A month or so ago I needed some images for a tutorial I was writing, and happened to be in the Teesside area so thought it would be nice to make the most of being there and to have a dedicated walk around the port area and do some photo documenting. Putting them into a blog seemed like a good way to share them with you, so here we go, and I’ll tell you a little about what you’re seeing no the way.
Transporter Bridge
I love the Transporter Bridge, it’s definitely one of our most remarkable bridges. Like most people I’ve done the ‘classic’ shots of it from the Port Clarence Road side of things, the nice shot across the water, but I wanted to do something different this time, so I set out to get some grungier, less-seen angles of the bridge. I thought I’d regale you with some facts while I show you the photographs.
I’d spotted the orange cars piled up on top of each other like some kind of interpretive art installation and knew I wanted to capture the oranges with that striking blue of the bridge. While I was photographing a security guard came over for a chat and explained that the scrap yard was due to be sold when someone set it on fire, burning the lot…
The Dock Clock seen in the background there has a blue plaque which includes: ‘The tower has only three clock faces – reputedly due to industrialists’ concerns that workmen along the banks of the Tees would clock watch.’
Back to the bridge then…
The Tees Transporter Bridge is also known as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge and it’s the longest remaining transporter in the world, though currently not in use… it’s been waiting on repairs since summer of 2019.
I particularly like the image on the left because it really shows what the area has been historically, and still is, very much a working river.
The bridge has a colourful history, it was bombed during both World Wars, has gotten stuck halfway in the past, has had someone drive off the road into the safety netting, and has even appeared on a first-class stamp.
This gangway is near to where the former Newcastle ‘party boat’ the Tuxedo Royale was sat filling with water for a while. I photographed it several years ago, thanks to a generous security guard, before it was set on fire and then ultimately scrapped.
Above left is a port shed belonging to the former Norwest Holst, now VINCI (since 2009). Right is Anish Kapoor’s ‘butterfly net’ artwork, Temenos. It was supposed to be part of a project called Tees Valley Giants, which would see 5 multi-million pound (£15m to be precise) art installations installed across Teesside. Temenos, the first artwork, was presented to the public in 2010 but plans for the rest were scrapped in 2012 after Tees Valley Regeneration (the body who came up with the idea) was disbanded.
If you’ve got this far then thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoyed exploring this very interesting area of Middlesbrough with me.
