Since 1990, Hope Estates has been providing quality student accommodation in Durham and Stockton City centres. We are a family run business with a team of six full-time maintenance staff providing newly refurbished houses with IKEA furniture. As one of the biggest and longest standing DSU accredited landlords, we adhere to the highest safety standards as set out by the university. We have over one hundred houses located in the local area so we are sure we will be able to accommodate you, whatever your needs may be.
To learn more, make sure to browse through our website, or feel free to contact us anytime. We look forward to hearing from you.
Stockton
With its market charter granted in 1310, Stockton town centre hosts one of the region's largest outdoor markets every Wednesday and Saturday. The Prince Bishop's of Durham came here to collect taxes from the southern end of the county. Their home in the town - Stockton Castle - was demolished on the orders of Oliver Cromwell.
The Town Hall, built in 1735 in the Dutch style, shows the importance of the town at that time, and this is also reflected in similar buildings still standing in nearby Norton and Yarm.The River Tees was vital to the early industrial development of the town, with exports and imports, shipbuilding and their associated trades (ropemaking, sailmaking etc), providing the means for many people to become wealthy.
In the 1700s Stockton became a major river port. Lead from the Pennines and farm produce from the region was carried to the quayside by horse and cart to be shipped to London and overseas.
Yarm was also a prosperous river port as far back as the 1300s, trading in wine, flax and sheepskins to tanneries along the riverbanks.
As a young man James Cook is said to have served the early part of his apprenticeship sailing from Stockton and Yarm, and the design of his famous ship Endeavour was based on these original coal 'barques'.
A full size replica of his ship HM Bark Endeavour is moored at Castlegate Quay on Stockton's riverside. This unique vessel provides an entertaining as well as an educational day out. Guided tours around the ship reveal a fascinating insight into how Capt Cook and his crew lived. Telephone (01642) 608038 for further information.
In 1822 Stockton hosted an event which changed the face of the world for ever, and heralded a new era in trade, industry and travel. The first rail of the Stockton & Darlington railway was laid three years later on 27th September 1825. The world famous engineer George Stephenson manned Locomotion No 1, with his great friend, and rival engineer Timothy Hackworth acting as guard.
The opening of the world's first modern railway in 1825 encouraged the growth of industry, although it was the discovery of Ironstone in the Cleveland Hills in the 1850s which transformed the town from a market town into one noted for its industry.
Also renowned for its shipbuilding, local shipbuilder Robert Ropner made his fortune here. His impressive mansion house Preston Hall, is now a popular museum and country park which is owned and managed by the local authority.
Other pioneering characters include John Walker, inventor of the friction match in 1826. Sadly he died in 1859 without capitalising on his discovery.
Thomas Sheraton, the eminent furniture designer, was born in the town in 1751 and married in St Mary's Church, Norton. A journeyman cabinet maker and Baptist Minister, he moved to London in 1790.
The stunning Millennium Footbridge, linking Teesdale and Thornaby to Stockton, is one of the latest landmarks to grace the skyline, the other is the magnificent structure of the town's Baptist Tabernacle Church.
Did you know...
Freddie 'Flying' Dixon came from Stockton and is still the only man ever to have won the Isle of Man TT Races on two, three and four wheels.
Thornaby
On the South side of Victoria Bridge lies Thornaby which has been a settlement since the Danes arrived back in AD 800.
The town was mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Its oldest building, St Peter's church on Thornaby Green, dates back to the 11th & 12th Centuries. The church is said to be one of the oldest and smallest buildings in the Tees Valley, still in full use for weddings, funerals, baptisms and christenings.
The Victorian town centre was developed in the 19th century around the banks of the River Tees, which was a centre for heavy industry and shipbuilding which thrived on what is today known as the Teesdale site. This centre was replaced in the 1960s by the present town centre of Thornaby, around a mile (1.5km) south of the original centre. It offers a wide range of shopping facilities, with a market on Thursdays, and includes the Pavilion sports and leisure complex.
Britain's newest University complex, the Queen's Campus of the University of Durham, is situated in the fast growing riverside development of Teesside. This multi-million pound development now provides an attractive environment to live, learn, work and play, with riverside walks, cycle routes and a multitude water-sports facilities.