and interpretation activities. These include: a web portal with online catalogue and digital images of prominent documents; a major oral history project focusing on both workplace experience (with the Teesside Industrial Memories project) and the influence of iron and steel on family and community life; and an educational project linking the working men’s clubs, the trade union and the Community to bring the history of iron and steel to schools, colleges and community groups.
  1. It is intended to involve these networks in the cataloguing process through interactive sessions with community groups at the archive its self and online, with a focus on the interpretation of visual material within the catalogue.
  1. The project will enhance the profile of Teesside Archives and Middlesbrough as a key national and international repository of archives. It is expected that the project will attract increased numbers of real and virtual visitors to the archive and provide a central plank for the plans to build a new archive extension for the Library.

Applicant:University of Teesside

Implementation:September 2007 to March 2010

Grant Sought:£300,000 Heritage Grant, £600,000 match required

Overall Scheme Cost:£900,000

C: Transporter Bridge

  1. The Transporter Bridge has been symbolic of the Tees Valley sub-region since its inception in 1911. The largest of three remaining bridges of its type in Britain, the structure dominates the landscape towering 200ft above the River Tees. Although approaching its centenary, the Grade 2* listed Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge remains fully operational and continues to provide a regular service between Middlesbrough and Port Clarence.
  1. The Bridge is of international, national and local significance and is now only one of eight working bridges of this type worldwide. In the UK there are only two remaining working bridges at Middlesbrough and Newport (Gwent).
  1. In 1993, the bridge was awarded the ‘Heritage Plaque’ for engineering excellence, the highest honour of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, which was awarded in recognition of the Council’s efforts in keeping the bridge in good working order. Similar accolades came with the bridge’s classification as a Grade 2* Listed Building in 1985.
  1. The Transporter Bridge also boasts a modest visitor centre that incorporates multimedia facilities, interactive displays and historical materials commemorating Middlesbrough's industrial heritage.
  1. The bridge is jointly owned by Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees Councils, however Middlesbrough has the sole responsibility for the day-to-day running and maintenance of the bridge.

Aspirations

  1. As the Transporter Bridge looks to celebrate its centenary in 2011, the intention is to transform the heritage experience, creating a major regional tourist destination that would attract visitors from across the globe.
  1. The installation of glass lifts will allow visitors to travel to the top of the Transporter Bridge, the tallest structure of its type in the world. This would provide stunning views across the Tees Valley and beyond, and a bird’s eye view of the former industrial heart of the region.
  1. The gangway across the top of the Transporter is currently closed to visitors. Opening this up would allow visitors to retrace the footsteps of the former workforce, who crossed the top of the Transporter each day on their journey to forges and foundries.
  1. On-site interpretation would be vastly improved. This would include visits to the Bridgemasters Cottage (which still has all the original fixtures, fittings and timbers) and the Winch House (to observe the mechanics and operation of the bridge at close quarters). Actors in traditional costume would be used, bringing the old dockyard back to life and creating an authentic sense of atmosphere.

Applicant:Middlesbrough Council