St. Hilda's Church
Any directions as to where to go next will be in red and bold. Look out for these directions
Tradition has it that St Cuthbert dedicated a church to St Hilda here in 686 and on this same site in 1838 the foundation stone was laid for St Hilda's parish church which was completed in 1840. The Quakers who were behind the rapidly expanding industry supported the establishment of churches for the workers' welfare, as the population had expanded so rapidly, from only 154 in 1831 to 5,603 in 1841!
St Hilda's was close to the Town Hall and highly visible because of the tall spire, it was literally at the centre of the community.
Today the bells of this church hang at the junction of Grange road and Linthorpe road, once more at the centre of Middlesbrough.
The British Film Institute host 1902 video showing the congregation leaving after a service, you can also see the nearby housing. You can match this to the Lowry painting,
If you are facing the plaque on the site of the church, look to the left and there are some gravestones still visible (laying flat). To the right is where the original farmstead of Middlesbrough was built on ground raised above the surrounding marshes.
Click here for the gravestones
Walk forward toward the Town Hall for the next part of the walk.
Page by Edna Reddy