No.11, Finkle Street, included in a view of the banana warehouse on the corner of Castlegate and Quayside, Stockton.c1967A view of the banana warehouse on the corner of Castlegate and Quayside, looking towards Finkle Street. Demolished 1968. c1967An electric street lamp on the Quayside outside the banana warehouse on the corner of Castlegate and Quayside.c1967Two hoists on the front of the banana warehouse on the corner of Castlegate and Quayside, Stockton, included in a view of the Quayside frontage of the building.c1967 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
What a beautiful building. Shame it couldn’t have been developed into loft apartments, artists studios, coffee shops and design workshops, all on the waterfront. It could have have been an income generating asset that any town would have been proud of.
J. Wolsey and Son Ltd had their shop and fruit and veg distribution warehouse next to the Sun Inn in Knowles Street, although the small shop was actually in the High Street as photos on Picture Stockton indicate. Pre-war they had storage facilities near Henzell Street, and operated in the Shambles many decades ago according to census records.
Yes this was definitely a banana ripening warehouse. It was once Mellors flour and grain mill pre-war. I worked round the corner in Broughham Street, we also had a place opposite the warehouse and if a string of box trucks were on the rails alongside unloading bananas I could not get the crane along, it was very narrow at that point.
They supplied all the Green grocers in the area with bananas although during the war they were almost none existent, my sister was a poor eater and we got some bananas for her on a Doctors note so there were still some coming in.
My biggest surprise was going to Africa and finding ripe bananas were actually green and not the yellow we were used to.
I have part of an old wooden box which has J.Wolsey & Son Ltd. Banana Distributors, Stockton-On-Tees,written on it. Does anyone know if this relates to this building? I know Stockton was once a thriving port and would have received goods from all over the world but it surprises me they had such a large warehouse devoted to a tropical fruit.
Martin You Tube as a computerised video of the railway sideings what Frank is talking about “QUAYSIDE line, Stockton on Tees” there is a few of them about stockton hope you enjoy them. Leave a reply if you succeed in seeing them.