Durham Road in Stockton. Photogrpah courtesy of Mr Ged Hutchinson 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Durham Road in Stockton. Photogrpah courtesy of Mr Ged Hutchinson
Can anyone tell me where White Hall Terrace Stockton on Tees was in 1911
Hi Janet, Whitehall Terrace was where the car park in front of Halfords is today. It faced towards the railway goods station that covered the rest of the area where Halfords/Matalan/Home Bargains/Wynsors shops & car parks are. It formed a dog-leg from Bridge Road to the junction crossed by Longley St. and straight ahead was Bickersteth St.
The bakery would have been owned by Mr Thornborow who died in 1952, so Ged Hutchinson has a good memory! Joseph Thornborow was my great-uncle.
Mine too. My grandad was George Edward, his brother my sister said he owned it but this is 1st time I’ve seen any reference to it.
I have just found a copy of the 1911 census on which my great grandfather and his family were living at number 19 Elliot Street. Does anybody have any further information about this street or another lovely photo of people living there round this time.
My great grandfather, Patrick mCcaffery and his wife Ellen, lived in no 21 Joseph Street in 1901.They had several children,-francis, patrick, john ,ellen, joseph, and my grandfather james who was aged two in 1901.
My great great grandmother lived on Elliot Street in 1891 – Louisa Gill, married to John Gill. John worked in the shipyards and his 14 year old son Fred was an apprentice there too.
Hi John ,I understand you know a little about the Maternity Home that was there before The Stork Hotel ? Can you tell me a little about it as my older sister was born ther in 1925 to William and mary Wilkinson
Many of my ancestors lived in Elliot Street and nearby Joseph Street. My Joneses had migrated from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and my McGills from Ireland. They were all puddlers and stokers in the iron works. There seemed to be much movement between the streets in the Portrack area, families moving every 2 or 3 years; and the list of tennants and their occupations on the Godfreys 1899 OS map suggests all the houses in the area were owned by the owners of the iron works.
my great grand parents lived in garbutt street. elizabeth and sammy watson. anyone have any info as i am currently researching my family tree?
I have discovered that my great great granparents lived in 33 Elliott Street in 1875. They had migrated to Stockton from Wales and my great great granfather David James was a puddler in the iron works. They had Edward, Ann and Sarah at the time and moved then to Stoker Street. All the children except for my great grandfather Edward emigrated to the states.
My grandfather William Brookes was born in 35 Elliott Street in 1907, there was lots of them , I believe as many as 15 children, I”ve managed to confirm 10 to date. They later moved to Garbutt Street. He had a sister called Edith who was born in 1912 about the same age as your Aunty Doris in the photograph.
Is anyone able to advise approx what year this photograph was taken as in the course of researching my family tree I have identified that my ancestors also lived in Elliot street circa 1901.
THE NEWSAGENT NOW STANDS EMPTY, THE OWNERS OF THE OLD POST OFFICE, NOW A MINI MART SELLING EVERYTHING INCLUDING NEWSPAPERS BOUGHT THE SHOP AND CLOSED IT
The pictures of Durham Road have brought back memories for a few of us. Mine are of riding my butcher”s bike up and down it every Saturday afternoon. My schoolboy graft was done for Billy Baldwin”s the Butchers in Percy Street in Parkfield. Billy had customers all over Stockton and I used to deliver their meat. On Saturday afternoons he”d fill the basket on my bike so full with meat I couldn”t lift the front of the bike. I”d start in Oxbridge, then up to Fairfield, then back down to Brown”s Bridge, and then the long trek up Durham Road to Piperknowle Road in Hardwick. Coming back downhill wasn”t so bad, but going up into a headwind with a basket of meat was a challenge for a young lad. Sometimes I”d have to deliver a couple of dozen pork pies straight out of the oven and I”d swipe one for myself. Steering my bike with one hand and eating a pie with the hot jelly running down the other was another challenge!
Hi Ged, thanks for the photo I will try to remember as much as I can. I started as a paperboy at 12 with Peter Weatherspoon. My round was, Stavordale, Studley Part of Durham Rd & Craigweil Crs approx 140 papers on Sundays & about 120 weekdays. I always had to be back for the round I think I did morning & night for a pittance. It was taken over by Marshalls (1948?)as I recall who halved the round & increased the pay. I think Mr Marshall either sold through ill health or died. I recall a garden at the side of the house at that time as I planted some daffodils for them. The butchers shop was owned by Doug Ayres. Ayres also owned the butchers shop in Zetland Rd. I would go & get a piece of meat from them & cook myself a meal as my Mum worked in our shop in Bishop Auckland & I was too hungry to wait for a meal. This would have been during my apprenticeship. While we are on the subject of shops in the area The general store in Dundas St was owned by Slaters Then bought out by Tweddle”s The son now lives in the US
I too had a paper round at Creasers, I would peddle up Bishopton Road to deliver the papers, seemed miles away! I also used to pick up the Sports Gazettes around 5ish on a saturday and wander round Commondale Road area behind St. Pauls church crying out “SPORTS GAZETTE”. If you missed the football scores on the TV you needed one of my “pinks” to check your pools. I think I got a ha”penny for everyone I sold! I also remember the Butchers and Sparks where I would be sent for cakes especially a “charlotte rousse” whatever that was! The Post Office opposite was run by a Miss E. Bone I believe. Further up was Fred”s Fish Shop. I think Fred Peart was the owner and he lived next door to the shop opposite my old Gran at 94 Durham Road – Nora Shread.
In 1934 I started school at Newtown Infants and walked past these shops every day on my way to and from school we lived in Craigweil Crescent then. I called in to Weatherspoons every week to get the Dandy and the Beano. There is a crossing right outside the school it was one of the first “Belisha Beacon”crossings in the area, dates from around 1936. Back to the shops , they must have been in the same ownership for many years as they still had the same names when I left Stockton in 1950. Opposite Weatherspoons was Durham Road post office with a magnificent monkey puzzle tree in the garden.
A regular contributor to your magnificent site, Mr. Colin Booth of Australia, has frequently requested more photos of the area around Londonderry Road in Newtown. This photo was taken by my old schoolpal Peter Dodsworth who lived in Newtown at Stavordale Road. The photo shows the row of shops on Durham Road at the intersection with Londonderry Road. The first shop used to be Weatherspoon`s Newsagents during the war years. After the war the shop changed hands and was operated by Creaser`s. Aged 13 I had a newspaper round which earned me 5 bob a week – a small fortune in 1951. In those days the adjacent shop was Hodgeson`s the Butchers. The third shop was later owned by Sparkes` Bakery though before that I seem to remember the shop being owned by Mr. Thornborough (I`m not too sure about that name). I do remember that all the cakes were displayed in glass cabinets which were hinged at counter level allowing the cakes to be removed by the grey-haired Mr. Thornborough or whoever he was called. Perhaps Colin`s memory is better than mine. The building to the far right is the ugly block of flats that, in the 50`s, replaced the old farmhouse that Colin refers to in his Durham Road comment. I will be sending further photos of this area Colin. Watch this space.
The newsagent Raymond Creaser was a very fine bass singer both as a soloist and as a member of choirs in the 1950s such as Stockton Vocal Union.