Guisborough

Guisborough is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the western bank of the River Tees, approximately eight miles west of Middlesbrough, the town lies on the North York Moors to the north and the Teesside Plain to the south. Its population was 14,417 according to the 2011 Census, and the wider parish encompasses surrounding villages such as Kildale and Whitby Green.

The name Guisborough derives from the Anglo-Saxon “Hyðesburgh”, meaning a hillfort on a hill, later recorded as "Guisborh" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The town’s history is closely linked to the mining and iron industries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The nearby Guisborough Iron Company, established in the 1880s, supplied blast furnace material to the Teesside steelworks. After the decline of heavy industry, the local economy shifted toward retail, services and tourism, with the Guisborough Tartan festival and the Kildale Fell races attracting visitors.

Transport links include the A174 road, which connects the town to the A66 and the A171, and the Guisborough railway station on the Durham Coast Line, providing regular services to Stockton and Middlesbrough. Public transport is supplemented by local bus services operated by the South Tees Bus Company, linking Guisborough to Teesside urban centres.

Cultural life in Guisborough features the historic St. Mary's Church, built in the 14th century, and community events such as the annual Guisborough Tartan festival, celebrating the town’s association with the Scottish textile. The local primary schools, the Guisborough School and Holy Child Catholic Primary School, serve the town's educational needs. Guisborough’s 3rd and 1st Porting Langlands stands as a reminder of the Royal Navy's role in the area during World War II.