A general view of The Square, Stockton and surrounding area from Stockton Parish Church tower (1710-12, chancel rebuilt 1906). Municipal buildings (built 1959-61). G. Flemings, Auto Engineers, Church Road, Murray and Charleton, Car and Commercial Vehicle Distributors, Sales and Service. Quayside Mission Mens Home(previously 15, The Square (1906-1973), Remploy,(centre right, 1948-68) buildings originally Ropners Shipyard drawing offices and model workshops – closed 1928. Bishop Street Housing Department Stockton (bottom right) now site of Police Station. Stockton Central Library is now on grassed area this side of Municipal buildings c1960s.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Hard to believe looking at this shot that the Remploy building, formerly Ropner offices on Hunters Lane and the wasteland behind it, former Ropner shipyard, was where the King and Queen, army and navy brass hats, the local great and good, and at least one government minister first headed when they arrived at Stockton by tug in 1917. Pity the Ropner building could not have been saved, some say it was falling into the river.
This 1960’s photo shows the remains of Hunters Lane running down the left side of the old Ropner/Remploy building, behind the newish garage (top centre) with its row of small black windows. Hunters Lane divides the Ropner/Remploy building from the Co-op dairy premises and the whitish three apex roofed warehouse (also Co-op owned?). The latter is built on the site of the Gardeners Arms at 5 Hunters Lane, Brewery Square, and the Sportsmans Arms at 7 Hunters Lane. The new Co-op Dairy at Church Road in its construction from c.1951 was built over James Street, Garden Place and at a minimum the east side of Smithfield.
The building you refer to as a large house was Harkers Engineering & is now N.R.G Industries a Scottish firm. The Marks slaughterhouse was in a side street called Laing Street which was between the Norton Road Congregational Church & the Northern Gas showrooms. The North Terrace Wesleyan Church was on the corner of Hume Street.
The concrete railway bridge over Church road is on the top left of the picture and Fred Kidd and Sons factory can also be seen. It looks like a large house. This was on the south side of Church road on the far side of the bridge. All the chimneys in the Malleable which would have belonged to the openhearth steel making plants have disappeared.
A rather belated response to Dan Hoey’s 2007 question about a municipal theatre in Stockton. The only venue that could apply would be The Forum in Billingham, as this was owned by the Council and it fell within the borough of Stockton on Tees.
Judging by the number of cars, I think this picture was taken in the mid-sixties. The day was exceptionally clear. The towers of the Newport Bridge can be seen in the distance behind the Malleable. The remains of the North Shore Staiths can be discerned on the crown of the bend and over on the other side of the river the line of “hills” is actually an old slag tip.
Dan Hoey, Was Brian Hoey of Norton a relation of yours? If so he worked with me at Doggarts shop in Stockton in 1943. Pretty tough times!
I can”t figure out where the best place to ask this is, but possibly the municipal buildings are related. There is a reference in Michael Frayn”s 1982 play to a “Municipal Theatre” in Stockton-on-Tees. i have found historical references to the other two theatres he mentions (Grand Theatre in Weston-super-Mare and Theatre Royal in Ashton-under-Lyme) as they existed in the early 20th century. Does anyone have knowledge of a Municipal Theatre that may have existed in Stockton-on-Tees, or suggestions for other sources? Thanks for any assistance.
I remember a stockyard – “The Cattlemarket” at the rear of the parish church when I was a boy in the fifties. It would have been in this area. Cattle were auctioned there and many were then taken to the slaughterhouse in a side street just off Norton Road, near the Wesleyan chapel.