In about 1920 the Belasis Garden City was constructed to house shipyard workers who worked for the Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd. The whole area was demolished in the early 1960s/early 70s, due primarily to the effects of industrial pollution.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
I was born in 30 Bellasis Ave in 1940. My parents were George Crawford my mam was Frances Crawford (Fan) nee Ashley. I went to Haverton School & I remember the winter of 1947 when the snow came over the top of my Wellies on the way to school. In about 1952 we all went on a trip to Beadnall Bay in Northumberland with our teachers, sleeping in ex army bell tents. I loved it.
Terry moody, we lived in no 1 St Vincent Street, (the one on the right of the photo) moved to Drake St, then over the bridge to Lomond Ave in Billingham. Any one remember our family?
Was Maureen Barber. I remember you. We went to school together. I lived at 25 Hawke Street then married in 1970 and moved to Keighley West Yorkshire.. Often wonder what happened to everyone.
The road leading up to the right there is St Vincents Street – I was born in No.9 in 1964 and we moved out in 1974 by which time some houses had already been demolished. Dad told me that the ceilings in those houses were made of reinforced concrete with bars of iron going through them.
Mam and dad’s bedroom was massive – in the winter we had our swing sets in there and we could still swing on them.
Just behind and to the left of the photographer were the shops. I can’t remember the name of them, but one of the shopkeepers owned an estate car and a Great Dane called King.
I was born at 11 St Vincent Street in 1960, your brother Robert was a good friend of mine in the early 60s. Distant memories now, moved to Billingham around 1967/68.
Did you know anyone called Rose Ivy Elliott? She did marry my grandad James Courtney then a Wetherill. I was born in 1965 in my mum and dads house 48 Howards Crescent
I can remember Belasis Garden City when I was a child.
My family were born in Sweethills, Pearl Street and Victoria Street, and later moved up the hill to no.12 Howard Crescent. We used to go down the ‘bendy path’ from up the hill, and go through Belasis Garden City on our way to school which was Haverton Hill infants and junior school. The headmaster was Mr Taylor this was from 1962 up until 1966. Afterwards we moved to Jarrow, Tyne and Wear where my dad worked on the River Tyne.
As far as I know my dad worked for the ICI, Johnnie May, he was Scottish. My mam Mary May (nee Rayner), also worked for the ICI as a young woman before having any children. My mams mother was Florence Selina Harbron, I think she was from West Hartlepool and my mams dad was Thomas Henry Rayner. As far as I know they lived in Cargo Fleet Road, Middlesborough for a short time before they moved to Sweethills.
I can also remember going down the hill from Howard Crescent down the bendy path to the village shop which was called Snowdons. The owner of the shop, Mr Snowdon, used to deliver the groceries in his Morris Minor Traveller. Could have been that my mam was one of his best customers, as there were 9 of us in total including mam, dad and us 7 kids.
We went to Belasis Garden City to to borrow a pram from one my mams friends when I broke my leg when I was 7 years old. I think my mams friend was called Hilda Burdiss. My dad had a black Hillman Imp at that time and my older sister Sandra came with my mam and dad and myself in the car with the idea that Sandra would have to push me back home in the pram up the hill to Howard Crescent. It brings back fond memories mainly because my sister Sandra was a good runner in those days and she got it into her head to try and beat my dads car – I’m surprised I didn’t end up with another broken leg. It would be great to hear from anyone who may be able to remember my family or any of these events. I think our family would have been well known owing to the fact that we had such a big family. My brother John used to work on the ice-cream van that came round up the hill. One of the games we played out in the street was battleships and cruisers.
My mam used to work in a garage, (these days called Pachinko’s – not sure if I’ve spelled it correctly). My eldest sister Christine, also known as Mavis, used to help mam at the garage.
Happy days, I and the other lads would walk down to Havo as we called it from Billingham and chase after the lasses, would like to meet up again with Christine, she was good fun.
I remember taking Christine to work one morning on the back of my motorbike, she was always running late walking to the garage. I was living in Collingwood Road at the time. I would love to get in contact with her again, can anybody help?