Hutton Moor—A Story of Ownership and Change

Hutton Moor, with Highcliff Nab and Guisborough in the distance, holds memories of the 1970s when I initially settled in the area. At that time, it bore scars of degradation due to off-road motorcyclists exploiting it as their playground. Under the ownership of the Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate, I found myself compelled to seek their permission for organising a race across the moor. Planning this race, I noted an obvious shortcut, trimming several hundred metres from the designated route. Opting for a laissez-faire approach, I opted to allow runners free-range rather than imposing strict marshalling onto the Public Rights of Way. Remarkably, no issues arose, and permission was duly granted. I understand that Hutton Moor now forms part of the Kildale Estate¹‘Grouse Moor Owners in England – Google My Maps’. 2024. Google My Maps <https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1BGhsQXh2-gJ9n85ZY_5WRgSkdfg2c4_y&ll=54.504116624643544%2C-1.0730419407885572&z=15> [accessed 5 April 2024].

It would have been in 1935 when The Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate acquired the moor, when they purchased the Hutton estate from the Pickering family. Shipowner James Warley Pickering had brought the estate in 1905, following the catastrophic failure of the Pease family’s financial interests in 1902²YORKSHIRE GARDENS TRUST NYMNPA Historic Designed Landscapes Project Hutton Hall park and garden Report by Louise Wickham [October 2018].

In 1828, Joseph Pease visited Middlesbrough to evaluate its potential as a coal port. At the time, it was a hamlet of around 30 inhabitants. Subsequently, the Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate company was formed in 1829, aiming to develop the port and purchasing approximately 500 acres of land, extending from the Tees southward to Southfield Road. The following year, in 1830, the arrival of the Stockton and Darlington Railway transformed Middlesbrough, igniting its growth. So too, the company expanded its interests, including the construction of Middlesbrough Dock, which commenced operations in 1842³‘Middlesbrough | Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society’. 2019. Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society | <http://ctlhs.co.uk/golden-jubilee/fifty-interesting-places/middlesbrough/> [accessed 5 April 2024].

However, in 2006, the Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate became inactive and presently faces liquidation⁴‘OWNERS of the MIDDLESBROUGH ESTATE LIMITED(THE) | 0…’ 2023. The Gazette <https://www.thegazette.co.uk/company/00022906> [accessed 5 April 2024].

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  ‘Grouse Moor Owners in England – Google My Maps’. 2024. Google My Maps <https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1BGhsQXh2-gJ9n85ZY_5WRgSkdfg2c4_y&ll=54.504116624643544%2C-1.0730419407885572&z=15> [accessed 5 April 2024]
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  YORKSHIRE GARDENS TRUST NYMNPA Historic Designed Landscapes Project Hutton Hall park and garden Report by Louise Wickham [October 2018]
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  ‘Middlesbrough | Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society’. 2019. Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society | <http://ctlhs.co.uk/golden-jubilee/fifty-interesting-places/middlesbrough/> [accessed 5 April 2024]
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  ‘OWNERS of the MIDDLESBROUGH ESTATE LIMITED(THE) | 0…’ 2023. The Gazette <https://www.thegazette.co.uk/company/00022906> [accessed 5 April 2024]