Middlesbrough - A Town of Rampant Sin

Middlesbrough in the nineteenth century was not just an 'Infant Hercules', it was a town of rampant sin.

Thanks to the fact that a population of 30,000 people had access to 196 drinking establishments made Ironopolis a hard-drinking as well as a hard-working town.

In this illustrated talk Martin Peagam will explore why the town acquired so many drinking plces and what the consequences were for people, for crime, and for prostitution. He will also consider how and why the town changed - looking at the role played by the town's leaders, of the temperance movement and the police.

This topic can also be offered as a tour, ending, naturally, in a pub.