Guisborough
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Template:GBmap Guisborough is a small town near Middlesbrough in North East England, part of the administrative county of Redcar and Cleveland. Historically it was in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The town has a long history - it is listed in the Domesday Book and the ruined Gisborough Priory dates back to the 12th century. The priory's name is spelt without the first U, as that was the old spelling of the town's name. Some other old sites and names use the same spelling.
Other historic sites include Saint Nicholas' Anglican Church, built mainly from stone taken from the priory, and Gisborough Hall, the ancestral home of Lord Gisborough, which now serves as a hotel and a popular venue for wedding receptions. Prior Pursglove College (formerly Guisborough Grammar School), a sixth form college serving East Cleveland, Redcar, and Middlesbrough, is situated near the church and priory.
Two main roads cross at Guisborough, the A171 and the A173. The A171 leads west to Middlesbrough and east to Whitby whilst the A173 goes south-west to Stokesley and north-east as far as Skelton where it joins the A174 coast road. Before the bypass was built, traffic on both of these had to pass through the town. Just outside the bypass to the north-east, a B-road heads north from the A173 to Redcar. As well as these, there is a short road that ends at Hutton Village, a tiny settlement built mostly for local mining, agricultural and estate workers. There is yet another route out of the town - Wilton Lane, a very windy almost single-track which leads north to the small village of Wilton, whence one can either join the A174 or continue onto the ICI Wilton chemical works. Until 1964, Guisborough was also served by trains from Middlesbrough; prior to 1958 it was even possible to travel all the way to Whitby and Scarborough along the highly scenic North Yorkshire coast railway.
For those travelling on foot, the south of the town is bounded by the North York Moors National Park. Guisborough Woods, which are Forestry Commission land, clothe the edge of the moors. In the woods, the ground rises sharply and at one point forms a cliff, known as Highcliffe. The woods are crossed by several rights-of-way, including the Cleveland Way, though other paths and commission tracks are considered fair game for walkers. Beyond the woods, the ground levels out to form Gisborough Moor.
Well known Guisborians include:
- Bob Champion, the jockey who rode to triumph in the 1981 Grand National, despite having recently been diagnosed with cancer
- Footballing midfield powerhouse Sean Gregan
- Former BBC news editor Rod Liddle
The two main employers in the town used to be "The Shirt Factory" - towards the end of its working life this clothing factory was acquired by Montague Burton of Leeds - and the Blackett Hutton steel works.
On January 15, 2004, Guisborough was granted Fairtrade Town status.