What to See in Stockton-on-Tees - Top Sights and Attractions

Footbridge in Thornaby-on-Tees, United Kingdom. The Infinity Bridge is a public pedestrian and cycle footbridge across the River Tees in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in northern England. The bridge is situated one kilometre downriver of Stockton town centre, between the Princess of Wales Bridge and the Tees Barrage. It connects the Teesdale Business Park and the University of Durham's Queen's Campus in Thornaby-on-Tees on the south bank of the Tees with the Tees Valley Regeneration's £320 million North Shore development on the north bank.

Built at a cost of £15 million with funding from Stockton Borough Council, English Partnerships and its successor body the Homes and Communities Agency, One NorthEast, and the European Regional Development Fund the bridge is a major part of the North Shore Redevelopment Project undertaken by Tees Valley Regeneration.

The bridge had the project title North Shore Footbridge before being given its official name Infinity Bridge, chosen by a panel of representatives from the funding bodies, from a pool of names suggested by the public.

The name derives from the infinity symbol (∞ {\displaystyle \infty }) formed by the bridge and its reflection.^[3]

Preston Park is a 100-acre public park in Preston-on-Tees, England. It hosts multiple events each year and is located next to the River Tees.

Parking is free, but the Preston Park Museum & Grounds and Butterfly World have small admission charges.

The land was originally a private residence with large grounds but has since become the property of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council after being purchased from Sir Robert Ropner. and was redeveloped in 2010–12, with the Museum reopening in 2012.

The museum has a volunteer community with its participants ranging from students to the retired. They carry out roles in the Museum such as gardening, gallery stewarding, supporting learning and costumed interpreters on the Victorian Street.^[4]

Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, England. The Georgian Theatre is a Grade II listed theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, England and is one of the oldest Georgian provincial theatres in the country. The oldest Georgian theatre in its original working form is the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, Yorkshire.

The theatre has a capacity of 200 (standing) and is situated in the 'Cultural Quarter' of Stockton town centre, which is centred on Green Dragon Yard. It is gabled with pantiled roof and approached at the south end from a cobbled passage. There is a lean-to structure at the southern end, which is relatively modern. Adjoining is a cottage which was used as a drawing room, with actors entering the theatre through a door at the stage end of the east wall.

Built as Stockton's tithe barn, the building was converted to a theatre which opened from 1766 and began its new life as a touring house on the northern circuit, maintained by actors and stage managers. The theatre fell into disuse and disrepair some time during the 19th century and became a sweet factory until the late 1950s. More decline followed and the property was acquired by the local council in the 1960s before a refurbishment saw it re-opened as a community building in 1980. The building underwent a range of uses, operating more as an historic building than working venue, until 1993 when it was handed over to the Stockton Music & Arts Collective (part of the Tees Music Alliance since 2006).

A programme of capital works saw the theatre receive a much needed and long overdue makeover in 2007. Crumbling internal walls were given a new, clean finish, new toilets and dressing rooms were constructed, an efficient heating system was installed and a bright new bar area was created. The following year, the exterior of the venue, along with its neighbour Green Dragon Studios, underwent improvements to lighting and signage. The wider Green Dragon Yard and Theatre Yard areas also underwent environmental improvements, leading to greater leisure use of the area.

Today, The Georgian Theatre is managed and programmed by the Tees Music Alliance and can accommodate 200 people standing. Its unpretentious interior provides an intimate setting for a variety of types of music and entertainment are provided including live bands, jazz, folk and plays. Previous, more famous performers include Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets, The Kooks, James Blunt, John Cooper Clarke, Duke Special, UK Subs, The Cribs, Sean Ryder, Clint Boon, Athlete, Jack Peñate, John Shuttleworth, Daisy Chainsaw, The Maccabees, The Charlatans, and The Chapman Family. The resident Tees Music Alliance features local artists heavily in its programme - promoting the creative engagement of local people.

The studio opposite the theatre is can be booked for recording and rehearsal sessions and the facility is well used. The Tees Music Alliance also organises the Stockton Weekender - a large outdoor music festival taking place in the town each summer.^[5]

Bridge. The Tees Barrage is a barrage and road bridge across the River Tees, Northern England, just upriver of Blue House Point and is used to control the flow of the river, preventing flooding and the effects of tidal change. It is between the towns of Stockton-on-Tees and Thornaby, road access is only by the latter with limited road access to the Tees's north bank.

The Tees Barrage comprises a river barrage, road bridge, footbridge, barge lock, fish pass and access point to a white water course. The waters above the barrage are permanently held at the level of an average high tide and are used for watersports such as canoeing, jet skiing, dragonboat racing and incorporates a 1 km rowing course.

The Tees Barrage and Tees Barrage International White Water Course were developed by the defunct Teesside Development Corporation.^[8]

Park in Stockton-on-Tees, England. Ropner Park is a free public park, located in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England.

In June 1890 Major Robert Ropner offered a piece of land, known locally as Hartburn Fields to the people of Stockton which could be used as a public park, providing the local council would lay it out 'tastefully' and ‘keep it forever’. On 4 October 1893, Ropner Park was officially opened by the then Duke & Duchess of York. The ceremony involved the royals using an ornate key to open the Golden Gates.

After a century of regular use by the people of Stockton, the park was refurbished and renovated to its former glory between 2004 and 2007 by Stockton Borough Council, thanks to a £2.65m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Park is a roughly square site, with 20th-century railings along its road boundaries and is typically Victorian in style, with rockeries and floral displays. It has a tree-lined avenue which leads to an ornamental fountain and a pavilion with a veranda and also includes a new bandstand, based on the original design, a park ranger's office, bowling green, quoits green, tennis courts and a cafe, (run by the local charity, The Friends of Ropner Park). A large lake with islands dominates the lower part of the park and offers sanctuary to various species of water fowl and fish.

Seasonal fairs and occasional organised events are staged at the park throughout the year and various bands feature most Sunday afternoons during the summer months.^[9]

Bridge in Thornaby-on-Tees, United Kingdom. The Surtees Bridge is a road bridge carrying the A66 road east west across the River Tees near Thornaby-on-Tees in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the north east of England. The bridge is situated one kilometre upriver from Stockton town centre, just upriver of Surtees Rail Bridge – a rail bridge carrying the Tees Valley Line. Built at a cost of £14.3 million the bridge replaces an earlier Surtees Bridge that showed signs of distress resulting from excessive settlement.

The Surtees Bridge and the A1(M) motorway bridge are the busiest over the River Tees with 55,000 vehicles per day. The river level at this point is held at 2.7 mOD by the Tees Barrage which makes the river here permanently navigable.^[15]