Teessaurus Park
{{Short description|Sculpture park in North Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Teessaurus Park
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| type = Sculpture Park
| location = Middlesbrough
| coords = {{Coord|54.589|-1.248|type:landmark_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| elevation =
| area = {{convert|10|acre|ha}}
| created = 1979
| operator = Middlesbrough Council
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| status = Open
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urban grassland recreational area and sculpture park opened in 1979{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/panoramas/tpark_360.shtml |title=Teessaurus Park |publisher=BBC |work=BBC Tees |date=12 July 2007 |accessdate=25 August 2009}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/360/tpark.shtml |title=360 views: Teessaurus Park |publisher=BBC |accessdate=25 August 2009}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/apr/04/outdoor-artwork-sculptures-britain?page=all |title=Outdoor artworks |first=Alison |last=Stace |first2=Michael |last2=McNay |first3=Carlene |last3=Thomas-Bailey |first4=Gavin |last4=Bell |first5=Jessica |last5=Cargill-Thompson |first6=Oliver |last6=Bennett |work=The Guardian |date=4 April 2009 |accessdate=25 August 2009}}
in the Riverside Park light industrial estate, Middlesbrough, on the southern bank of the River Tees.
It was built on a former slag heap{{cite web |url=http://www.teeswildlife.org/Tees%20Corridor%2012pg%20A4.pdf |format=PDF |title=Inside the Tees Corridor |publisher=Tees Wildlife |accessdate=25 August 2009}}
in what was the Ironmasters district{{cite web|url=http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/NE/MIAA58.htm |title=Dinosaurs and Mammoth |work=Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project |publisher=King's College London |accessdate=25 August 2009 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816083458/http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/NE/MIAA58.htm |archivedate=16 August 2011 }}
and represents, without any irony, the iron and steel industry that used to exist on the site and in the area.
The park has its own small car park and has become something of a nature reserve.{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshirebutterflies.org.uk/recentsightings.htm |title=Saving butterflies, moths and their habitats |publisher=Butterfly Conservation – Yorkshire Branch |accessdate=25 August 2009 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406023534/http://www.yorkshirebutterflies.org.uk/recentsightings.htm |archivedate=6 April 2009 }}
The route of the Teesdale Way passes through the park.
Sculptures
The park was started as a result of entering an Art to Landscape competition organised by The Sunday Times and the Arts Council.
Middlesbrough Council had commissioned a life size painted steel sculpture of a triceratops called Teessaurus from Genevieve Glatt that was fabricated by Harts of Stockton at a total cost of £16,000 and installed on a mound at the northern end of the park.
The park was opened with this sculpture in 1979 and two infant triceratops were added later.
From 1987 onwards, a life-size brachiosaurus, brontosaurus, mammoth, stegosaurus and tyrannosaurus sculptures were added at the sides of the park.
These sculptures were built by workers on the government Youth and Employment Training Scheme at Amarc Training and Safety.{{cite web |url=http://riversideparkmiddlesbrough.blogspot.com/2009/06/dinosaur-park-teesaurus-park.html |title=Dinosaur Park – Teessaurus Park |work=Riverside Park, Middlesbrough |accessdate=25 August 2009}}
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References
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External links
Images: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/teessaurus/ Flickr]
{{Middlesbrough}}
Category:Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United Kingdom