Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in North East England, within the county of North Yorkshire. Middlesbrough Borough is seen to include the areas of Eston, Grangetown, Normanby, Ormesby, and South Bank, although they are actually wards of the neighbouring borough of Redcar and Cleveland.

Middlesbrough was only a hamlet with a population of just 25 people in 1801. Development began after the Darlington industrialist Joseph Pease began using the River Tees to transport northeast coal. From 1840 to 1842, the civil engineer George Turnbull built Middlesbrough Dock, which was then bought by the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company, owned by Joseph Pease .

The discovery of ironstone in the Eston Hills in 1850, led to the town expanding further after Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan started an iron foundry and rolling mill at Vulcan Street in the town.

Although normally regarded as an industrial town with large works to the northeast, Middlesbrough has many tourist attractions, parks and leisure facilities, the most notable being the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum that is situated in the large scenic Stewart Park, in the area where Captain Cook was born. Cook 1728 - 1779, made three round the world voyages making detailed maps of Australia, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands.

Other scenic parks are the large Albert Park with the Dorman Museum close to the town centre, Preston Hall & Butterfly World for a visit back to Victorian life, and Kirkleatham Museum and Owl Centre situated northeast of the town for the history of iron in Middlesbrough and Iron Age jewelery and artifacts recovered in the area.

The most notable structure on the Middlesbrough skyline is the Transporter Bridge built between 1910 and 1911, as seen top right, the unusual design gives a clearance of 225 feet. The Transporter Bridge became famous after becoming the storyline of the third series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2002, where the bridge was dismantled to be re-erected in the USA. The TV program led to many people believing the bridge had actually been dismantled, some visitors to Middlesbrough are surprised to see the bridge in its original place.

Roseberry Topping is situated between Middlesbrough and the scenic village of Great Ayton. At 1,049 feet, it is the second highest hill on the North York Moors after the nearby Urra Moor at 1,490 feet. Roseberry Topping is an extremely popular climb offering views of Captain Cook's Monument at Easby Moor, the monument at Eston Nab and Great Ayton. More History of Middlesbrough from Wikipedia.