The Swallow Hotel, High Street, Stockton, included in a general view of the Castlegate Centre, High Street, Stockton. The Swallow Hotel site was previously occupied by town houses 1841-1904, the Castle Theatre (renamed Empire Theatre, then Empire Cinema) 1908-1961, and demolished in 1968, the Swallow Hotel opened 1973. 1984.Traffic lights at a pelican crossing, included in a general view of the Castlegate centre, High Street, Stockton. 1984.An electric lamp, included in a general view of the Castlegate Centre, High Street, Stockton. 1984.A general view of the Castlegate Centre, High Street, Stockton looking south, including the Swallow Hotel. The shopping centre opened in 1972 and replaced Nos.48-81, High Street which were demolished in 1968. The building was designed by J.G.L. Poulson and Partners. 1984 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
I beg to differ with the first comment of when the empire was pulled down as I worked at Timothy Whites in 1971 and the workmen came in from there for huge (12 lb tins ) of Warfarin rat poison to kill the vermin that was engulfing the place. They said there was never a scrap or a rats body left the mornings after.
F. Starr’s comment about Stockton being a bigger version of Yarm had it been left alone is an interesting thought about what might have been. However other developments such as the A19 and A66 by passes made access to Middlesbrough that much easier, to Stockton’s detriment. The other issue with Castlegate is that it dominates Stockton, compare this to the likes of Manchester’s Arndale Centre, built on the site of wartime damage, but neither Piccadilly or Deansgate have lost their character as a result. To be fair perhaps there is little left to re-develop in Stockton.
George Clement is right – T Dan Smith was not involved with Poulson in the Castlegate affair. Dan Smith was responsible was tearing down half of John Dobson’s Eldon Square (from 1824) in Newcastle in order to build a shopping Mall. It was outrageous that in that era so many classic Victorian buildings were demolished and replaced by shoddy cheap ‘shoe boxes’. I think of the Lit and Phil and the Victoria Building in Stockton let alone the lower east side of the High Street. Perhaps it is less likely to happen now but we should be on our guard.
My recollection is that the Evening Gazette gave absolutely no publicity or support to the John Poulson machine, unlike some other newspapers of the time. Its hands seemed to be clean. One has to remember at the time when Poulson was at his height, it was the fashion to tear down anything that that was Edwardian and Victorian. For example, it was said that Middlesbrough Town Hall was the ugliest in the country. I don’t think anyone thinks that now, and I did not really believe it when I went there on various CND rallies in the sixties. And the arts teacher, at Stockton Grammar, thought that Stockton High Street had already lost much of its identity since the Second World War. I guess when he first saw it, it would have looked like a bigger version of Yarm. What really killed Stockton was the construction of one of the first hypermarkets on the town rubbish dump outside of Portrack.
According to the wikipedia site, John Poulson never actually qualified as an architect. He started to study but didn’t take any exams. Back in those days they didn’t check as thoroughly as they do today. He did establish one of the largest building design companies in Europe but it all went pear shaped for him due to his corrupt behaviour. Poulson was also friendly with T Dan Smith from Newcastle and he also was convicted of corruption although Smith had no connection with the design of Castlegate in Stockton.
Thank you for that information Picture Stockton Team. I also hope the Architect was pulled over the coals by his peers for designing such an ugly building.
In June 1973 John Poulson, designer of the Castlegate Centre, was arrested and charged with corruption in connection with the award of building contracts. Following a trial at Leeds Crown Court which was widely reported in the press, he was convicted on 11 February 1974 of fraud and jailed for five years (later increased to seven years). For his part, Poulson always denied the charges.
Is it true that many of the people in the management of the Castlegate Centre eventually finished up in jail for fraud due to the mis-managegment of the financial asppects of the project? I would dearly love to know what the outcome of the investigation into the Castlegate Centre was.
It would be interesting to read the press or council report of the acceptance of this building which has graced the High Street in Stockon-on-Tees for the last 40 years. The building is, no doubt, described in glowing terms.
apply under the freedom of information act, you might be able to read it
There is no longer a Blacketts store but the building is still standing.
I remember Blacketts from when I lived in Stockton. Unfortunately it’s long gone, along with stores like Doggets, Hardy and co, all in the name of progress for the new shopping centre..
Blacketts building is still there Maureen, although you have to look up to see it as you would remember it. The ground floor is now building societies, travel agents, etc.If you worked there in the mid 60s that is when I was buying material for my bridesmaids dresses from the wonderful range of fabrics which they stocked. I actually still have the receipts – ‘Blacketts – we want you to come again’. The receipts have a picture on the reverse of the four stores in the group, Sunderland, Barnard Castle, West Hartlepool and Stockton, and the material cost £3.19s.4d for 8 yards of satin at 9s.11d a yard. The small bridesmaids dress fabric was £1.3s.8d for 2 yards of cotton and 2 yards of taffeta. I loved the fabric department there, do I remember rightly and was it at the back of the ground floor, near an ornate ironwork lift, or am I confusing it with Coates and Sedgewicks store, next to Marks and Spencers, which was where Littlewoods used to be. That was a good haberdashery store, they are few and far between now.
If its going to be demolished, why not do what they did in Germany and recreate the old frontage with the aid of photographs? It doesn’t matter about the insides as long as the outside looks authentic.
Can anybody remember Blacketts dept. store? I worked there for a short while in the mid 60’s after we returned from Australia. My job was demonstrating the Brother sewing machine,there was a definite ‘pecking order’ among the staff and eyebrows were raised when I was invited to have lunch in the ‘executive dining room’! Talk about Grace Brothers, it was quite an education working there. Is the store still standing or has it been demolished as well?
And don’t forget the other shoe box that they built after demolishing the Victoria buildings.
I completely agree with the earlier comments, it is indeed one of the ugliest buildings and you don’t need to demolish fine old buildings for new ones. Stockton centre went downhill from the day the Castlegate Centre opened. Numbers 48-81, High Street were fine old buildings. I think the fact that Mr John Poulson was involved says a lot about the development of the Castlegate Centre!
I totally agree that this is a complete monstrosity. Unfortunately the same thing is happening up and down the country when old historical town centres are being blighted by such concrete monstrosities. I heard a rumour that this shopping centre is going to be demolished and replaced. If so what with?
Stockton lost its soul when this thing went up. Whatever were they thinking of, destroying the old frontage? Visiting Hamburg, the Rathaus and everything around it for miles is new build after we flattened the city, but you’d never guess by looking at it. You don’t need to remove a fine historical frontage just to put in new buildings.
This has to be one of the ugliest buildings, and it’s getting worse…