Activity programme

A a comprehensive heritage activity, engagement and learning programme is being delivered through the project. There will be a range of opportunities for people to get involved, learn more about the history of the area, attend fun and interesting events and learn new skills.

Local History Month 2023

Local History month takes place every May and activities are taking place to raise awareness of the Townscape Heritage Project and highlight Stockton's history.

Heritage walking tours of Stockton 

Join one of the Heritage Walking Tours of Stockton High Street to find out about the history of some of the buildings and residents. 

Sunday 21 May at 9.30

Thursday 1 June at 9.30

Email Eleanor.Blyth@stockton.gov.uk to reserve your place.

High Street Heritage Entertainment Trail

Join the High Street Heritage Entertainment trail to celebrate Stockton High Street as a music and dance town. Come along for a guided reminder of the town's entertainment venues past and present and hear about performances of the time.

Wednesday 31 May at 11.00

Email sophie.owens@stockton.gov.uk to reserve your place.

Maintenance Guide - maintain to gain

Traditional and historic buildings are an important part of the townscape and are valued for their character and distinctiveness. The Maintenance Guide gives practical steps to maintain historic buildings and protect their value as an asset.

View the maintain to gain document (PDF, 789 KB)

Exhibition - the finds from Tennant Square's archaeological dig 

A free exhibition took place to showcase items found during the archaeological dig at Tennant Square.

The historical remains from site were displayed for members of the public to view and two workshops were held to present the results and discuss the finds. 

Building condition survey

Building Condition Surveys were undertaken on properties in the Stockton Town Centre Conservation Area. You can obtain a copy of the survey on your property if you own a building in this area.

Contact the Townscape Heritage project team to request a copy

The Living Memories project

The Living Memories project is a way of recording memories of Stockton town centre. The project captures and reflects on the historic changes to the area over time.

A series of postcards have been produced showing pictures and historic scenes in the town and are free for members of the public to collect and complete to share their memories of Stockton. 

The postcards are available to collect and submit at:

• Enjoy Stockton, 134 High Street, Stockton. TS18 1LP.
• Stockton Central Library, Church Road, Stockton. TS18 1TU.

Memories can include a favourite shop, a poignant visit to the market or a memorable event that they attended. As part of this, the team are also looking for memories from people who remember the Congregational Church that once stood on Tennant Square or who have visited there in the past.

Tennant Square's archaeological excavation

A rare archaeological excavation took place in Tennant Square  in Stockton Town Centre in 2021. The dig was led by Tees Archaeology and the Council's Townscape Heritage Project team.

It took place between Laing Street and Tennant Street on the site of the former Norton Road Congregational Church which dates back to 1845.

30 local volunteers took part in the dig, which was an exciting opportunity to explore the site and find out more about its history.  140 school children from Tilery Primary School and Mill Lane Primary School also attended the site.

The excavation uncovered the northeast corner of the Congregational Church wall boundaries which shows the exact location of the former church. The site on Tennant Square will be left exposed for members of the public to view until works begin on the public realm in Summer 2022.

Some of the key 19^th Century finds from the site include:

• The Congregational Church wall boundaries, showing the exact location of the church with the northeast corner exposed.
• Construction material from the church including bricks faced with render. This shows that the building was brick and not stone construction.
• Artifacts 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. 
• Some pre-19^th Century artifacts were also found including a suspected piece of medieval green glazed pottery.  

All of the finds will be processed by Tees Archaeology and a full report will be available soon.

Drone survey

Drone surveys are carried out to look at the condition of buildings and will be undertaken throughout the project. The drone provides views of the buildings that would otherwise be inaccessible and helps to identify if the building has any issues.