Middlesbrough highlights

Sunday, 22nd September, 2019.

Middlesbrough is the closest big town to Paul and Judith's village of Maltby, and we drove through there on our way back from Durham.

The Middlesburgh, or Tees, Transporter Bridge was built in 1911 to a design which would not affect river navigation.

This diagram shows that the bridge carries a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from the bridge, which can cross the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry about nine cars, as well as foot passengers.

The Transporter Bridge is still working today, although as it was Sunday, it wasn't running when we were there.

Created by artist Anish Kapoor, this £2.7m structure is the first of five planned "Tees Valley Giants".

This one is called Temenos which is a Greek word meaning "land cut off and assigned as a sanctuary or holy area."

Opinion seems to be divided among the locals as to whether the money was well spent, although Paul told me that a typical Yorkshire phrase, applied to many situations, is "How much?"

Back home that evening, Judith made stew with dumplings.

Judith serves dinner - yum!