Coatham
Encyclopedia
Coatham is a place in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland
and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire
, England
.
but as their populations grew from the 1850s, the dividing space narrowed. Though Coatham is now only a mile-wide district in the town of Redcar, the need for definition was strong enough to warrant the western boundary being marked by a fence
which ran the length of West Dyke Road and West Terrace. Coatham comprises the remaining coast
al land north of the railway line
from West Dyke Road to Warrenby
in the west.
, most notably at its northern tip by the Coatham Hotel
built in 1860. A small boating
lake, leisure centre, arcade
complex and caravan
park now occupies the remainder of Coatham's coast. To the east, the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
's Coatham Marsh Nature Reserve hosts 134 acre (0.54227924 km²) of ancient Marsh
and grassland
.
course and local recreation area. Residents are objecting at losing open space to the council's proposed housing and leisure development planned to revive the tourist industry. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom announced on 3 March 2010 that Redcar Council must register the land as a Village Green.
, twice winner of the Whitbread Prize, was brought up and where some of her novels are set.
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...
and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
Coatham began as a market village in the 14th century to the smaller adjacent fishing port of RedcarRedcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
but as their populations grew from the 1850s, the dividing space narrowed. Though Coatham is now only a mile-wide district in the town of Redcar, the need for definition was strong enough to warrant the western boundary being marked by a fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
which ran the length of West Dyke Road and West Terrace. Coatham comprises the remaining coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al land north of the railway line
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
from West Dyke Road to Warrenby
Warrenby
Warrenby is a place in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.Situated on the edge of Coatham Marsh, Warrenby was originally called Warrenstown when it was founded in 1873 to provide housing for workers at the nearby ironworks of Downey & Co and...
in the west.
Landmarks
The majority of modern Coatham is Victorian housingVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
, most notably at its northern tip by the Coatham Hotel
Redcar Jazz Club
Redcar Jazz Club was a music venue in the seaside town of Redcar, North Yorkshire, England which was a regular stop for up and coming rock musicians during the 1960s and early 1970s. Almost all the famous, or soon to be famous names, played there for the local audience...
built in 1860. A small boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
lake, leisure centre, arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
complex and caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
park now occupies the remainder of Coatham's coast. To the east, the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the Tees Valley area of England. Its area of operation corresponds to the four unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland, covering parts of the ceremonial counties of County Durham and...
's Coatham Marsh Nature Reserve hosts 134 acre (0.54227924 km²) of ancient Marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
and grassland
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
.
Future development
Since the mid-1990s political debate has been generated amongst Coatham's five thousand residents as to the future of the last undeveloped section of Coatham's coastal land known as Coatham Common/Coatham Enclosure - for the last 25 years used as a golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course and local recreation area. Residents are objecting at losing open space to the council's proposed housing and leisure development planned to revive the tourist industry. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom announced on 3 March 2010 that Redcar Council must register the land as a Village Green.
Notable residents
Coatham is the town where Jane GardamJane Gardam
Jane Mary Gardam OBE is a British author of children's and adult fiction. She also reviews for the Spectator and the Telegraph, and writes for BBC radio, where her current project is six programmes on the suburbs. She lives in Kent, Wimbledon, and Yorkshire. She has won numerous literary awards,...
, twice winner of the Whitbread Prize, was brought up and where some of her novels are set.