A view of Nos. 123 and 125 Newport Road, Middlesbrough, The Palmerston and County Hotels respectively, shortly before their demolition. c1967The Palmerston Hotel, No. 123 Newport Road, Middlesbrough, included in a view of part of Newport Road shortly before demolition. c1967A car included in a view of Nos. 121-129 Newport Road, Middlesbrough. c1967The County Hotel No. 125 Newport Road, Middlesbrough included in a view of part of Newport Road shortly before demolition. c1967 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Wanted old streets on and off Newport Road from 1930s to 50s. I’m doing a memory book for my husband who has Alzheimers and Vascula Dementia.
George Hearse eventually owned 17 pubs in Middlesbrough, and 6 farms. He died in the Palmerstm in 1909, and is buried in Linthorpe cemetery.
The large ‘County Hotel’ with it’s massive glass-windows, stood almost opposite the North Riding Infirmary. The hospital was built in the 1850’s long before the age of manadatory ‘Health and Safety’ practices, in order to offer immediate medical care to men who suffered sometimes terrible injuries whilst working in the heavy-industries around the town and it later became an ‘Ear, Nose and Throat’ specialist hospital. ‘The Infirmary’ was where I had my tonsils removed in the early 1950’s. It is now the site of an Aldi supermarket and car-park, though the hospital’s large architectural-stone entrance portico has been re-erected as a ‘feature of memory’, to the roadside nearby.
The way this photo is presented is a little confusing. In this view, the street numbers for Newport Road would actually be running from high to low, from left to right. I think we’re looking at no. 119 (far right) to no. 129 (or thereabouts). behind the bus-stop, the clearly-signed County Hotel is, therefore, nos. 125-7, ending at the corner – then there’s Lord Street, which the car is just passing – and then there’s the Palmerston Hotel, at no. 123. The relevant section of a Middlesbrough Directory of c.1960 lists the following, for Newport Road, (starting here, at the far right edge of the block on the right of the photo):
no. 119 Tees-side Upholstery Stores
no. 121 ‘Zip’ Cleaners (A.L. Solomon)
no. 123 Palmerston Hotel (lic. J. Dixon)
Lord Street
no. 125-7 County Hotel (lic. G. Marshall)
no. 129 John Smith’s Off Licence (E.Tutill)
Eaton & Co. – Gent’s Outfitter’s
Ian Craig – Optician
Rediffusion (North Eastern) Ltd. – TV & Radio Engineers …
So, is the Off-Licence the door at the far left of the County building itself? – or the next, separate, door? The building cut off at the left edge of the photo must therefore have been, (in 1960), either Eaton’s or Craig’s – but the sign suggests it was something different again, by the time of this 1967 photo – ‘(con?)fectioner’s’.
Strange – I used to live at 126 Newport Road in 1967 until we emigrated in September. Somewhere I have an old cine film of those building being knocked down. The building I was in had a vet attached, Starky Wilkinson and Gale if I recall correctly.
I was 6 when I left so can’t clearly identify the buildings shown.
Hi, Do you remember the IXL Bakery?
I have been researching my family history and I note one of your other contributors (Stewart Simpson) has the same Great, Great Grandfather as me – There can’t have been two George Hearse’s living at the Palmerston Hotel in the late 1800’s. I would be interested to know which line he descended down, we are obviously related. I descended from John, but there were 6 kids in the family then. (Happy to exchange e-mail addresses if we can).
Hi Barry… another distant cousin to yourself and Stewart! I am descended from Johns sister, Florence and I would love to exchange email adresseses if possible
My great geat grandfather, George Hearse built and lived in the Palmerston Hotel from around 1871 up to 1891 he is shown as living there in 1871/81/91 Census. Nice to see picture of the place
I have my Grandparent”s marriage certificate of June 26th 1907. They were George Wells and Annie Stamp, and she lived at the Palmerstone Hotel, Newport Road, Middlesbrough. Her father was Ralph Stamp who was the Innkeeper.
The Stamp family were professional ‘landlords’, the members of which family owned or operated many pubs or licensed premises throughout Stockton, Middlesbrough and South Bank from the early 20thC.