A row of terraced houses in Bell Street, Port Clarence. c1987 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A row of terraced houses in Bell Street, Port Clarence. c1987
These houses were built by Bell Brothers Ltd (owners of the Clarence Iron Works, Port Clarence) to house their workers. They were originally known as Bell’s New Cottages. Also built around this time were the houses in Lowthian Terrace & Kensington Terrace. What was called the Old Cottages were rows of back to back houses that were built within the Clarence Iron Works.
The Old Cottages were demolished around 1937.
Construction of Bell’s New Cottages started in the early 1870’s. Initially Bell Brothers had built workers housing within the Clarence Iron Works. Due to the expansion of the business and because the firm took an active interest in their workers, further and better quality housing was built outside the perimeter of the iron works.
Most of these houses have long since been demolished. The oldest housing that remains in Port Clarence are the houses in Samphire Street and a row of houses on the Port Clarence Road. I don’t know if these were built by Bell Brothers.
When was Haverton Hill houses pulled down?
Kensington Tce was on the same block as the Royal Hotel.
Anyone from Port clarence and Haverton there is a book on Amazon called PORT CLARENCE TO HAVERTON TO BILLINGHAM great read plenty of photos, brought back plenty of memories.
I lived there it was the coldest place on earth I”ve ever known, frost on the inside of the windows the good old days!
I was born & bred down the “Port”. I lived in Cedar Terrace, but I can remember every Street. When this photo was taken, prior to this date there was another side facing Bell Street, That was Kensington terrace, long since demolished.
I lived at number 46 Bell Street.
Christine Curnow.