Previously unpublished historic photographs, an array of fascinating old postcards and plans of Middlesbrough’s lost landmarks feature in the new Historic Middlesbrough book by historian Dr Tosh Warwick.
The first book in Heritage Unlocked’s ‘Postcards From The Past’ series, Historic Middlesbrough explores the people, places and events that have shaped Middlesbrough over the past two centuries and provides fascinating insights into life in the town. Highlights from the book include previously unpublished photographs by the late Les Bulman capturing life in many of Middlesbrough’s lost pubs such as The Masham, The Princess Alice and The Ship Inn, as well as unique postcards dating back over a century.
Historic Middlesbrough, designed by Heritage Unlocked’s long-term collaborator Peter Hinton Design, also features a number of postcard messages detailing celebrated events and everyday life in bygone Middlesbrough. These include postcard messages from the opening of the Transporter Bridge in 1911, details of economic turmoil in 1930 with thousands on notice at local shipyards and only 2 or 3 of Dorman Long’s blast furnaces in operation, and correspondence revealing interwar fruit trading between Middlesbrough and Rotterdam.
Dr Tosh Warwick said: “As well as featuring many familiar landmarks, Historic Middlesbrough includes lesser seen postcards alongside photographs that are published for the first time in the book. By bringing together a rich array of historic material from collectors, archives, libraries and museums, I hope Historic Middlesbrough helps showcase Middlesbrough’s heritage and inspires others to explore our town’s past.”
Elected Mayor of Middlesbrough Andy Preston, who contributed the foreword for Historic Middlesbrough, said: “This book is brilliant because it manages to record and express the pride and passion we feel about our phenomenal town.”
Ernest Burniston, who shared his postcard collection for the book project, said: “Around 25 years ago I would sit with an old friend in the White Rose and we would talk about our old town all night. One day he told me he collected postcards of old Middlesbrough and after showing me them, I decided I would start collecting them too. Many collectors want clean postcards that have not been written on but I like those with messages as you can learn a lot about our social history from the back of a postcard.”
Historic Middlesbrough (RRP £14.99) is available from a range of local bookshops and online at www.heritageunlocked.com/shop.