Port of Middlesbrough is reborn
An extract from an 1882 plan of Middlesbrough (Teesside Archives).
As part of Heritage Unlocked’s work with businesses on their heritage, recently we have been working with Teesside logistics business, AV Dawson ahead of the launch of their new port facility ‘Port of Middlesbrough’.
The link up between AV Dawson and Heritage Unlocked has seen archival research undertaken on the ‘Port of Middlesbrough’ and digitisation of unique historic resources. Heritage Unlocked are now working with the company to identify opportunities to celebrate and promote AV Dawson’s history in Middlesbrough.
For more information on the launch of ‘Port of Middlesbrough’, see below…
The Port of Middlesbrough (AV Dawson)
Port of Middlesbrough Reborn
Teesside logisitics business, AV Dawson has named its new port facility Port of Middlesbrough - bringing a name back to the area from over 100 years ago AV Dawson has amalgamated several parts of its Middlesbrough-based port and logistics operations to form one, integrated port facility as it drives forward with further growth and expansion. The business has called this new facility Port of Middlesbrough in honour of a port that was on the same stretch of the River Tees back in the 1830s, prior to the construction of Middlesbrough Dock.
Gary Dawson, managing director at AV Dawson said: “Over the years, we’ve acquired various sites as we’ve expanded our operations and its become a challenge to describe succinctly what AV Dawson Ltd is. “We have thought long and hard about what drives the business forward and what defines us - we’ve concluded that our location and the River Tees are key to this, neither of which feature in the company name. So given the nature of all of the multimodal assets and activities that we own and operate, we are best positioned from a marketing perspective describing ourselves as a port.
The site from a T. Roddam Dent and Son post-war marketing publication (Teesside Archives)
“We wanted to consolidate under one new encompassing brand and image, but with a continuation of the AV Dawson name and legacy. ‘Port of Middlesbrough – an AV Dawson facility’ fits with our history and reflects the growth of our business and the town.
“Being a Teesside family business, founded over 80 years ago, the history of the area is really important to us so it seemed logical to reignite the Port of Middlesbrough name”.
The new port marks the start of a three-year port masterplan to further develop the site, which will go on to create further jobs and investment in the local area. This plan, an investment of over £10m includes the construction of a plastic waste recycling plant, a new head office and the enhancement of AV Dawson’s existing quayside to accommodate larger vessels. It’s anticipated that these developments will create over a hundred new jobs on the site.
Andy Preston, Mayor of Middlesbrough said: “This development is a perfect fit for my wider ambitions for Middlesbrough, focusing on attracting new investment and jobs to boost the town’s economy. “As an iconic local firm, AV Dawson is a great asset to our town – it is fantastic that it has brought back the Port of Middlesbrough and continues to invest for the future. This is hugely positive news for Middlesbrough”.
Mr Dawson concluded: “The launch of Port of Middlesbrough adds further strength to the River Tees and its offer to importing and exporting businesses. We plan to work closely with the statutory harbour authority, PD Ports, to ensure the Tees attracts more ships, as ultimately this will help drive jobs and the local economy.”