This massive vehicle was on its way to ICI, the vehicle had 92 gears and a full length of 221ft. It was quite a sight! 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This massive vehicle was on its way to ICI, the vehicle had 92 gears and a full length of 221ft. It was quite a sight!
This was one if Norman Skirvings proudest moments.
This vessel is a Head Wrightsons product, which can be seen on the notice on the side of the product, as mentioned below Norman Skiving was there when it was I.T.M., Davys owned the factory after Head Wrightsons.
This was the longest load ever transported by road in Britain at that time (about 1982) at 223 feet long and 285 tons, its a nitric acid tower and is still in use today on the former ICI Billingham site.
Just prior to I.T.M. taking over the factory it was owned by Davys. Another one that Norman Skirving brought from Foster Wheeler was Jimmy Gibson who was in charge of the engineering toolroom(Head Wrightsons always promoted engineering toolroom people from within, Beth & Ronnie Flounders, not fabrication people). At Foster Wheeler he was in charge of a small gas welding test house, with Tommy Robson as his right hand man, Tommy later worked at Harkers Engineering as a fitter. The late Harold Morris worked in the drawing office at Head Wrightsons & was a keen cyclist in his younger days.
Norman Skirving did indeed work for Foster wheeler, but he also worked at Heads just prior to ITM taking over. He started, I believe, as a welding engineer bringing with him his own team which I also beleive worked at Foster wheeler. Some of the names I recall were Ron Davies, Kevin Storm, Tom Hammersley, Vic Hammond – he later became welding manager under ITM, he became factory manager until the place was closed down. I believe after this, Norman set himself up in a small fab shop in m/bro along with another person whose name I do not recall. I know that Norman passed away a couple of years ago.
I don’t recall Norman Skirving being a Head Wrightson’s man, he was from Hartlepool and worked at Forster Wheelers,then he went to St Catherine,Canada. He then was at Redpath Engineering,Teesside Bridge for a short while before joining I.T.M. The rest of the personnel you have mentioned worked in the bridgeyard.
During my time at Heads there were many managers, sub managers, foremen/ supervisors etc (1964 to 1987)- George Kane, Maynard Wilson, John Jeffells (a real gent), Fred Lyall, Norman Skirving, Bill Merryweather, John Manuel, Tom Dover, Tony Hewson and many many more. One name I’ve seen mentioned somewhere else on this site is Harold Morris, now the name rings a bell but the passage of time and age dampens my memory of him. Although I have a vision of a very smart man I cant recall his role or roles at Heads. I’m sure he was involved in management in the early 80s – can anyone confirm?
Loved seeing the photo of the massive vehicle going towards ICI. I lived in near Tanners Bank, Norton at the time but didn’t get to know about it or I would have gone along. 92 gears! Wow!
An elderly friend says Bob Harbron showed her ladies group round St Mary’s church graveyard years ago and insists the broken Big Ben bell is ‘buried’ there. I went along but can only find the one and only metal grave ‘stone’ which may be in remembrance of the designer of the original bell which was built in Norton Foundry (Station Road) about 1850ish. The bell unfortunately broke and had to be replaced. Anyone know anything about this? My friend may have made an error in the mists of time.
Thanks for the update on John Bradford, Benny. As I said earlier I haven’t seen him for years and I’m sorry to hear about his wife’s death. I only met her the once and I think she was also in the police. One year John and I decided to go on a cycling holiday to see his sister who I believe was married to a soldier but, just before the day arrived, we cried off and decided to go to Blackpool with the rest of the lads who had already booked their holiday. There was no room on the coach so the two of us decided to go on the train. On the train we met a few other local lads who had set up a card school and invited John and I to sit in which we did. To cut a long story short it ended up with John skinning a couple of the lads of all their holiday money and me winning ten quid. John then lent the lads a few quid for their board and lodge and one of them ended up pulling pints in a Blackpool pub to make a few bob to help out with his holidays. If anybody sees John ask him if he remembers the trip.
John Bradford was a Primrose Hill boy and lived at the Top of Hawthorne Road around the corner next to the famous Clarke Family, he played for Richard Hind at football and cricket and also represented Stockton School boys in the team that Barry Butler captained in 1949, I played alongside John in the Stockton first eleven team captained by Arthur Austin, Barry Butler also played in this team. John was a very useful fast bowler. I remember one period when Herbert Tenholme had this leg side theory and had Barry, John and myself in leg slip positions to his theory. It could get very hairy as he had us all close to the bat on the leg side, Not a very successful theory but interesting at the time, John now lives in Stillington after losing his wife some years ago.
The Bradford family lived on the corner of Appleton & Hamilton Rds.
Bob he must be the same age as me or maybe 6 months older. The John Bradford I knew lived a few doors from Hamilton Rd. Must have gone to RH as he did not go to Newham Grange.
Colin – You have got the age right and he did live in the Newtown area but I do not know his actual address.
This thread has got off the subject, however the question I am asking of Bob & Ken is whether the John Bradford you speak of is the same John Bradford who grew up in Appleton Rd, same class as me in Newtown Jnr. He would be 75 now.
Bob I left RH when I was 15 years old in 1947, John was still there, he was a year or so behind me but we still kept in touch. For the card games, football and holidays in Blackpool with our mutual friends, Barry Butler, Col Richards, Eric Neal and about ten other lads whose main fun in Blackpool was cards, dancing to big bands and girls. It must be about 4 to 5 years since I saw John.
Harry Mills was the clients inspector on the tunnel segments for the Southampton railway tunnel at Redpath Engineering, Teesside Bridge Works in the eighties.
I have just written about John Bradford joining the Police Force. I did meet up with him again during our 2 year probation service on the 1st and 2nd year courses. It looks as though he must have left the Force and gone back to Heads. I was informed recently that Harry Mills did live in Hutton Rudby. Before that he lived in Oakwell Rd, Norton.
Ken, you must have been at RH when I started in 1949 as John Bradford was there then. I later met up with John when I joined the Police Force in Feb 1963. I went to Newby Wiske Police Training School and John was in the same syndicate as me. He had joined the Sunderland Police Force while I joined Durham. I have the syndicate photo with all of us on it. The last time I saw him would be approx 3 years ago in Tescos, telling me he was living in Stillington.
Big John Bradford was involved in running Head Wrightson’s football team in the seventies, he was a great lad. Was Harry Mills from Hutton Rugby? There was Billy Bonnar & George Watson who used to weld the tube bundle assembly in the Heat Exchange Shop.
Bob Irwin is bang on the nail about Lloyd’s and x-ray procedures. HW had a great set up, not only Lloyd’s standard welders but also asme standard. I remember myself, a welding store keeper, being audited regularly by Lloyd’s and asme, they always wanted to see documentation relating to the baking and holding times of welding rods etc. Batch numbers and test certs always had to be on hand at the time this vessel was being shipped. Norman skirving was in charge of all welding depts always found him to be a tough taskmaster but he looked after those who looked after him. Some of the welders I remember as being specialists are Billy Bonner, Ernie Wise, Lal Lowes, Don Lackenby, Alan Mawby, Harold Walton, Trevor Davis, and there were many more.
I remember well Lloyds inspectors coming into HW Stockton Steel foundry to inspect castings which needed their certification. They watched the test bars being burnt off before putting their stamp on them before being sent down to the test house at Thornaby. They used to give our chief inspector, Jack Clutton, a special welding procedure for welding repairs. Very dodgy. I knew John Bradford very well Bob, I went to school with him and we used to play solo every Friday night at home with Colin Richards and my Dad Billy Rhodes from the bridge yard.I believe John was one of the few welders at the time who used to weld aluminium
The boilers for the reactors for the nuclear power stations had to have all the welding seams x-rayed. This was a necessity made by Lloyds Insurance and all the welders had to be Lloyds approved. The x-ray department was run by Dave Barclay whose father was Manager over the Labs. Les Dale was under Dave Barclasy and there was a squad of Rod Williams, Alan Wren, Harry Mills and John Blakey (his father was the band leader for HW’s Band and John was a member of the Stockton Amateur Dramatics). A couple of the welders who were Lloyds approved were John Bradford and Lennie Barnes.
I remember seeing Sunter trucks chugging up Mirfield Moor on the A62 from Hudersfield to Leeds back in the late 50 and 60’s. They seemed to carry these great boilers and stuff quite regularly.
Mally is correct in all he says. At the time this load was moved ITM were just taking over Heads and had put signs on this vessel claiming credit for the building of it. I believe they were made to remove them.
At the time this load moved it was a record move as the longest load to be moved by road. Peter Clements was one of the drivers, sadly everything to do with this move has now gone Sunters – ICI -Head Wrightsons, we now import all the heavy engineering things we used to make. Just as a matter of interest; the Pickfords Yard on Church Street is owned by Prestons of Potto who are fighting all the way to keep it as it is under a compulsory purchase order to be knocked down.
I think that you’re incorrect about the driver !
I remember one of their long loads that went to the ICI at Billingham. It travelled through the town and along Norton Road. When it reached Norton they had to remove the round about previously at the Red Lion because they could not negotiate it treating it as an obstruction..
The lead driver in Sunters Tractomas was Albert Lowes
Jack Wellam’s shop later moved into Frank Holliday’s shop in the Bridgeyard with Jack Wood as foreman his fitters worked on heat exchangers in the shop, but worked all over the Bridgeyard testing the very large vessels.
Some of Wellams men were Alan Bean, Jim Foxston, Jim Walsh, Herbie Wright, John Weaver, Walter Farqueson & Norman Watson.
I was waiting at the south end of Northallerton railway station on the morning of Saturday 27/2/1971 opposite and above the Sunters haulage yard when former London, Brighton and South Coast Railway ‘Terrier’ Class A1X 0-6-0 steam locomotive No.62 (BR No. 32662) named ‘Martello’ arrived on a low loader and spent the day in the haulage yard. Painted orange, this was the only locomotive I have spotted at a railway station that arrived by road !!! ‘Martello’ entered traffic on 27/10/1875, and was withdrawn in 11/1963. It was sold to Butlins by 10/1964 and arrived at Ayr Holiday Camp on 19/10/1964. It departed Ayr by road on 25/2/1971 for the museum at Bressingham, Norfolk.
Billy Price’s men worked on rolling stock (scale cars, torpedo cars & ladle wagons etc). The big vessels were built in the Heavy Plate Shop & later in the Site Shop, Freddy Lyle & then Harold Probes were the foremen. Some of their platers were Bob Nicholson, Frank McDermot & Harry Foster. The welders & other craftsmen had their own foremen, some of the welding foremen were Tony Hewitson, John Manual, Ernie Broadbent, Tommy Dover & Jimmy Dunning to name a few.
The Nuclear reactor boilers were made on the land that was Richardson Ducks on rail tracks and when completed moved over to the slipway where they were then launched. Other boilers were made in the Bridgeyard in the bay at the opposite side to the Medical Centre. If they were a completed boiler with all the pipework inside they were completed in Jack Whellams Shop.
I REMEMBER THE DAY THESE MONSTERS WERE ON THE MOVE DOWN PAST THE RED LION HOTEL ON THEIR WAY TO ICI WHAT A GREAT SIGHT. CAN EITHER OF THE TWO BOBS TELL ME, WERE THEY MADE IN THE BRIDGE YARD BY BILLY PRICES GROUP OF PLATERS, WELDERS AND OTHER CRAFTSMEN?
I worked at Head Wrightsons when they launched the reactor boilers into the Tees and floated, towed by tugs to their destinations in Bradwell, Essex and Dungeness in Kent. They were towed to the Nuclear Power Stations. The boilers were so big that they were unable to be delivered by either rail or road. On arrival at Bradwell (River Blackwater) they were sideways onto the coast and between an island. They were turned 90 degree at high tide and then when the tide lowered they rested on boagies and then towed by Sunters lorries to the Nuclear site. The Dungeness ones were parallel with the coast (English Channel) and then dragged onto the coast itself and then rolled upto an even surface where they were jacked up and onto a rail, lowered and towed onto the Nuclear site. There were 12 boilers at Bradwell and 4 at Dungeness.
In addition to Sunter Bros of Northallerton other heavy haulage companies included Wynns, Siddle E Cook of Consett and one that I remember as a boy, Pickfords Heavy Haulage. Their depot used to be in Church Road, Stockton and although they closed the depot down many years ago the land is still being used by a haulage company whose name escapes me at the moment. In Hampshire, where I currently live, there was Hills of Botley, near Portsmouth who also had heavy haulage vehicles. On many occasions we would watch Pickfors taking a boiler from Rileys through Stockton High Street to it’s customer. Equally Head Wrightsons had been done to launch some of their boilers and have them towed by sea to the power station that had ordered them.
Just found out Sunter Bros, who were one of the top three heavy haulage firms in the country, merged with Econofreight in 1986 and the Northallerton depot was closed. The well known grey and red livery of their vehicles disappearing at the same time.
Sunter Bros of Northallerton. Their depot was just by the railway station on the western side, now a housing estate. Very well known for heavy haulage into the 1970s?
Nobody has mentioned this vessel was built at Head Wrightsons, Teesdale Works, as shown in the bottom photo leaving the Thornaby works with the car park in the foreground & the Foundry behind on Trafalgar Street. The car park is where Bob Irwin referred to the old houses being. Sunters used to transport all extremely large loads by road.
Sorry my friends, about the big load moving the ICI in the 60″s – but look at the Pc on his bike and the road markings and the road signs.
I remember this, as I took several photos of this outfit also, I remember several years later seeing a similar unit on its way to ICI, this time it was two chaps either end with what looked like control units for radio controlled model cars in their hands, doing all the steering! not half as impressive as these big trucks.
I remember such a load going through Norton in the early 1960s, with crowds watching at the Red-Lion roundabout which had to have all four lamp-standards removed and a temporary road cutting laid across to give the wagon a straight run down Tanners Bank. The company was Sunter and on the bank a second wagon acted as drag or brake. While in this area many will remember The Avenue Cinema in Norton Avenue , built in 1933 it introduced thousands to the world of Tom Mix, Ken Maynard Gene Autry , “Crash” Corrigan and the Undersea Kingdom” all part of the Saturday “Tuppeny-Rush” where hundreds of kids cheered the hero and booed the “Baddie” , throwing toffee paper in the projection beam. while attendants sprayed the excited audience with a fine mist of scented (Dettol) disinfectant A good “Cowboy Film” saw dozens of Cowboys “shooting it” out with their finger six-guns as they slapped their horses on the way home. “The Avenue” closed as a cinema 1965 and became Bingo till 2004 , its now to be demolished for housing but the memory lingers on..