Banks and Lanes Project: Bridging the Years
The Banks and Lanes Group was formed in 1995 to bring together people of all ages who are interested in the history of West Middlesbrough, whether they be residents, former residents or newcomers to the area. They chose the name ‘Banks and Lanes’ because the district they cover extends from the banks of the River Tees near Newport Bridge to Whinney Banks and Fleet Bridge. It is a part of the town which has seen many changes over the last two hundred years, and quite a few changes within living memory.
The group meets twice a month, ten months of each year. As well as studying the history of West Middlesbrough from historic records, old newspapers and old photographs, they have also been collecting memories from people who remember the area. When the ‘Tomorrow’s History’ project was launched, they decided to get some more memories and photographs together. A selection of the memories they collected have been published in a book as part of the ‘Tomorrow’s History’ project. The book is called ‘Bridging the Years’, and was published in 2001. They hope to continue digging into their area’s history and perhaps publish more books in the future.