Redcar
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History
The name is thought to come from the fact that it was on marshy land close to the rocks (Reed-Scar). Redcar originated as a fishing town in the 1300s, trading with the larger adjacent market town of Coatham. Until the mid 19th Century it was a sub-parish of the local village of Marske-by-the-Sea (mentioned in the Domesday book).
In 1846 work was complete on the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway, created to attract local tourism and trade, but like much of the Middlesbrough region, Redcar's real population expansion began with the discovery of iron ore in the Eston area of Cleveland Hills in 1850. With the construction of Redcar racecourse in 1875, Redcar prospered as a seaside town drawing tourists to its eight miles of sands leading to Saltburn.
Zetland Lifeboat
Redcar is also the home of the UKs oldest surviving lifeboat, the Zetland. There is an RNLI run museum housing it.
Economy
The town's main employer has been the nearby steelworks founded by Dorman Long in 1917 and the ICI Wilton chemical works of the post-war era. The steel used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge was produced at the Dorman Long steel works on the outskirts of Redcar.
Politics
Politically, Redcar has tended to lean towards the Labour Party allowing the town to fall under the category of an ultra-safe seat, any change in Redcar's political views would generate a considerable amount of government interest for the area. From 1987 to 2001, the local MP was Mo Mowlam, and since 2001 the local MP has been Vera Baird. However, the local council Redcar and Cleveland is a coalition between the Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats and most independents.
Movie
Redcar has been selected as a location for the depiction of 1940's Dunkirk in an up and coming screen adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel 'Atonement'. Keira Knightley will star alongside James McAvoy in the 1940's based classic British romance. [link]
Notable People
- Rex Hunt (Governor of the Falkland Islands during the 1982 invasion by Argentina)
- Singer David Coverdale lived there as a youth and worked in the Gentry clothes shop on Station Road
- The late Minister for Northern Ireland, Mo Mowlam, represented Redcar in the House of Commons
- Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, originally from Wales, has lived in Redcar with her husband and daughter for the last few years
- Nathaniel Hawthorne the well-known American novelist, came to Redcar on 26 July 1859 in search of peace and quiet, while he worked on the manuscript of The Marble Faun. Hawthorne's house stands at the junction of High Street and King Street. This was formerly known as the Hawthorne Cafe.
- Gertrude Bell colonial administrator and friend of Lawrence of Arabia spent her youthful years at Red Barns, now the Red Barnes (sic) hotel in adjoining Coatham.
External links
- [Redcar Lifeboat Station]
- [Teesmouth Lifeboat Station]
- [A Redcar local history site]
- [redcar.net]
- [A North East history site]
- [(Changing Redcar - site of 2001-6 - no history just modern snaps]
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