The Evening Gazette office on Brunswick Street in Stockton. c1985 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The Evening Gazette office on Brunswick Street in Stockton. c1985
With reference to Pat Patterson’s comments; I too had my tea leaves read by a lady from Thornaby (I seem to think she was called Mrs Bickersteth) – she told me I would have twins. I didn’t but my son did!
The mention of Russell Grant, the horoscope chap, once working for the Gazette stirred memories in my mind. Does anyone know if he used to live in Darlington Street, Thornaby, with his mother in the early 60s? It was near Thornaby Station and a couple of friends and I went to have our “tea leaves” read by her. Later on, when Russell became something of a celebrity, I remember thinking he looked like the son of the house. If it was him, he obviously took up where his mother left off! Incidentally, she told me I would have twin girls one day – I was not married then, but later had two sons, not twins, so thought that was a lot of rubbish. Then my oldest son married an identical twin, and it was “buy one get one free” as I have now acquired an honorary daughter in law.
I wonder if you were still at the Gazette in Brunswick St when my mum Eve Hatfield worked there, Alan. She was a member of the incredible find the ball, or was it spot the ball team? I say incredible ‘cos I saw the tiny templates they had to use to check if the cross was in the correct spot on the hundreds of entries they received each week. It must have been middle/late 60’s to early 70’s? She remembers Russell Grant the horoscope chap working there at the same time. I remember meeting a couple of young reporters who worked there at that time, Paul Frost and a Danny….?
I JOINED THE STAFF OF THE EVENING GAZETTE AT BOROUGH ROAD MIDDLESBROUGH IN MAY 1962, I WAS A COPY BOY IN THE SUB EDITORS ROOM. I WORKED QUITE HARD FOR MY WAGES OF £2 15 SHILLINGS A WEEK. THIS WAS A LOT OF MONEY FOR A 15 YEAR OLD. I WAS OFFERED A JOB AT THE STOCKTON OFFICE IN BRIDGE ROAD AS A CIRCULATION BRANCH ASSISTANT, THIS WAS IN MARCH 1963 WITH A £1 A WEEK PAY RISE. I REMEMBER MOVING TO BRUNSWICK STREET IN 1964 WHEN THE OFFICE WAS BRAND NEW. QUITE EXCITING TIMES. WE ALWAYS SOLD MORE PAPERS WHEN WE HAD A GOOD LOCAL STORY. THE REPORTERS WERE MANAGED BY BRIAN PEARSON, A TRUE NEWSPAPERMAN. IN THOSE DAYS THE BRUNSWICK STREET AREA WAS A MINI FLEET STREET, WITH NEWS WHOLESALERS…WH SMITHS, ED WALKER AND WILSON AND TA WALKER SUNDAY WHOLESALER. INDEED I MET MY WIFE DOROTHY THROUGH WORK, SHE WORKED AT WALKER AND WILSONS. WE HAVE NOW BEEN MARRIED FOR 40 YEARS. GREAT MEMORIES OF A FINE PLACE TO WORK.
Alan, it was good to read that you were a copy boy in 1962 at Borough Road, I was a copy boy at the same place, only I started in 1956 and moved to the Reader’s department until I left in 1988. Matt Winchester and Bob Grunwell were chief sub editors then.
Hi John. Matt Winchester, Bob Grunwell,Tom Sheridan, Alan Berry, all great newspapermen. .Gazette was a great place to work, My boss was John Madden I remember when we all got a telling off because the ABC circulation figure had gone below 100.000. I left in 1989 and worked in Chester on the Chester TONIGHT paper then returned to Stockton back on the Gazette self employed. Good days, I wonder what the circulation figure is today?
This is now an ex servicemans club, the Navy Club