Egglescliffe Community Centre is an independent Community Centre, based in Eaglescliffe. Opened on the 12th April 1969 by Mr. C. M. Yuill.
Egglescliffe or Eaglescliffe? Ever wondered why the railway station in Egglescliffe is called Eaglescliffe? There have been many urban legends surrounding the two places, but could it just be down to a simple spelling mistake?
The name, Eaglescliffe, is thought to be derived from a misspelling of the name of the nearby village of Egglescliffe meaning a church on a hill. A common myth on the name change is that in the Victorian times the sign for the new railway station turned up incorrect after the sign writer thought that Egglescliffe was a mistake and altered it.
What does the name Eaglescliffe mean? There is no clear meaning of the name Eaglescliffe. One theory is that the Cleveland Hills offer a suitable habitat for eagles, hence the name Eaglescliffe. However, there has never been any record of the area being home to eagles.
There is an old Teesside legend that says Eaglescliffe owes its origins to a later period in time.
The name of Eaglescliffe was a renowned mistake. It has been explained that it is thought to have happened in the Victorian times, when the railway station was moved.
Lord Preston was so unhappy with the effect the noise of Locomotive Number One had on his cattle, they had to move the line to the other side of the road.
There are various versions of this legend, but they all hinge on the sign for the new railway station turning up with the wrong name. One story tells how a letter was delivered to the sign writer in London with the name Egglescliffe on it, but the sign writer missed the tail on the first ‘g’, thought it was an ‘a’ and sent a sign reading ‘Eaglescliffe’. Another version of the story tells how the sign writer received a telegram asking for a sign for ‘Egglescliffe’, thought it was such a strange name there must be a mistake and so changed it himself.
Either way it’s an entertaining story of how Eaglescliffe got its name. Sadly, there is no known documentary evidence to establish, or discredit the story.
The initial funding of the centre was raised by people in the area paying one shilling per week and many other fund raising activities. Grants were received from Durham County Council, Stockton Rural Council, Egglescliffe Parish Council and the Department of Education.
The Centre was originally registered as an unincorporated charity, “Egglescliffe Community Association”, but was always known as “Egglescliffe Community Centre”. The Association was ran by a Management Committee with an Executive Committee who are responsible for the day to day running of the community centre. All the officers and Committee members were unpaid volunteers. In November 2022, the trustees of the Association decide to transfer all assets to a Charity Incorporated Organisation, registered as “Egglescliffe Community Centre”. Similarly, the trustees of the Centre are all unpaid volunteers. The trustees retain day to day responsibility for management of the centre.