The sign for Prince Regent Street, included in a general view of No.12, Prince Regent Street, Stockton. 1984Manners and Harrisons office, No.17, Prince Regent Street, Stockton, included in a general view of No.12, Princess Regent Street. 1984. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
In 1901 Frank L Wilson was 39, a foundry labourer living at 21 Langley Street Stockton.
Mary A was said to be 36. They now have 6 children – Lilian 13, Oswald 12, Harold 10, Percy 8, Rudolph 4 and Victoris May 1 month.
Frank Laverick Wilson married Mary Ann Plimmer in Stockton in the June quarter of 1886. In 1891 they were living at 38 Mitre Street, Stockton. Frank was 29, a labourer in the ironworks, born Redcar, Yorkshire. Mary was 23 born Barnard Castle,Durham. Their children, all born in Stockton were Lilian aged 3, Oswald aged 2, Harold aged 3 months. Hope this helps.
Interested in the history of Frank Laverick WILSON and his wife Mary Ann (nee PLIMMER) – do you know where they married? Were they still there in 1891?
The picture is of Edward Appleby’s and was a commercial printers as stated above. I worked there for a few years after leaving school. Left to join the Army.
With regard to my previous post I stand corrected. I am informed the illuminated glass bottle designed by local lad David Wheatley fronts the Arena programme NOT The South Bank Show. I understand after more than 30 years the iconic emblem is still in use.
I still have vivid memories of the Deli coffee bar in Stockton. The place to go and be seen in the sixties. If you could squeeze in on a Saturday afternoon, there would nearly always be news of a party somewhere during the evening. I particularly remember a couple of very charismatic characters, Franc Roddam (Auf Weidershein Pet, Master Chef)and Billy Kemp (who sadly passed away recently) holding court there every Saturday. I also remember meeting David Wheatley in there, a local lad who gained international fame as a film and television producer. The white skeleton bottle on the introduction to the South Bank Show was his design. A great atmosphere and happy days.
For anyone interested, I have seen the probate index for Miriam Laverick who seems to have occupied this building during the 1800s and who has been spoken about previously. The index reads: ‘LAVERICK, Miriam of Stockton-on-Tees, spinster, died 22 September 1893, PROBATE Durham 29 December to John Walker Laverick general dealer and Joshua Collitt general merchant Effects £56 4s.’
Yes I remember The Deli very well, it was the place to meet on Saturday afternoons for the pre 18 year olds in the sixties.
Stan Hilton, Thank you for your reply.
Christine Hammond:I do not know which Collitt was in partnership with Richardson but I think that it may have been J. Collitt because the year following R. Richardson becoming the sole proprieter of the Dovecot Street/Prince Regent Street Building (1890) J. Collitt set up a similar type of business in the Town Hall which was there until 1905 when the name above the shop changed to F. Collitt. There is a picture reference of this dated 1914 but in a photograph which appeared in the 1928 Stockton Directory the name appears to have changed to “Howdens”.
very interesting to read all the comments. My maiden name was Collitt and although I have traced some of my ancestors, I would be interested to know of any “Collitt” information.
Hi all! Christine – I”d be most interested in contacting you direct to swap notes on the Lavericks but not sure how to give you my email without actually posting it which I”m reluctant to do! Any ideas? David – Thanks for the info on Miriam. If Christine belongs to the same family as my hubby and has traced everyone back to the 1700s without finding a link yet then maybe Miriam just isn”t connected to my Lavericks at all – or as she says, maybe the link is further back. I”m not back that far myself as yet, this pleasure is yet to come for me! But thanks for your help re Miriam, I”ll keep everything on the back burner in case a link ever materialises, and it”s all fascinating stuff! Janice
Hi everybody! Janice: Miriam was living in Marske in 1841 with Mother Jane Laverick (nee: Frank) and her elder brother William (my Gt Gt Grandfather). Their father was Henry Laverick (B: 1795 in Stockton) was living in Gents Yard, Stockton with children Henry, John and Eleanor. Not sure why they were living apart, may have been in the process of moving, however in 1851 Jane, Miriam and George (Henry”s Brother) had moved to 51 Gents Yard, Stockton. Henry, however, is not listed in 1851 (he was a merchant, so could have been out selling!), but turns up in 1861 where they had moved to 43 West Row, Stockton. Miriam is believed to have lived here too, but was visiting her sister Ellen in Redcar at the time of the census.
Christine: I don”t think I have seen the Deed of Covenant you refer to but I would be very interested to see the information you have please. My email address is with the Picture Stockton team.
Janice your husband and I are from the same Laverick family line, I am descended from John born 1852 William’s brother. Sarah Ethel Laverick was born 17 Apr 1899 at No 5 Carlisle St, Stockton-on-Tees. Jonathan Laverick (Ethel’s GGrandfather) was born 14 Sep 1801 in Stockton and in 1824 at his daughter Jane’s baptism was a Brick maker, Jonathan died in the summer of 1839 and at the time of his death was a widower, Eleanor Laverick (Nee Bell) his wife having died in September 1828. Eleanor,s mother helped bring up the children until her death in 1846. Up to this point in time I have made no family connection with Miriam Laverick and I have traced her family back to 1750 and my own to 1700 but the connection might be before this. Stan there is a Deed of covenant dated 16th Dec 1816 that if you have not seen might interest you I have some details if you are interested. Christine Buck
Christine, David and Stan – Re Miriam Laverick again – was she living in Marske in 1841? Aged 17, with a Jane Laverick aged 49 who was a shopkeeper, and a William Laverick aged 20 who was a hairdresser? Do you know who her father was?
Christine Buck, David Laverick and Stan Hilton – many apologies for this late response, I”ve only just seen your messages! The Laverick branch that my husband is descended from starts as far as I know, with Jonathan Laverick who I think may have been born around 1800 and possibly died before 1841. He was a Husbandman in 1828 living on Cherry Lane, married to Eleanor Bell. Their son Thomas Laverick was born around 1828 and I believe married Sarah Lyth. Thomas was an agricultural labourer. Siblings that I know about were: Jane b1824, Ann b1826. Their son William Laverick was born around 1863 and married Mary Jane Idle. William was a holder up in a shipyard. He had at least 7 brothers! John b1853, Jonathan b1856, Robert b1859, Thomas Fenwick b1860, Stephen b1866, Frank b1869, and Joseph b1874. Their daughter Sarah Ethel Laverick, born around 1899, was my husband”s grandmother. She died in 1984 and I met her only once. It seems that she had four sisters: Annie b1890, Jennie b1893, Margaret b1895 and Mary b unknown date. Does any of this mean anything to any of you? Fingers crossed! Janice
1947 Must have been the coldest on record I remember pushing my bike through the heaped snow along the High street from Vine street in the tracks that the bus made on the way to the gas house for two bags of cinders at 4 oclock on saturday mornings. We had to stand in the queue till 9 oclock when they started to sell, the supply soon ran out meaning the people at the back of the que didn”t get any cinders .This was a regular job as Mr Neil our coal man either hadn”t any coal or was unable to get his horse and cart round to deliver the coal. I remember one night we were burning any wood we could find to try and keep warm when a man knocked on the door and said there”s a small bag of coal round the corner of your house and he walked on down the street. I picked up the and seen it was coal. We lived in the end house in Vine street near Ashmore foundry gate I said to my wife I wonder if he had put it there ready to take it home when he finished work and found it to heavy to carry in the very bad conditions. It certainly was a year we will never forget .
David Laverick, Christine and Janice. I have come across another reference to Miriam Laverick. Amongst the listings of Business Directories in Stockton library under 1865 she is listed as a toy seller with a shop in the Town Hall and a residence at 43 West Row.
Stan – Many thanks for the information on Miss Laverick (this is the correct spelling), who established her business at Prince Regent Street. Your info has opened up a new avenue in reseaching my family tree. I am descended from Miriam Laverick (my Great Great Aunt), her nephew, Emanuel, as listed by Christine, was my Great Grandfather. Christine, if you are reading this, I believe we are related! I have the info on Miriam in the 1891 census – she was living at 2 Bright St, Stockton with Ellen Wilson (her sister), Ellen Frank Laverick (her niece), Albert E & Isaac E Wilson (her Grand Nephews, children from one of Ellen Wilson”s children, I assume).
In the winter of 1947 I was living in Mitre Street in Parkfield and I particularly remember it because with the snow piled up outside our front door there was a gas leak in the street. Whether it was the cold that caused the leak I don”t know but the Gas Board worked throughout the night to dig through the frozen cobbled road to repair it.
Yes Bob I remember that winter. Most mornings the snow had to be shoveled away from the front door before we could get out to school
Thanks, Stan, Bob & John for reminding me of the advert on the thermometer. Another point of interest is the Barber”s on the corner and the billboard advert for Harp lager, I”ve never seen that lager for a while now.
Re the Stephenson Ink Thermometer. It was so cold in 1947, the R.A.F station I was based, closed down sending us home on leave, (no heat, water ,toilets etc) I arrived at 11 pm to a deep frozen snow night in Stockton and on the way out noticed the large thermometer on the booking office wall was registering 22o 10 degrees of frost. Walking home was exhausting as only a narrow walk-way had been trampled on the pavement , the road looked like a ploughed field with iron-hard furrows. Anybody else remember that winter??
The giant thermometer was advertising Stephens” Inks which were used in fountain pens and ink wells. I think it was later moved to Preston Park Museum and is mounted on a wall in the Victorian street.
I believe the thermometer on the printers was associated with an ink manufacturer Possilby Stephensons
Mentioning “The Delicatessan” reminded me of an answer someone in my class at school gave in a chemistry test to the question ” What is deliquesence?”. Instead of saying it was something to do with absorbing water vapour from the atmosphere, (I think) our bright spark wrote “it is a coffee bar in Prince Regent Street”. He suffered great embarrassment when this howler was read out to the whole class. I don”t think the teacher concerned was amused as he hadn”t even heard of “The Deli”.
Martin – The thermometer advertised “Stephenson Ink” as did one in the fore-court of Stockton Station, on the the booking-office wall.
On the end of the printer”s opposite Robert”s, was a giant thermometer and it had some sort of advert on it. Also there was a cafe, I think it was called the Walk-in.
Moira Murphy, Dorothy Curry my enduring memory of the “deli” is of a long thin room with the coffee machine on the left as you went in. Moira as you remark seating was at a premium. Dorothy yes I agree with you it was indeed Newman”s.
Yes Band Land was on the floor where Appleby”s had their printing machines. I think I can remember five presses there during the 50″s when I worked there. At that time the whole building belonged to Appleby”s who employed twenty plus people – trades men and women along with office and shop staff. One half of the cellar housed the warehouse and the furnace for melting the used type metal and in the other half was a large old press which was still powered by a gas engine but was rarely used. On the ground floor was the press room and the bindery, while the first floor contained the composing room and hot-metal type casting area. Next to that was the shop and offices that were at the head of the stairs which the public accessed from Prince Regent Street (mentioned earlier on this page) and on the top floor was the stationery stock room.
I BELIEVE THE CAFE WAS CALLED NEWMANS DELICATECEAN IT SERVED LOVELY FOOD AND VERY NICE COFFEE. ONLY YARDS AWAY WAS ROBERTS FISH AND CHIPS, BEST IN STOCKTON THEN, ALWAYS QUEUES EVERY LUNCHTIME. NO KEBABS.CURRY.BURGERS.PIZZAS.JUST GOOD OLD BRITISH FISH AND CHIPS.
I think it was just called THE DELICATESSEN, I do remember it did really good toasted teacakes. Early 60s it was the place to meet on Saturday afternoons probally discussing among other things which single to buy at Leslie Browns for 6/8p.
I remember the “deli” well. In the 60″s it was always heaving on Saturday afternoons, a meeting place for many young people at the time. What was the actual name of of it?
Ged Hutchinson, the eric you mention from roberts will have been Eric Booth, i will mention you next time i see him
Does anyone remember the “deli” next door where the estate agents is now. The shop door was to the left and the cafe on the right but we called the cafe the “deli” too. A must on Saturday afternoons if you could find a seat.
The doors on the corner were the entrance to a hair dressers. The next two sections either side of the double doors on Prince regent Street was Band Land Music Store, Before this it was a printers, As Peter Webster the then Owner found to his cost when the printers ink of many years “oozed” I think is the word, up out of the wooden flooring into his very costly floor covering. Band Land moved from there to a new purpose built Store near the Newholme Prison behind Big”W”. If you want him to smile just ask him if the ink comes up in this Store .
Reading comments about Lavericks etc you mention Gents Yard does anyone know where this was?
Christine and Janice, I have re-checked my notes (which are actually researching Stockton”s first printers Christopher and Jennett) and you may well be right about a mis-spelling of Laverick or Laverack. The actual text I used looks like a reproduction copy so the error may have happened during the re-setting of the type. Significantly the important passage reads: “Dating back in its foundation upwards of thirty years, the business was originally established by a Miss Laverack, who was succeeded by her nephew, Mr. Wilson, in 1883.” This is most possibly Frank Laverick Wilson from the 1881 census.
Janice, My maiden name was Laverick and i am researching the family History, the following is an extract of the information that I have gathered to date however there is a big Laverick family name in Stockton and may not be a dirct relation 1851 census 2383 Pg 946 Gents Yard, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham. Jane Laverick age 59 Toy Merchants wife, daughter Miriam age 27, also living at the same address George Laverick brother age 58 Shoe Maker, and Elizabeth Stevenson age 14 House Servant born Durham. 1871 census Miriam Laverick is unmarried living at No 3 Mill Lane Stockton with her are Agnes Dwinborn visitor age 27 unmarried dressmaker from Huddesfield, John A Wilson nephew age 24 joiner south Stockton, Miriam Laverick niece age 24 sales woman Stockton, Robert Laverick nephew age 23 clerk Stockton, William Wilson nephew age 21 salesman Stockton, Eleanor Wilson niece age 20 saleswoman Stockton, Emanuel Laverick nephew age 17 Mariner Redcar, Henry L Wilson nephew age 16 plumber Redcar, Isaac Wilson nephew age 13 Redcar, Frank Wilson nephew age 10 Redcar, Mary A Shepherd servant age 19 . 1881 census Miriam is still living at No 3 Mill Lane she is 60 and her occupation is Fancy Repository Maker (Goods & Textile). Living with her are nephew Frank Laverick Wilson age 19 born Redcar, Shop man (gen). Isaac Edward Wilson nephew age 8 born Stockton. Have not been able to locate Miriam in the 1991 census.
I was very excited to read Stan”s information about the building, as one branch of my husband”s family, from Stockton, were the Lavericks! Since I can”t find a Miss Laverack in Stockton in the 1851, 61 or 71 censuses, I wonder if this was a misspelling and should have been Laverick? Wouldn”t that be just wonderful! Thanks Stan.
In the Stockton reference library there is a little book entitled “The Industries of Yorkshire-Stockton-on-Tees 1890” (somebody must have moved the boundaries again). In it there is a description of the building on the corner of Prince Regent and Dovecot Street and its use. The writer says that about thirty years earlier a company was established there by a Miss Laverack who sold fancy toys, General Merchandise, Paper and Paper Bags. This would coincide with the earliest date (1863) on the building. The ladies nephew succeeded her in 1883 before Messrs. Richardson and Collitt took the business over until 1889 when R. Richardson became the sole proprietor. Printer Edward Appleby (the commercial successor to the town”s first printers Christopher and Jennett) moved into the building during the 1920″s. I was apprenticed to Edward Appleby”s for six years during the 1950″s and like Janice always wondered about the origins of this distinctive building.
But what was the building originally used for when it was first built in the mid 1800″s (according to the dates above the doors)? Does anyone know?
To Ged Hutchinson, You may be able to contact Billy Roberts on the shop number 01642 607724 ( Shop hours of course) Good luck. If you have success e mail me on:- alanandhilary@ah4721.freeserve.co.uk
I certainly did enjoy reading your comment Alan. It is great to know that Billy was alive and kicking up to three years ago. I visit England so rarely that it is nice to know that there may be a chance to make myself known to Billy if I drop in to the fish shop I remember so well. I am planning a Stockton visit later this year and it will only be my third time in England since 1977. Hopefully Billy would remember the wonderful times in the Red Lion pub in Ramsgate. It is nice to know that the fish shop has remained in the Roberts` hands all these years as so many other things in Stockton appear to have changed beyond my recognition. Isn`t this a great site for reminiscing? Incidentally, I do remember the wonderful portions of fish and chips served at Roberts` fish shop. They are one of a host of happy memories of my earlier life in Stockton.
I met Billy Roberts during my membership of Holy Trinity youth club. He would be then around sixteen to my eighteen (1955). He was a handsome lad who had the girls eating out of his hand.If my memory serves me well he seemed to attract girls older than himself. He was always easy to get on with and thoroughly sociable. I now live in Redcar and get to Stockton rarely but if I”m passing the fish shop I look in to see if I can see him. On one occasion,about three years ago when he would be about sixty two, I went in and asked a lady of mature years if he was there and amazingly he was! I introduced myself but he struggled to remember me.What a blow! I felt about eighty for a while. Hope you enjoyed reading this Ged,do you member the huge though expensive portions?
The door to Roberts` wet fish shop can be seen to the left of Appleby the printers. The adjoining fried fish shop was just around the corner in Dovecot Street. I knew the son Billy Roberts in my early twenties. Does anybody know of his whereabouts today? I remember that his father insisted that he started at the bottom and he was given the responsibility of getting up very early in the morning to buy fresh fish at the local harbours. He was always accompanied by another local lad called Eric and they introduced me to Monkfish which was given away in those days because the housewives would not buy such an ugly fish. I understand that Monkfish is now one of the most expensive fish on the market. How times have changed. I can buy the fish here in Spain where it also costs an arm and a leg. I can thank Billy and Eric for the wonderful feasts they provided for the price of a pint of beer.
I can put you in touch with him… He’s my moms cousin.
It was a commercial printers. I think Robert is correct with the name Appleby. I remember it was handily placed for the purchase of stationery for school use as it was close to Holy Trinity School and on my route home. I would enter a door in the front and go up some quite steep stairs to the first floor. It is interesting to note that next door is Robert”s fish shop. Busy then ( the forties) and still is to this day. Though now it is wet fish only. Their fried fish and chips were the stuff of legend. Not only wonderfully cooked but huge portions!
I seem to remember this building being used as a commercial printers? Can anyone confirm this. The name Appleby”s springs to mind?
I have always wondered what this building used to be. Does anyone know?