ABOUT INGLEBY BARWICK

Ingleby Barwick, (pronounced to rhyme with Alnwick), is the largest private residential housing estate in Europe, now a small town, built mostly in the last 40 years, on what was the southern perimeter of Thornaby airfield in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the Tees Valley, north-east England, and within the historic county of the Riding of North Yorkshire.

Ingleby Barwick, is within a short drive of the glorious scenery in the North York Moors National Park; not much further from the breath-taking North Yorkshire Dales or, northward to Tyneside, Wearside and Northumberland.

Its topography is interesting in that, though by no means an island, the town is almost completely surrounded by water, with Bassleton Beck emerging from the river Tees, to ring the town to the north and east, whilst the main river circles the town to the west, with the River Leven leaving the Tees at the south-western end of the town and running east along part of the southern boundary. This could well be the reason that the area was originally inhabited.

Today the town is easily accessible from both the A19, 5 minutes via the A174 (which lies to the east) and A66 (10 minutes) via Queen Elizabeth Way and the A135 (to the north), making the town a prime location for commuters.

Ingleby Barwick is famous for being the site of one of the northernmost Roman Villas in the Roman Empire, Quarry Farm, and the site is known to have been inhabited from as early as 1500BC, possibly even earlier. Much of the site has been examined by archaeologists, but not the actual villa, (See the ‘Brief History of Ingleby Barwick’ page for more detailed information). The remains of the villa have been preserved under Condercum Green in The Rings - perhaps one day they too will be the subject of an archaeological dig?

The town iscurrently made up of 6 ‘villages’ - Beckfields,Broom Hill, Lowfields, Round Hill, Sober Hall and The Rings, andis well provided with green spaces, walks and cycleways, as well as the usual amenities of schools, shops and takeaways, churches, doctors, dentists and opticians, funeral director, library, pubs and a supermarket as well as a veterinary surgery,many situated within the town centre. Separate pages on our site list the schools,medical and leisure facilities available, as well as useful contact details for some of the services for which StocktonBorough Councilis responsible.

There is lots going on at the library, with a Family History group, Baby & Toddler group, Card Making group, Children’s Rhyme Time, Drop-in Colouring Club, Afternoon and Evening Knitting groups, Social Afternoon group, and Homework Help all regular features of their programme of activities.

The town centre is also is home to Romano Park, the main attraction of which is a beautifully landscaped play area. It’s a wonderful play environment for children of all ages, with features such as a rope bridge, zip wires, balancing wires, sand play and, crowning the skyline, a 'Hill Fort' made of vertical pillars of green oak. There is also more traditional play equipment, such as swings, slides and roundabouts. Good footpaths wind their way through the park, and there are plenty of picnic tables. Romano Park also has a Multi-Use Games Area and if you prefer some peace and quiet then seek out Barwick Pond Local Nature Reserve which is adjacent to the park. It’s a delightful spot and home to great crested newts; hence the ‘newt seat’ designed by artist Andrew McKeown with help from children from nearby Barley Fields and Myton Park Primary Schools. Other small parks and green spaces are scattered through the town.