Exhibition and workshop will showcase items found during rare archaeological dig in Stockton Town Centre

An exciting exhibition is taking place across September to showcase items found during the archaeological dig at Tennant Square in Stockton last year.

The free exhibition is being held on the first floor of Stockton Library by the Stockton Northern Gateway Townscape Heritage Project and will have the historical remains from site on display for members of the public to view.

Tennant Square is the site of the former Norton Road Congregational Church, which opened its doors in 1845 and stood on the site for more than 120 years.

Some of the findings from the site that will be on display include:

• artefacts from those using the church, including pottery, glass from bottles and clay pipes
• internal plaster mouldings, pieces of floorboards and handmade nails, slate from roof tiles and damp course, stained glass from windows and historical ceramic light switches
• pre-19^th Century artifacts. including a suspected piece of medieval green glazed pottery

As part of the exhibition, two special workshops will be held by Tees Archaeology on Wednesday 14 September to present the results of the excavation and the archaeological finds that were made.

The workshops will also look at development of Stockton Town Centre leading up to the construction of the chapel, as well as looking deeper into the building and those who worshipped there.

The workshop will take place on the first floor of Stockton Library between 10am and 12.30pm, followed by another opportunity between 1pm and 3.30pm, with places being extremely limited.

The Stockton Northern Gateway Townscape Heritage Project is a five-year scheme that began in 2019 and aims to improve the historic environment at the northern end of Stockton High Street. This is joint funded by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and a £1.88million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It focuses on a series of restoration projects of historic buildings and works to the surrounding area. This includes the creation of a new public open space at Tennant Square to create a high-quality design with an emphasis on providing an attractive, safe and social space.

The archaeological dig took place before the work to the public realm improvements at Tennant Square began.

Councillor Nigel Cooke, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, said: "This is a great opportunity for our residents to be involved in finding out more about what was uncovered in an area in Stockton that has significant historical value.

"Schemes like the Stockton Northern Gateway Townscape Heritage Project t allow us to improve spaces and bring buildings back into use so they can be enjoyed for generations to come.

"The project also complements the regeneration work we are undertaking to transform our town centres to ensure they are fit for the future."

Find out more about the Townscape Heritage Project's exhibition and secure your place at the workshop by visiting the Townscape Heritage Project activity programme

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