Tourist's guide to visit Stockton-on-Tees

Visit Stockton-on-Tees – things to do & explore

Overview of Stockton-on-Tees history & facts by Walkfo

---

Planning a visit to Stockton-on-Tees?

Stockton is a large market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham . It is between Darlington, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough; to the west, north-east and east respectively . An unparished collective of wards form the town, with a combined population of 85,000, which is part of Teesside built-up area .

Stockton-on-Tees history

---

Etymology

Stockton is thought by some to derive from the Anglo-Saxon Stocc, meaning log, tree trunk, or wooden post . Stockton was a constituent part of Norton until the eighteenth century, when it became an independent parish in its own right .

Prehistory

In 1958, archeological dig uncovered 125,000-year-old hippo’s molar tooth in Stockton . The tooth was sent to the borough’s librarian and curator, G. F. Leighton, who then sent it to the Natural History Museum . Since then, the tooth has been missing despite efforts to locate it .

Early

Stockton began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement on high ground close to the northern bank of the River Tees . The manor of Stockton was built circa 1138, and was purchased by Bishop Pudsey of Durham in 1189 . The bishop had a residence in Stockton Castle, which was a fortified manor house . Scotland captured the castle in 1644, and occupied it until 1646 . The castle was destroyed at the order of Oliver Cromwell at the end of the Civil War .

Industry

Town grew rapidly as the Industrial Revolution progressed, with iron making and engineering beginning in the town in the 18th century . The discovery of iron ore in the Eston Hills resulted in blast furnaces lining the River Tees from Stockton to the river’s mouth . In 1822, the first rail of George Stephenson’s Stockton and Darlington Railway was laid near St. John’s crossing .

Modern

Ragworth district near Stockton was the scene of rioting in 1992 . The area later saw a £12 million regeneration which involved mass demolition and refurbishment of existing properties .

Stockton-on-Tees economy & business

Future development

£300 million Northshore scheme will include new offices, leisure facilities, housing, a 150-bedroom hotel, and a new campus for Durham University . In 2012, a long-term scheme aimed at transforming the town centre area was announced .

Income

The mean weekly income for Stockton residents was £522.70 in 2017 . This is below the U.K. mean of £538.70 . The mean privately rented house in Stockton cost £525 per month compared with £480 across North East England .

Stockton-on-Tees geography / climate

Stockton lies on the north bank of the River Tees . Its northern and western extremities are on slightly higher ground than the town centre . The town centre and surrounding Tees valley can thus be seen from much of the borough .

Climate

Stockton-on-Tees has an oceanic climate typical of the United Kingdom . Being sheltered by the Lake District and Pennines to the west, Stockton is relatively dry for the U.K., with on average 25 inches of rain a year . Summer highs typically reach approximately 20 °C (68 °F)

Town centre

Stockton town centre is the heart of the borough . Much of the town centre has a Georgian and late medieval influence . The town centre retail is largely concentrated within two shopping centres, Castlegate and Wellington Square . The Castlegate is a building, whilst Wellington Square has open shops on pedestrian-only paths .

Riverside

The level of the River Tees through Stockton has been held at high tide since the construction of the Tees Barrage in 1995 . Chandlers Wharf is situated on the north side of the river where Bridge Road approaches Victoria Bridge . The Teesside Princess, a two-deck river boat, is docked alongside, and offers river cruises all year to Yarm via Preston Park .

You can visit Stockton-on-Tees, COUNTY/BOROUGH & use Walkfo to discover the best walking places with our free digital tour guide app created especially for Stockton-on-Tees. Walkfo Stockton-on-Tees has 300 locations with history, culture & travel facts, that you can explore the same way you can a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Stockton-on-Tees, being in the moment, without digital distraction and no limitations to a specific walking route – you choose where you want to go, when you want to go and Walkfo Stockton-on-Tees will keep up.

When you visit Stockton-on-Tees

---

When you visit Stockton-on-Tees, Walkfo is your digital tour guide while exploring by foot, bike or bus. With numerous walks, hikes, tourist locations & travel destinations available in Stockton-on-Tees, our travel AI guide helps you get the best from your visit to Stockton-on-Tees & the surrounding areas. Our explore Stockton-on-Tees app for iPhone & Android, allows you to experience the hidden history, culture and amazing facts throughout Stockton-on-Tees whilst out walking. The digital tour guide creates interactive audio stories driven by where you walk, so you can exploration Stockton-on-Tees’s National Heritage sites, tourist attractions, historic locations or city streets freely, without the restrictions of a predefined walk & walk map.

“The Walkfo AI has curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 0 audio facts in Stockton-on-Tees alone that form an interactive Stockton-on-Tees walking map for you to explore.”

Best Stockton-on-Tees places to visit

---

Stockton-on-Tees has hundreds of places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are five of Stockton-on-Tees’s best destinations to visit when exploring the area. We have condensed the information with much more detail available within Walkfo when you visit the destinations.

b

Visit Stockton-on-Tees plaques

Experience Stockton-on-Tees audio walks & tours

Visiting Stockton-on-Tees with Walkfo’s things to do interactive map
The “Stockton-on-Tees things to do map” below is a preview of the places you can visit in Stockton-on-Tees and surrounding areas with our digital audio tour guide app. Each spot has content for a plaque, a building, a street or general area, providing history, culture or tourism information the you can explore.

Interactive ‘Explore Stockton-on-Tees Map’     This Stockton-on-Tees tourism map shows points of interest within a 4km radius of Stockton-on-Tees centre

Walkfo App     Walkfo

Walkfo is free to download & use (for a limited time period), so if you are looking to explore Stockton-on-Tees, go to your App Store to search for “Walkfo” or follow a links below and install on your mobile phone. Walkfo is designed for use with headphones or AirPods, so you can walk & explore whilst learning about the things around you without digital distraction.

  Apple App Store

  Google Play Store

Things to do & visit in Stockton-on-Tees and surrounding areas

---

Getting to / around Stockton-on-Tees – transport links, stations, streets & traffic map

---

Getting around in Stockton-on-Tees using public transportation may include roads, streets, trains, undergrounds, buses or trams. Walkfo has the following important Stockton-on-Tees public transport locations with historic / cultural / factual content when you visit:

Stockton-on-Tees Notable Public Transport Stations		Stockton-on-Tees Notable Streets & Roads

[transportsummary]

Attention local Stockton-on-Tees historians, tour guides & Stockton-on-Tees tourism agents