Extracts from Council Minutes – Church Row Sub Commitee 1934-1935. ’Commencement of work on Church Row. Work was commenced on Monday the 10th instance and proceeding at present in the Churchyard. The footpath is being moved and material excavated to the New Road level. Any remains met with will be removed to Durham Cemetery with proper care and reverence. The arrangements are to be made for the work being commenced upon the Potrack side of the Road on the land known as Robsons Land as soon as possible, notice being given to any tenant of any part thereof terminating the tenancy. The shrubs in the cattle market are being moved preparatory to commence work there in the New Year. Arrangements are also being made to commence work at the other end of The Scheme early in the New Year so that proper entry can be made to the Railway Land. There were 8 tenders submitted for approx 2000 tons of cement. The tender from Industrial Chemicals Industry Ltd of Billingham to supply 2000 tons of Rapid Hardening Portland Cement for the sum of £4387 10s 0d being at the rate of £2 5s 0d per ton less 2% discount. Subject to a contract being entered into in terms to the satisfaction of the council. The number of men employed at present apart form the Foreman and Timekeeper is 17. It is proposed to treat the labour on the Church Row Scheme as nearly as possible the same as the Unemployment Relief Schemes carried out in the past. Whenever possible men will be changed every eight weeks and apart from Christmas Day and Sundays they will be given the opportunity of working at ordinary rates (by ballot) on all other holidays.’
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This comment concerns the third photo down, which shows a road roller and the widened road stretching towards the churches and Robinsons department store in the background. I agree with other commentators that the terraced block on the top right of this photo is Beech Street, and I think it is the west side. This block was five houses of even numbers from 24 at the Paradise Row(Church Road) end to 16 Beech Street at the entrance to Bay Street, which is just visible on the extreme right of the photo, followed by 14 Beech Street in partial view. The houses of Bay Street were all on the south side from 1 near the entrance to Beech Street to 12 near Cedar Street and the church(later a warehouse). I do not know of any good photos of Bay Street. The gap between 110 Church Road(as on 1:1250 O.S. map of 1951, 110 seen in side view above) and 24 Beech Street provides a marker for the west side of Beech Street on most detailed maps. Terraced houses on the east side of Beech Street and Maritime Street formed a solid block, and ones at the Paradise Row/Paradise Street end had to be demolished as they created a long standing constriction and kink in the increasingly important road system here. This photo shows the removal of the Paradise Row/Paradise Street constriction and widening of the road to and from Portrack. The untouched industrial building top left was on the corner with Maritime Street.
I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at these photographs. Thank goodness people have taken pictures of our town for more than a century and continue to do so. Thanks to PS for giving us the opportunity of being able to see it all. Great site.
The bottom picture shows Church Road turning past Hill Street East in Portrack. It also shows some chimneys in the Malleable Works with dampers on the top (right hand side of picture). Could these be the remains of wrought iron furnaces from the late 1800s, which had been the mainstay of the Malleable until it started producing steel? The dampers are used to control the amount of air in the furnace.
Pictures 5, 8 and 10 show the outskirts of ‘Old Portrack’. The buildings that made up Portrack Workhouse,which was turned into an old peoples home after 1948, can just be discerned in the top right hand corner of Picture 5. Pictures 8 and 10 show Hill Street East, on the left hand of the cutting, in which Church Road now sits. The steps which lead down from Barret Street, can be seen on the the left hand side of of the cutting. By about 1950 the field on the left hand side of the cutting was beginning to be built over by a number of light industry/metal working factories.
My grandmother lived at 19 James Street, Mary Jane Macnaughton and my mother was born there in 1919. Did anybody know or has anyone heard of the Macnaughtons?
James Street was on the river side of Church Road (Paradise Row) so the houses on the left could possibly be it – information from 1923 map of Stockton. The houses on the right would be Beech Street. Researching my family tree I found this map useful as I had a great great grandmother living in James Street, my grandmother was born in Tees Street, opposite James Street and great grandparents lived in Cedar Street, near to Beech Street.
Photo shows looking down from the High Street. Church Row was the first section in front of the Police Station. The next section was called the square Taking in the Cattle Market. The section after that was Paradise Row which crossed Beech Street, Maritime Street then Paradise Street down to the Railway. Where Paradise Row met Beech Street on the right was George Street, which led round to James Street this street then ran back up to Smithfield parallel with Paradise Row. Behind James Street was Garden Place and behind that was Hunters Lane.
The existence of James Street was well before my time, but the houses on the righthand side of Church Road/Paradise Row were still standing in the 1970s. The end of this block would have been opposite the entrance to James Street. The remains of James St disappeared in the late forties with the construction of the Northern Dairies complex, although for a considerable time, the area between that and Hunters Lane was covered with old bricks. I understand from the “Picture Stockton” website that the Dairy factory has now gone.
Right hand side photo, second from top, looking up towards Stockton High St – Could anyone say as to whether the houses on the right hand side of this picture are possibly in the vicinity of where James Street once stood?
To Kevin McGowan, whilst you”ve been out of the area the roundabout that used to be at the top has been replaced with a comprehensive road junction.
The view on Photo no4 is looking up Church Road with the Parish Church at top centre. On the right background there is the spire of Paradise Row Methodist Chapel,Aunt Annie Ryder was the Caretaker, my Father pumped the organ for a few coppers on a Sunday morning The row of houses in view across the rear of the picture are on Beech St where Grandad Ayre lived.these houses are in view on picture no 8. This area now is the location of Netto.
Alan Wealleans. Alan, you are correct in that after rounding the bend on Church Road you would be approaching Portrack Lane outside the Coop Shop. I lived in Portrack from about 1946 to 1963 and some of those houses on the left of the bend had been demolished. so had some of those on the right, in front of the Malleable works. Just on the right of the bend was the depot used by Pickfords for their heavy haulage vehicles. They did most of the work of taking Rileys boilers out of Stockton to their final destination.
Barry, I believe your are correct. So in today”s scene, there is roundabout at the top of the picture, and the Stagecoach bus depot is on the left.
I cycled along Church Road from the High Street to the roundabout near to I.C.I. in the late forties. It looked like this on the bend after climbing up out of the railway bridge. I don”t remember housing then, maybe it was demolished to make for the Malleable plant. I think you could be right Barry.
Could the view on the very last photograph in this collection be leading to the top of Portrack Lane?