This document based on a Masters degree dissertation first completed in the late 1990s, studies the parish history of the industrial settlement of Haverton Hill (located near  Billingham and Middlesbrough) in County Durham from an economic and a social perspective. It proceeds by a series of stages, studying very various social and economic aspects which affected this community.

 

Unlike the few other existing publications on the area it contains much collected statistical information from contemporary sources and interpretations of these figures. Those who actually lived in the settlement are also given a voice throughout with many quotations from them. This website document has been updated to fill the gap to the present day.

 

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Chapter 1 describes the general history of the parish up to 1930. It focuses on contemporary quotes and documents related to the extension of the railway to Haverton Hill and the Tees estuary. The impact of the arrival of the glass and iron firms in the district is then considered. Statistical information from census material, gives a unique interpretation of the growth and structure of the community throughout the 19th century. The chapter finishes in the 1920’s just as expansion finishes and decline begins to set in. 

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Chapter 2 looks at the key institutions of religion and education. The history of Methodism in the settlement is revealed through documents and minutes. Accounts from taped interviews with the original residents bring the religious attitudes of the last 100 years alive. The study of the daily events of Haverton Hill Infant School in the 1880s is mainly taken from recollections of those who were there and from the school logbook, which was written up each day by the head teacher. The scene gives an accurate picture of the problems children and staff faced in a deprived, industrial black spot area. 

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Chapter 3 looks at the history of the Heavy Industries which soon surrounded the parish. The archive deposits of company records in steel, salt, shipbuilding and chemicals, give many contemporary facts. The chapter also includes accounts of the dirty and dangerous conditions, from those who actually work there. 

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Chapter 4 studies the daily lives of the residents. It looks at the social problems of housing, environment and poverty, and compares them with the fond memories of the good times that many former residents can remember. 

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Chapter 5 charts the community struggle to survive from the end of the 1930s to the present day. How it became the most polluted settlement in the country and its ultimate demolition, is looked at from official reports and newspaper articles. The future of the remaining residential remnant at Port Clarence brings the history up to date. 

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Chapter 6 looks at the changes since 1991 to 2023 to bring the story up to date