A general view of Nos.48-75, High Street, Stockton, including No.64, Black Lion Hotel, No.65, Woodworkers, Do-it-Yourself shop, No.66, 67, Teesside Army Stores, No.68, William the Fourth, No.69, Greenwood, menswear, No.70, Maynards, sweet shop, No.71, Clydesdale, television, radio, furniture, No.72, Unicorn Hotel, No.73-74, Doggarts Ltd, drapers and No.75, Hendersons jeweller. All demolished 1970. c 1968.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
My mum worked in Doggarts when I was little her name then was Maureen Fryer though I don’t know which dept and as she died in 2007 I can’t ask her. I remember her once buying me bottle green tights one winter for school and they came in a grey box with a load of red/blue/yellow balloons on it which I kept things in it in my wardrobe.
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I went to Sheffield about 30 years ago. They were rebuilding the old town. The old buildings had scaffolding around them and they demolished the rear parts preserving the fronts and rebuilding them in the modern way. What sensible people they had on their Councils.
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GED
The Royal — William IV — Black Lion — Vane Arms — Unicorn — is the Grey Horse still standing?
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No
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The site of the Grey Horse can be seen here, with Pearl Assurance House having been built on it and looks to be recently completed (1968)
https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/the-odeon-stockton-high-street-c1968/
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Worked in Darlington store until I joined the Army in 1963. HAPPY DAYS
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Nice to hear from you Harry and bring back memories of Colin’s and Marion’s wedding nearly sixty years ago. I was Colin’s best man and he was mine later on in 1955 when Beryl and I got married. Although I don’t live far away from them I only see them occasionally. Anon is correct about the Bowes family and Cliff is also a good bowls player and has donated a trophy to be played for at Thornaby indoor bowls club.
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Colin Richard’s wife was Marion Bowes from Frederick Street, round the Gas House. The Bowes family were very nice people, one of her brothers was Cliff (Cappy) Bowes who was a top darts player & owned a very successful window cleaning business, their grandparents lived in the next street, Byron.
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Ken Rhodes, I think the last time Joan & I saw you was at Marion & Col Richards wedding in the early 50s. We have been back to Stockton many times and with every visit it seems the town gets more drab. But I remember only the good times we had as kids and teenagers. We went dancing mostly to The Palais De Dance in Brunswick Street and occasionally to other places such as the Billingham Co-op hall.
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I agree with Ray,I played darts for the Black Lion in the High Street, Saturday and Wednesday. It was full of characters from all over.
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Or could it be Eric Barnes?
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The guy Ray is talking about was probably William Ramshaw Wright, a local character from Norton who used to frequent most of the Stockton public houses.
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I used to go in the Black Lion. Some characters got in there. I remember one bloke who always stood at end of the bar, he was a proper Arthur Daley with his black trilby, pencil moustache and kipper tie. That stretch of Stockton was great and was the best part of the High Street.
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Clydesdales TV, Electrical and furniture Store – 71, High Street. I worked for them for a few years, 1958-60 erecting TV Aerials, and later TV repairs from their work shop in Thornaby.
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Doggarts was a wonderful store. As a child I thought it a very posh and exciting place to visit. My dad Jim Hatfield worked for a while in the gentleman”s suit dept. It was bespoke suits in those days so the dept was always filled with huge rolls of cloth. Doggarts always seemed to have a calm and polite atmosphere to it. – much better than Robinsons. It was quite magical at Christmas. Father Christmas visited once a year – I know “cos I saw him there! He definately bought my presents from Doggarts for sure!
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I had a Saturday job in Doggarts Department Store in 1960, in the run up to Christmas I was put on the toy department which was in the basement. All the toys, games, etc had to be wrapped in brown paper with the name Doggarts written on – one of the first things to learn was how to tie parcels using the large roll of paper which fed off a roller and string from a holder. They had to be tied in a particular way or woe betide you. I can still tie a good parcel now! We also used an “air vent” system – putting the cash into a brass holder and shooting it up a tube to the office on the top floor, then waiting for the receipt and the change to come back. One day I was sent to the shop window to fetch the last doll”s pram from the display, which unfortunately, was right at the front of the window. Threading my way back through the hat display, holding this dolls pram over my head, I managed to knock most of the hats off their stands. I gathered them up and put them back on the stands, not realising that the prices were displayed at the base of the stands, so consequently customers were complaining that the price shown in the window was not the same as the actual hat when they came to try them on. The hat department was always beautifully dressed, as were the gloves and scarves and accessories, all laid out in glass drawers, no self service then, although I must admit with the amount of customers in stores now, I”d get fed up waiting to be served, it is bad enough waiting in till point queues with only one assistant on!
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Yes the Town did have great character in those days, it is a great shot of Doggart”s shop. I cleaned the Mens Wear windows many times as well as serving of the Mens Wear Department and Ready mades when required, (suits etc)with George Dixon who ran that department. Mrs Weber was first sales on Mercery she was my boss, and her home was Plymouth which got plastered in the war.
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I was born in the William 1Vth on the High Street in 1948 and remained there along with my two older sisters, Mary and Margaret and older brother Paul until 1952 or 3, Jack and Mary Conroy being our parents, it brought a tear to my eye to see a picture of that beautiful old facade, I now live down south but remember vividly when I was growing up and how when I used to pass it feelings puffed up with pride knowing that it had been our home and my birthplace. I would appreciate it if anyone else had any more information on Jack and Mary or any old photos of the pubs interior.
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My Great Grandfather John Heaviside Hurst was born in Wm 4th yard too.
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You are correct we were mainly a tool shop, but in those days you sold all sorts of goods, and model areoplane kits Keilcraft was one of the makers, we even had a model club upstairs where people came and made areoplanes up, we even sold little diesel engines which were very new in them days, I was only a small boy myself, we even sold second hand toys, as new toys were very dificult to get hold of. if you want to know any more please ask. Terry Dicken.
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I remember your shop in Stockton High Street, Terry with Aeroplanes all over the shop window. I believe if, my memory serves me right, that my dad bought me model kits of planes and glued them together with me holding the glue. Am I right with my memories or was it the Woodworkers?
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I am Terry Dicken, Mr Arthur Mcgurk used to work for my grandma and father, the name of the company was A. Dicken & son the A was for Alice the son was my Father Harry. The Woodworkers was the other way towards the Vane Arms, next door to us was Maynards the sweet shop then Clydesdales the electric shop , then the Unicorn pub. By the way we were in that shop way back in the 30s, and then moved to Thornaby in 1951. I hope this clarifies things. Terry Dicken.
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I used to live in THE WILLIAM IVTH HOTEL in Stockton High St 1946 -1949. The pub was managed by Jack and Mary Conroy, Mary being my sister. It was a Bass House . No ladies were served at all. It was a very very busy pub .On Sunday lunch time opening, forty or fifty pints would be pulled ready for the doors opening. There was a smoke room at the back which had it”s own clientle and their own seats. Between the Bar and the Smoke Room there was a gantry holding a Firkin or two of Barley wine, strong stuff. For a time beer was rationed and we”d maybe sell one barrel per night. As soon as the cloth went over the pumps that would signify the end of the sale of beer for that night. There was then a mass exodus from the William ivth to which ever pub still had beer, maybe the Unicorn or the Royal Hotel. In spite of this the premises had to stay open for the full licencing hours selling minerals and cigarettes etc. THe pub had a very ornate facade and was four storeys high. In the adjacent passage Dickens Woodworkers was just starting up, I remember Arthur McGurk working there. It is a shame that the lovely old buildings were demolished, the fronts could have been kept and business would have gone on just the same.
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To Ken Rhodes – regarding your search for the song “Once in a while” by the Dinning Sisters – if you get in touch with me via the Picture Stockton Team, who will hopefuly give you my e-mail address, I might be able to help you out with this one. Maureen.
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No, Ken I don”t have a copy of “Once in a While” but I do remember it, I think by the time Jack threw it out it the vinyl was grey rather than black. He was a great brother-in-Law and he taught me an appreciation of big band music that I still enjoy. I”ve seen Vivienne now and again when I”ve been back in Stockton, sadly generally for funerals. Like all of us she”s changed in appearance but still the same bubbly personality. Noticed a recent picture of an old advert for “Everyone”, do you remember one on the gable end in Suffolk Street, was it “R A Watson”s Good Hats” it”s driving me crazy trying to remember.
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Hello again Margaret McCullough,nice to see you in print again.Your tales bring back happy memories of my many hours spent at the Maison dancing my life away and the once or twice I walked you and you friend Viv Wales home and getting a nice welcome from your mam and a bit of ribbing from Kath and Jack.One of my favourite records at that time was,Once in a while, sung by the Dinning Sisters which you used to play quite often at home.I”ve tried for years to get hold of a copy but no luck,I dont suppose you”ve still got it?
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Picking up the Tab – I have got a very enquiring son with a creative mind, who misses nothing, when much younger he used to say to me things like, Dad if that building was three feet to the right it would look much better from where I am standing, ok son who is going to pay for it to be moved, but at the same time it looked alright to me standing three feet to his right! It just happened to be St Paul’s, London. Without progress and creating History we would be living in a town the size of Central London. Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire, has a lot of history but is not history, because it is still there. If something is coming down then there is a reason for it, photograph/video it, document it then watch it coming down, the excitement is there, history being created in front of your very eyes. The co op building in Wellington Street had a lot of history behind it but it was Quick Save when it came down. Last week I went in to town to watch part of Dovecote Street being razed to the ground, thinking, well I remember when so and so etc, etc, that’s what it is all about. My views on our town over my lifetime are well known to those that know me, very strong and verbal views, my views, so strong not even Picture Stockton will print them, (mind you if I ran a site like this I wouldn’t either) but they belong to me and I might be the only one with them but they are mine and they all belong in history. Roy.
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Mention of the Vane Arms Hotel brought back memories of my wedding day in September 1960 and Reception at the Vane Arms. We enjoyed a great three course meal with drinks; – I wonder what such a feast would cost these days, in 1960 it cost £44.19.2d for 52 guests. My brother Kevin McCullough who writes to Picture Stockton from California was about thirteen at the time and I can hear him now being totally amazed eating baked alaska , – he couldn”t understand how the ice cream hadn”t melted. Talking of ice cream does anyone have a picture of Pacitto”s, the original shop on Yarm Road/Lane?. It was favourite haunt of mine in the nineteen fifties, in fact my mother often asked if I wanted mny bed sending there. I went to St Cuthbert”s School with Raymond Pacitto leaving there for Newlands Convent in Middlesbrough, can”t remember where he went. Lydia, Landi, Benny, his wife Nancy and Mama Pacitto all worked in the cafe at one time and another and were a great bunch of folks. I was still at school in the Sixth Form when I was first allowed to go to the Maison on a Saturday night, often borrowing my sister Kathleen (Mannings) clothes and getting a row for it later when she found out. Jack Marwood led the band and the guys would let us leave our handbags with them rather than pay to leave them in the cloakroom. One night I was asked to have a drink in the Metrolpole, – the height of sophistication, – and my mother would have kiled me had she known. I hadn”t a clue what to ask for to drink but I”d heard someone mention barley wine so that was my choice. It tasted awful and my date was not very pleased when I left most of it. About a quater of an hour before the “dance” finished at eleven “o clock there was always a sudden influx of males who”d spent most of the night in Jocker Brown”s, – I think it was an all male pub. All innocent fun, I never saw a quarrel or a fight and if no one asked to walk you home it was OK because it was quite safe to walk home to Oxbridge. Another place of happy memories was the Hippodrome and the weekly rep where the Hanson Players put on a different production every week. I went with my Uncle Don and cousins Catherine and Christine, always on a Monday night and it cost us a shilling each. I left Stockton the week after I was married for London, then Birmingham and have been on Tyneside for many years but there”s no place like your birthplace.
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Unfortunately with Stockton many of these fine buildings are just that “history”, Stockton still hasn”t learnt anything from these mistakes, Wellington Square being the most recent example! The Baptist Tabernacle, Registry Office and Co-op Buildings all being confined to history as well.
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this brings back happy memories for me – i used to love doggarts and blacketts. My mate used to work in wilkinsons on the wig counter and we used to go there on a saturday to try the wigs on – i can vaguely remember the vane arms but i do remember the chocolate shop with the peanuts in a jar which were warm if i remember rightly and all the things you needed for your wedding cake. my gran used to work in atkinsons the jewellers near doggarts – happy days
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I was wondering if anyone can remember the old horse cab rank outside the Vane Arms Hotel were the cabbies sat while there cabs were lined up ready for customers? These same cabs were used for funerals for the family and the rest of the people walked behind to the cemetry. Also can anyone remember the hirerings consisting of roundabouts swings and coconut stalls etc, between the cab stand and the Empire which happened a few times during the year. I remember my auntie taking me there I was given 2 cards at school worth 1 penny each which could get me an icecream or a couple of rides on the round abouts or go to the duck and peas stall, near the market cross were they were cooked. In those days I was only 7 or 8 years old then but it was a great treat or I could get a quater of boiled sweets for a penny from Pinkneys stall outside the cinema just near were the farmers came to hire the servants to work on the farms.
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I agreed with Ged with this photo. But what a great frontage of shops and pubs. sadly all now gone, but we Stocktonians have a history we will be still proud of, that other towns would be envy of and we should be proud of that.
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Doggarts was always “second fiddle” to M Robinson Emporium, with Coats and Sidgewicks third. With Christmas near, a must was M Robinsons Santa Grotto in the basement. Doggarts had a “Santa” but never as popular. Along that row of shops , next to the Vane-Arms , was “Lasers” chocolate and sweet shop which at this time was bulging with hand-made hollow chocolate Santa”s .dolls , cars ,trains and sledges, while the windows gleamed with selection-boxes of all sizes and colours. Remember the ” Smokers Outfit ” of chocolate cigars, matches, pipe tobacco and pipes all in a presentation box ??
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I can think of a thousand towns throughout England that would have given their right arm to have had a row of buildings like this in their main thoroughfare. It`s a pity that the younger generation have not had the pleasure of seeing Stockton High Street in all its former glory as well as their loss of four smashing pubs.
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