An aerial view of part of Hardwick, Stockton including the North Tees General Hospital and Laundry, English Martyrs R.C. Church, St Andrews Methodist Church, Sheraton County Secondary School (previously Hardwick Secondary Modern School), Hardwick County Primary School, Hardwick Health Centre, Piper Knowle Road and Hardwick Road. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Nice to hear these comments about my old school Sheraton, I was there from 71 to late 73.
i also remember all your family susan and i am still in touch with trevor via e mail, there is a picture on this site of mr mallabys class in 1969 with trevor and myself on it, we also went to hardwick sec and people will not believe me when i tell them i went to school with tony blackburn[ha ha]. regarding the teachers you mention derek graham is still living locally and is active on this site, i believe mr mallaby and mrs pybus[miss hepple]also still in stockton, but mrs brack now lives in spain, mrs keating i have no idea about[maybe someone can let us know] and as i have stated on the site previous mr allen passed away in january 2008. i also remember your mam as she knew my dad[teenie] well as he went in the sheraton from it opening in the mid 60″s up to his death in 2000
I remember your mam well Susan, as well as your older brothers, Trevor and Tony. I even remember phoning your mam at the Sherry from California back in 1981 when I was home sick. I bumped into Trevor in Jersey once in a pub when I went to visit my sister Julie. Sorry to hear that Sylvia is no longer with us, she was a very respected barmaid & person. I was in Stockton last September for my brothers wedding and visited Hardwick but it is nothing like it used to be.
I too went to Harrowgate infants and juniors (along with my 4 brothers and sister) and well remember Miss Pybus, Miss Keating, Mr Graham, Mr Mallaby, Mr Allen and Miss Brack. I also recall lining the road and waving flags when the Duchess of Kent performed the opening ceremony for the new maternity unit, and the day of the great blackness, and also the moon landing when a teacher, (I think it was Mr Graham), brought in a TV to watch the live footage. My mother was also a barmaid in the Sherry virtually from its opening until she retired – she worked mainly in the Lounge and knew everyone and what drinks they had. Her name was Sylvia and I”m sure many people will remember her. She sadly passed away in 2006, but could hardly go anywhere without meeting at least one of her “regulars” from the pub.
Hi Susan – I rermember the darkness very well and also the TV that Mr Graham brought in. We sat in total amazement at the moon landing or at least I did.
I agree with that about harrogate school,I moved to salters lane from tilery in 1968,and did not like it,lost tracks of a lot of great mates from tilery school,harrogate, and hardwick,were never the same.
Did you live on Droitwitch Avenue?
hardwick has special memories for me, my mam and dad moved there when the estate was first built in the sixties, he was involved in the building of the church by the first shops in scurfield road,we moved into number 44, my sister and her first husband moved into number 13, we moved from oxford street (now demolished)by the gasworks in stockton, where all my auntys and uncles were just around the corner, he kept chickens in the back garden and we loved the new life, and the freshness of a new beginning after the war, sadly my dad died and mam and myself moved on to maissonettes and things that weren”t the same, i don”t know why we moved on, i was 15 and life was unfolding, i still hold fond memories of those days in hardwick, cycling out to redmarshall and sedgefield, norton duck pond picnics, trips to seaton carew and saltburn. nostalgia is very comforting in old age.
Roy Parkin, Your comments about the Sheraton Public House on Hardwick Estate brought back a few memories. That was my mother”s local when she was alive. She called it “The Sherry” and used to frequent it with her partner, Laurie. Unfortunately my mother died 20 years ago and I think I only went into the pub on a couple of occasions when I visited my mother. Her address at the time was Piperknowle Road but later she moved back into the town to a flat in Nolan House.
My dad Ted Waites would leave our house on Piperknowle Rd at 10 pm on the dot and return at 11 pm ( could set your clock by him) he always had a tale to tell on his return. happy memories!
Sheraton Pub Hardwick – Long ago when part of life’s toils meant going to the pub on Friday/ Saturday night’s, tradition, part of lifestyle, he does it so I will, who knows why it was done! You had your own seat/corner and group of friends, the same each week, miss a week and not being on the phone yet, people noticed, where is he, where are they, is he dead etc. etc. The women usually went over early on to reserve the seats. No one missed the week end sessions, for things like a cold, flu or pneumonia, I have seen them been carried in as far as the pub door, miss a week and your Sunday mornings were shattered by kids knocking on your door, me mam sent me round, is all well…. . Coming home on leave there was always room made for you even if the wife did have to sit on the floor, a brandy and babysham (Southerner) she would sit anywhere. Caught dad one night in the big room going behind the curtains, the curtains blowing up and five minutes later the same in reverse with a tray of drinks in his hands! Where you been dad , in the bar son, why, besides the drinks being 2p a drink cheaper, you take twenty minutes to get a round in here I take five. You learn something new each day. The big room in those days had a piano then 1950’s/1960’s, where have they all gone now all the Erick’s, Rosie’s, Mini’s and Mary’s, I know Rosie Cannon is out there because she lives a couple of doors away from my mam in a bungalow on Roseworth. (Landlords, Ted Pole from The Brown Jug followed, by his son John). My mam gets her laptop shortly and I know as part of social history she has some photos and tales to share. Roy. From what I have seen of the patronage of this public house over the last few years all those people ‘where have they all gone’ could fit in there easily with Zimmer frames, wheelchairs and where necessary hospital beds
Hi Paul, we went to school together, 2 sets of twins eh. You still in the RAF
I remember many of these names and characters and the school I went to Hardwick Secondary Modern when it first opend as a boy”s school the old secondary being used for the girls. I also weht to Hardwick infants just behind Harrowgate Lane where I lived in number 55
hi pete im the tony from grimsby . are you still into bowie and mick ronsons slaughter on 10th avenue .do you still work in the shipping industry by the way have you still got your long hair , pleased you could remember me after 33 years
T Capindale are you Tony from Grimsby who was at swan hunter training school in 74/75 and stayed at ymca stockton?
many years ago i used to know a dot cuthbert at the ymca disco she was from hardwick by any chance was she related to colin cuthbert
Dorothy Cuthbert went to school with me Karen Shaw we were friends does anyone remember Anthony Sedgwick? Big siddha I really loved him we played badminton together and I wish I stayed in touch with him
Does anyone remember big Sid and little Dan I do siddanow I love you x Karen shaw
When harrow gate opened in 1963 half the school was the infants myself and colin cuthbert started the same day. I can remember being in Mr Graham”s class the day it turned pitched black at midday about 1968 [does anybody else remember that].I think the afore mentioned Steve Keily was in the class too. I also remember being in Mr Mallaby”s class when we lined Hardwick Road to welcome the Duchess of Kent who was opening North Tees hospital. Happy days! A great place to grow up in the 1960″s. I wonder does anybody know what Mr Graham and Mr Mallaby are doing these days?
I went to this school with Bob Barras, I recall Mr Mallaby who used to drive a 3 wheel car?? I also recall the strike at Sheraton, I also recall a certain person (Semi) throwing some desks out the window and Luke caseys car getting spat on. I don”t live in Stockton anymore but I believe that Hardwick (or most of it) is being demolished.
Would that have been David W.
I was also one of the first babies born there, well in fact think I was the 3rd. Was suppose to be the first according to my mam and the newspaper cuttings when they all got transferred there. But unfortunately was a day late.
My wife was a midwife between 1971 and 1974 at the maternity unit of North Tees Hospital. After we moved from Fairfield to Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, she also moved from North Tees to Parkside in Middlesbrough. I don”t think she delivered you, Steve Whitehouse but her friend might have done!
I was one of the first children born in the maternity of the hospital in the photograph, my mum recalls watching the construction of the second block of the hopital from her window. Lived in Piper Knowle Road for 25 years and still have a soft spot for the old place!
I lived in 106 Piperknowle from the age of 2 in 1965. I remember the wooden fence right round the field, I’ve got a photo on the front garden with my pet rabbit Hopperty ! auntie Lily at 108 and Mrs Annie Vettas at 104, very happy memories.
Lily from 108 Piper Knowle was my Auntie (my dad’s sister).
I was one of the first pupils at Harrowgate Lane Junior School starting in junior3 on the day the school opened. My first teacher there was Mrs. Brack. My memories are of a well loved and very good teacher, respected by her pupils. The following year our teacher was Mr Fitzgerald, I think he moved to the school from Hardwick Junior. I had 2 happy years there, before moving on to Stockton Grammar School.
Hardwick hotel was there when I moved to Hardwick in 1962.The Landlord at the time was called Trevor and he did rather good complimentary cheese and biscuits on a Sunday lunchtime. My wife had her 21st party in the Hardwick we had our engagement party in the Falcon and our Wedding reception in the Sheraton didnt have to move off the estate in them days.
Can anyone tell me when the Hardwick public house was opened?
I remember the big hills they made when completing the “hossie” we spent all our time running up and down them. Anybody got any pics of Salters Lane?
I too remember the strike we got locked in the gym out of the way and its nice to see Mr Graham”s name after all these yers, he was a great teacher.
I went to Hardwick secondary school from 64 to 68 and remember the hospital opening the maternity unit and psychiatric were the first to open. We were allowed into the hospital to have a look around before it was opened with the school. We were a little scared about the psychiatric wards being there because the one in Sedgefield used to have padded cells and the wards were locked. I know this as some of our class went there for a day and confirmed this.
The Hardwick Estate is under going a regeneration programme at the monent, where the school was is now new housing, many of the older properties have been demolished & further new housing is being built.
I remember Mrs Brack, from 1969, tall lady, stern. I didn”t like the school what so ever, we moved from Tilery in 1968 and I had to go to this school for a term and half.
I know what you mean about Bracky, never smiled, I was terrified of her.
yes i remember the school strike in 1974, the goalbar in the football field bent with people hanging from it. they should make a film about it.
I remember Mr Graham/Mr Mallaby and a Mrs Brack teaching at Harrogate Junior school.
I have to agree with Steve Keily (any relation to Vincent?)as I was on both the swim & football teams. I also remember the strike well , something to do with Mr Laycock the Headmaster, I believe a Mrs Berryman took charge post strike.
When I left England at the end of 1965 the Hardwick estate was still being built. I returned to Stockton last month after a very long absence and had cause to visit the “Write to Read” office located in the Hardwick Primary School. I was amazed to find that houses near the school were unoccupied and boarded up. These houses are less than 40 years old and I can`t imagine why they are considered uninhabitable. Does anybody know? I visited much older council estates, one of them being Primrose Hill where I used to live. These houses were built in 1934 and while several of them have seen better days, none of them were boarded up. Was there something wrong with the building standards used at Hardwick? Asbestos perhaps.
Your text should read Sheraton Comprehensive School and not Sheraton County. The name was changed when the education authority went comprehensive in about 1973. It was said that the school changed names to get rid of its bad reputation. In fact in some respects Hardwick Secondary Modern School had no equals. The school swimming team was second to none and as I remember the football teams also did rather well. The most infamous incident was the school strike in 1973 or 74. This is when the pupils had had enough and a large number of them walked out. I don”t think that I”ve seen so many police officers from that day to this
Hardwick estate – Because of the success of Greatham Airport in the late 1940″s, with its “Silver-City” Dakota flights to Jersey and the Isle of Man, Stockton council formed a commitee as to the viability of a Civil Airport on the northern outskirts of Stockton on the Hardwick Farm site. The housing demands overtook this venture.
I”m 24 Years old and I think the pictures are amazing, Its great seeing the town before vandalism, and seeing Hardwick especially when it looked peaceful.
I agree with Derek Graham with regards to the identity of the primary school in the picture. It is Harrow Gate Junior School. I attended the very first Junior class in 1963 having been transferred from Hardwick Infants which is along Piperknowle Road to the left of the picture.
I also remember the hospital being built, and remember Mr Graham, our teacher, among others.
I remember the hospital being built as I taught, at that time, at Harrow Gate Junior School which is in the picture (not Hardwick Junior School as stated, this was up the road to the left of the round-a-bout). The school was constructed in 1963 with the Infants” School being completed in 1964.