Tees Valley

...from tall ships, wonderful seaside locations, the sights and sounds of living seaport history to market towns crammed with character.

Seafaring and maritime heritage in all its forms, from the intrepid Captain James Cook’s museum and the replica of his ship HM Bark Endeavour at Stockton to exciting tales of smugglers of old at the Saltburn Smugglers Heritage Centre - set in authentic fishermen’s cottages complete with sounds and smells.

One of the most visited educational maritime resources is Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience (KS 2-4 in numerous subjects), a reconstruction of an 1800s seaport with interactive experiences together with HMS Trincomalee, built in 1817, the oldest ship afloat in the UK. The Maritime Experience team can provide loan boxes and a range of outreach activities relating to Key Stages 2 and 3. Throughout the year there’s a host of re-enactments which help bring alive naval life in the Napoleonic era! Nearby are Hartlepool’s Art Gallery (from KS 1-3) and Museum (KS 1-3) which offers everything from sea monsters to computer interactives.

The start of the Industrial Revolution in the Tees Valley area was centred on ironstone mining in the Cleveland Hills. It was the most important mining district in Victorian and Edwardian England and students can discover the skills and customs of the industry at the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum near Saltburn. They can also experience what it must have been like to work under ground.

The whole of the area is famous for its railway heritage. The Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, housed at North Road Station includes a range of exhibits including Stephenson’s original Locomotion No1.

To further broaden the horizons of your students, social history can be explored at Preston Hall Museum near Stockton. Here, students can explore domestic life in many re-created rooms encompassing the period from the 1880s to the 1960s. Teachers and students can also relax in the adjacent country park.