A photograph of a painting of the old stone bridge in Stockton. c1850. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A photograph of a painting of the old stone bridge in Stockton. c1850.
Have just rechecked Bryan Lawton’s book and it does show a turnpike road from Durham to Stockton. Nothing to Middlesbrough, of course, which was just a few houses in badly drained land at the time.
Middlesbrough as you say Fred was four farms on a marsh, that is probably why we had a Port Clarence, a Portrack, Stockton and Yarm. Transporting goods along to the river mouth would be almost impossible. The closer the loading point to the producer the better. The river would be the highway.
When the iron ore was discovered Stockton and Thornaby had many iron making foundaries although Middlesbrough with plenty of spare land plus being much nearer the ore production came out on top. I saw the last Chimney demolished at Whitwells Thornaby as a wee lad pre war, Stockton lost four foundries before the war and that war probably saved the others, they were needed.
There are quite a few books on ancient tracks and one or two written about a particular one such as the Foss Way, the Ridgeway and the Roman Roads, all interesting reading.
Frank
Many thanks to Frank Mee for his useful insight into Stockton’s history. The “green lanes”, I think, were those used to drive herds of cattle and sheep long distances over soft ground to prevent the hooves wearing out.
I understand that once the bridge at Stockton was built that finished Yarm as a port. High masted sailing ships could not have got under its arches. So, in part, construction of the bridge was political-economic move, analogous to the way that the real of aim of the Stockton and Darlington Railway was to bypass Stockton, and then build a completely new port at Middlesbrough (originally called Port Darlington)
Happy to oblige Fred, Map reading during my army career was a must and I became interested in Ridgeways, Hollow Ways, Green lanes, Drovers Roads, parts of many still existing. I found many books on those roads which in some cases had been in use for millennia and the Eastern Coast has dozens of them clustered from the Borders to the Southern coast.
If the North sea was the M1 of its time to get goods around and travel, the drovers roads were the Dual carriage ways that got animals and fowl to market also travellers on foot. The Durham and North Yorks area with the Vale of York were grain growing area’s, York was more than once the kings capital of England, (that is another History that people do not know much about).
The Bishopric of Durham used Stockton as its port moving goods about, the Church at the time being a business and they put in Tithe Roads to transport those goods. When you consider that England was one vast wooded area the coastal route’ would be the obvious and easiest choice for moving herds of animals and Pack animals..
I think you will also find the Stone Bridge was up and in use long before the railway was thought of, the trend at the time being canal building as an easy way to move goods around. That was more Central England as we had the North Sea with plenty of Harbours all along the Coast.
It amazed me as to how mobile people and goods were from before Roman times, Reference Libraries were places I would spend hours in reading about mobility. There may well have been the never stray far from home villagers but many people did travel even into Europe and further. I have met Stocktonians often in my travels, once being hauled up onto the quay off a lighter in Famagusta Cyprus half drowned after nearly being washed over board with all my kit and weapons to a cry of ‘Dear me (err not quite) Franky Mee fancy meeting you here, a lad from Norton green’.
It is a small world.
Frank.
Bryan Lawton in his two volume study of “Various and Ingenious Machines”, which is an engineer’s assessment of technology before the Industrial Revolution, states that in the 17th and 18th Centuries, the most important ports on the east coast were London, Newcastle, Sunderland and Stockton (presumably in order of importance).
Given that Stockton was so far up a meandering river, this is quite surprising. I would guess that the main export would have been high value agricultural products. The construction of the old stone bridge at Stockton must have opened up North Yorkshire to this trade. I recollect from my time at Richard Hind this area was referred to as the Northallerton Gap.
Bryan’s book also shows that a turnpike road was constructed from York/Northallerton to Stockton, at about this time, greatly improving transport from Yorkshire. There doesn’t seem to be anything similar running up into Durham.
Stockton had Green lanes and turnpike Roads to Durham and beyond. It also had roads into Yorkshire across the Yarm Bridge a stone Arch Bridge built in 1400. That Bridge had a Drawbridge at the Stockton end keeping the Parliamentarians of Yorkshire out of Royalist Stockton, the rebuilt arch at the Stockton end is rounded the other arches are peaked.
Yarm was at one time a main port for loading farm produce that went by sea to London. Ports at one time being well inland to guard against sudden attack.
The old stone bridge across the Tees at Stockton was built in 1769 and replaced by the Victoria Bridge in 1887.
Part of the old Green Lane can still be walked, it runs from the By Pass roundabout behind the houses parallel with Durham Road A177, there was a toll gate at both the Mile House and two mile house end and followed the old Durham road all the way to Durham.
South Durham and North Yorkshire was known as a bread basket area as far back as the Romans who built a Canal along Billingham Bottoms slightly higher than the beck to barge produce down to the Tees and then transport it on to the Garrisons up country. That Canal later became the Mill Race for Norton Mill, we lads knew it as the Willowgarth part of the Sunday Night walk for the lads and lasses after Church.
The Institute of Civil Engineering has lots of information on the area and its bridges and buildings, worth reading up on this history of Stockton a very old Town indeed.
Frank.
The Willowgarth, you never tried getting in there, old Bob Kennedy was never frightened of using his 12 bore shot gun to frighten you away..
Bob I went to school with some of the Kennedy’s he would not have shot me. We made flutes from the tall reeds and probably enchanted him, were we the Vilja, the witch of the wood? Maybe.
Frank.
Treading the Stone. – A long time ago now when I was only small in short pants, walking to town was a favourite pastime of many Stocktonions, was it to keep fit or save money on the bus fairs, neither – walking is just what we did well. On the final run in to town just after the Newtown Club on Durham Road was a little wall that all used to walk on and that first step on the first stone was very memorable as all trod there not further in or back nor to the left or right, every body trod on that very spot. Years later but not so many as when I started, but a few years later I noticed at a glance that it was gone, the first stone had gone, fallen down for want of repair or moved away for safety. The stepping stone had an indentation in it at one spot about ankle deep where many thousands of children had over the years one thing in common, contributing to this one indentation, where is it, does anybody know? I think you call a stone like this a Saddle Stone. Roy.
I believe that the stones from this bridge were used to build the Stoneyroyd (may not be spelt correctly) Hotel on Oxbridge Avenue, I was told this by an owner who has since left
I lived at Stonyroyd from 1975 until 1983, when my parents owned it. We were told the same story about the stone.
I lived next door, and had been told the same story by the family that lived there in the 60s, the Stelfox’s. Who moved to a smaller house on Raby Road just round the corner.
(Hello Nicky, I wonder if you remember me as much as I remember you… 🙂 )
One of the regular boats that docked at the “Clevo” Flour mill was “FAIRY”. My mother who was born 1903 at 7 1/2 Rutland Terrace, (later 41 Oxbridge Lane) where my grandfather Ramsdale was a baker. He delivered bread to “Stoneyroyd” (now a commercial hotel)located in Oxbridge lane on the north side past the roundabout and had told her that the stones from The old bridge had been used to build “Stoneyroyd”
This is not Victoria Bridge, it is the old stone bridge over the River Tees that preceded it. It was built in 1764 and lasted until the Victoria Bridge was built alongside and opened in 1887. The old bridge had 5 arches, the Victoria Bridge just has 3.
Quite right George. The main man for that was Jimmy Kelley. He made his living on the Tees as a Boatman. He had retainers from Companies whose premises were next to the River. He kept their Banks clean and also had a retainer from the Tees River Authority. His main job was to keep the River clear of floating debris that might interfere with the Shipping. He would take the drowned person from the River and hand over to the Police on the Thornaby side. It was 5/- for Stockton and 7/6p for Thornaby. This is true because he told me so. He also ran the Ferry from the Stockton side to the Thornaby side at the top of Trafalgar Street. It was the Head Wrightsons workmen. He charged 2/6p a week.
The old Stone Bridge at Stockton is of course Victoria bridge, to the left of the bridge was the Clevo Flour Mill,a large concrete building. I can remember ships unloading wheat, many a time. I also remember a goulish tale I was told as regards the river Durham one side Yorkshire the other , river folk who were always looking for income, sort of thing, if they found a body on the Durham side of the river , they always towed it across to Yorkshire ,as they got two shillings and sixpence more on their side of the river.