This film is part of Free

A Wind of Change

A curtain call for the old Middlesbrough Docks, once at the heart of Teesside’s rise as an industrial powerhouse.

Amateur film 1980 12 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for North East Film Archive

Overview

By 1980 the old Middlesbrough Dock's days were numbered. The ships got bigger and the once thriving docks on the River Tees, overshadowed by the landmark Transporter Bridge and clock tower, could not accommodate this modern trade. Once at the heart of the town's rise as an industrial powerhouse, the local Cleveland Cine Club here chart the dock's final muted days as the last ships are unloaded, the gantries soon lie idle and cranes are towed away.