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12. Middlesbrough - Town Centre - part 1 - A variety of buildings and locations
Middlesbrough Town Hall, and a big concert venue for pop groups or orchestras etc. and one of the finest buildings in Middlesbrough.
In the square is a statue of John Vaughan (1799-1868) who was Mayor of Middlesbrough in 1855. He discovered ironstone in the Cleveland Hills and was one of the founding fathers of the iron industry on Teesside (more on page 13).
Also across the square from the Town hall is MIMA, The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and the prominent 'Bottle of Notes' sculpture. A splendid new property in Middlesbrough, lets hope for more exciting building projects. The 'bottle' sculpture pays tribute to Middlesbrough's most famous son, Captain James Cook and the technical and engineering heritage of Teesside. The sculpture is the work of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. It consists of writing in steel and the outer white shell is made up of extracts from Captain Cook's journals.
The Law Courts and bottle sculpture can be seen through the front of the MIMA building which is architecturally interesting and striking in its simplicity ...
... and the galleries of exhibits at MIMA are well worth a visit (photography not allowed) and the building itself is a welcome addition to the town centre skyline. It was good to see a class of schoolchildren engaged in artistic activities in the education-workshop floor.
Part of Captain Cook Square, one of the more recent shopping centre developments.
The main entrance to the fine building of Middlesbrough railway station built in 1877 by the North Eastern Railway Company (more on page 13).
* page updated Jan 24th 2008 * EMAIL Phil Brown * digital scenes images-photographs-pictures-photos-webshots-views of the Landscape, Seascape, Towns, Villages, Buildings, and Hills of Cleveland in North East England © Dr W P Brown * |
