Exchange Square, Middlesbrough
Exchange Square, part of the Middlesbrough High Street Heritage Action Zone © Historic England
Exchange Square, part of the Middlesbrough High Street Heritage Action Zone © Historic England

Middlesbrough High Street Heritage Action Zone

Making Middlesbrough’s Historic Quarter central to the town’s ambitious regeneration programme.

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Middlesbrough's Historic Quarter was the commercial centre of the town's manufacturing and trade boom in the second half of the 19th century. The handsome Victorian townscape was made up of financial institutions: chambers of commerce, business clubs and banks. Many of the buildings in the area are of architectural and historical significance with around half of them listed.

However, many of these historic buildings have been empty for a long time and their poor appearance is making the area look tired and run down. The public spaces have also suffered from under-investment. The Historic Quarter is on the main route from the railway station to the town centre but currently there is little to inspire a pleasant walk between the two.

How the Middlesbrough High Street Heritage Action Zone will help

Coupled with current regeneration at the railway station and the area's public spaces, the reuse of key historic buildings for housing and commercial businesses will make the route from the station to the town centre much more attractive. The improvement in perceptions in this area will be important to achieving Middlesbrough's aspiration to become the destination of choice for the Tees Valley.

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Working in partnership with

  • Middlesbrough Council

High Streets