I was born in 1955 in Roseworth in Runfold Close, near Junction Rd which was then a track with hedgerows. As children we were turned out in all weathers to explore – we found a concrete gun base near the railway line near Blakeston Lane signal box – we called it a bomb. We played in the pillbox near there. My mother’s sister helped work an Ack Ack gun in WW2 in the Kiora area I believe – she told us tales of shooting down German planes which we took with a pinch of salt – but I found out later that the females who were supposed to just do the plotting often fired at Gerrie. Just recently I have learnt that my father who was reserved occupation and in the Home Guard was actually a seargent who marched POWs from place to place in the area. On manoevres he would tell my mother of ‘long legged fleas’ who attacked his men in some of their billets!
As a follow up to my other information here are a few more memories of my wonderful 1950s – 60s childhood in Roseworth.
A Spanish onion man who rode around on his bike selling the onions which were hung from his handle bars. He used to wear a black beret.
A shed, white-washed inside, around the corner from Kiora Hall, where I spent many happy times with my Dad as he picked out bedding plants to buy and other items for his beloved garden.
My older sister took a Sunday school class in the grounds of Kiora Hall in the summer in the early 60s. I was a very naughty pupil – after all she was only my sister!.
St Chad’s used the hall including our vicar Beeston who later became someone high up in the church in London.
As children there was a story about a ghost at Kiora which I thought we children had just invented – in later years I realised that other people had seen the ‘White Lady’.
I remember collecting donated books from house to house in Roseworth and then selling them on a stall in the grounds for the church fete.
There were huts in the ground used by Roseworth Junior School for a couple of years and I was one of the pupils who attended.
In later years I have attended various education classes in the main building at Kiora.
I remember as quite a small child watching firemen put out a hedgerow fire at the entrance to Blakeston Lane before the school was built – one fireman, obviously modifying the flow, sprayed water over us kids and I remember running away screaming.
Memories of HUGE bonfires being made.
I remember the grassed area in front of Runfold Close being a wilderness where we unPC and un Health and Safety kids got into all sorts of mischief with our bonfires etc
After we won the World Cup in 1966 I remember cycling to Thorpe Thewles (before the main road was built) in bright sunshine, complete silence, no traffic and under the old viaduct there – and as a child being completely safe.
Happy days!
I’ve missed out wonderful days in Ozzie Wood up Blakeston Lane and our friend the signal box man there.
And my final memory – a horse and cart delivery of milk to the area, a mobile shop, a sweet shop in one of the houses at the entrance to Blakeston Lane.
The Royal Army Ordanence Corp Depot (R.A.O.C) had spur line from Norton Junction to receive ammunition from the Royal Ordanance Factory at Newton Aycliffe. ( Track-bed can still be seen )
Its first supply was for the Royal Navy, later it supplied AA munitions and thousands of boxes of RAF ammunition, to bomber and costal-command. Both Blakeston School field and Supermarket car park now cover base sections of this dump, which proved impossible to remove. Of interest in this area is the 1938 BBC transmitter area, still in place south of Horse and Jockey. In late 1940 it was brought into action to ‘bend’ the Luftwaffe bombinging aid beacon, (knickelbein) which caused such havoc in Coventry. It was used also as a homing device for North of England RAF stations.
Until Fylingdale, it was part of the defence chain.
Bob, thank you sir. I have lived in Stockton all my life and never knew my mams sister married a German POW from Blakeston camp and went to live in Germany. Sadly we have lost touch with her,
so thanks again.
My late father Arturs Dalbins was also Latvian and also served for the German army fighting the Russians until he was wounded and taken off the front line. He arrived in the UK on 7/7/1947 and stayed at the National Service Hostel in Market Harborough and then was transferred to Kia-Ora Hall and later transferred to the YMCA hostel at Beacon Hill, Sadberge. I have quite a few documents and photographs from that time of the men that lived there with my dad. Sadly my dad passed away in 1999, I can’t remember him mentioning a sweet shop to be honest, buts it so nice to hear of someone else who was at the same place as my dad.
I have reference to your dad on my Knibbs Family web site. I would love to know more information about him and your mother if you would be happy sharing it with me.
My father, a Latvian, served in the German army fighting the Russians during the last war. He was captured by the Americans, handed over to the British, who forced him to clear mines in Europe until 1947, and he docked in Hull on 21st Jul 1947. 2 days later he was in Kia-Ora work camp, or POW camp. I have here in front of me his very first National Insurance certificate, which states his local office was the National Provincial Bank Chambers, High Street in Redcar. I remember my dad telling me he was flabbergasted that the moment he came here, he had to start handing over his money!.. (no change there then!), but he also described Kia-Ora camp in detail, it being part of his new life. He used to have to squat in one of the gun pits for shelter, one of the others was the latrine! If only the shoppers now could picture that! He told me it was pretty grim in 1947 there, and he was more homesick than ever before, even more than under Russian attack! But he also told me there was a shop VERY near to the camp, he went to get sweets there, the woman behind the counter was very charming, asking if he was German, filling the bag with more than ‘a quarter’!… When he told her he was Latvian, she took a handful of sweets back out of the bag and ushered him out of the shop! Does anyone know which shop this might be?
Hello P Boiston, is it Peter? My broter Nicholos now lives in Sedgefield, married with two grown up children and David lives near me in Stowmarket Suffolk, he went a nasty operation for mouth cancer and seems to be doing well. I came up to Stockton in May and hope to come up again this November. I will remember you to them both.
Regarding the Military camp that became Crossleys depot – there was a road leading off Junction road just to the east side of the present bungalow which led to a gatehouse manned by soldiers round the back side of the depot, as kids we called the road ‘the Mag’ which was short for ‘magazine’ (a storehouse for ammunition)- inside the fence were concrete underground bunkers presumably where the ammunition was stored – these bunkers were left derelict for many years until the land was levelled for the Tesco store. The depot was, for a short while, rail served with a single line coming off the Norton West to Redmarshall East line – the line was no longer there in the 1950’s although the cutting was still visible, rubbish full, in the 1970’s. In the late 1950’s-early 1960’s I can remember the depot being emptied prior to closure & from our vantage point at the bottom of Renvyle Avenue we watched the equipment being moved away on low loaders.
Regarding the Horse & Jockey – I remember the single storied white prefab building very well as both my Father & Grandfather were regulars there – as you approached from Durham Road the bar was on the left side of the building & the music room was on the right side, I believe the music room was only open at weekends but was the unofficial ‘offdoor’ where us kids had to go if we wanted to buy any crisps, salted peanuts or popcorn – never ever were we allowed in the bar!!
Hello Ann Dove(Storey) – I still live in Rockferry Close, Anne. I know your brothers David and Nicholos. I remember your mam and dad. My sister is Barbara, I had a brother called Alan who sadly died. My father Bob worked at the Farm Stores in Stockton.
Your family lived in no 1 Rockall which is now up for rent I believe.
The Ward family live next door to me and Mrs Ward still lives in Rockferry.
You might remember the large black and white Borzoi dog. Cars used to stop and look at her.
I have a photo of the Borzoi stood with me and Alan outside our house in Rockferry Close –
sadly somebody poisoned the poor dog.
P Boiston – I moved to Roseworth in 1953. You say that you remember the Horse and Jockey being a prefab, well I also remember that. My brother and I used to spend many an hour over there in their house of course as we were friendly with their children – Caroline and John Sheperdson was their name. We lived in Rockall Avenue.
I was born at Roseworth in 1956. Looking at that picture I can see the road was a crossroads. I can remember sitting outside the Horse and Jockey with my father and our Borzoi dog. The pub was a prefab then, not the building it is now. Hardwick was not built then. I can remember Hardwick being built when I was at school because we used to play in the new buildings and the wogy (watchman) used to chase us back over the road into Roseworth. I walked into a pub up Thorpe Thewles one day and their was a debate about which was built first, Hardwick or Roseworth. I told the five men that Roseworth was first. They said how do you know, I said ‘well I was born there in 1956 and Hardwick wasn’t built.’ I will never forget their faces. You could hear a pin drop they were that quite. Now you are lucky to see two people in a pub.
The POW camp remains are still there under the houses opposite the Kiora hall main gates. There is a corner of a building in my nans garden. The last remains ofthe ammo dump were demolished for the now site of Tesco back in the 90s which was Sainsburys then. All that remains now (except for underground)is Kiora bungalow on Junction Road and Kiora Hall on Ragpath Lane.
To put things right, that was not the POW camp, it was an ammunition dump. Out back were concrete block houses full of ammunition of all kinds and in the big building, stores also big guns at one time. It was built before the war and suposedly secret but us local lads knew all about it. The POW camp was at Kiaora where the 4.7 anti aircraft gun pits were, when they fired during the war the shells flew over our house in Mill Lane with a big woosh to explode out over Tees Bay. The first men in the POW camp were the Italians who came marching out each day and peeled off at various places to work. A lot worked at the Norton Station coal stalls or with the local market gardeners we had a lot round Norton. Next came the Germans as the Italians were moved on. They did exactly the same, one used to work for my pal Dennis Goldsbrough”s father on the coal carts. The ones we met were very nice men who were glad their war was over so Kiaora must have been a Nazi free area. When they eventualy went home sometime in 1948 it became a camp for displaced persons, there were a lot of Poles there. Some of the local girls married men from that camp and lived out their lives locally.
Re the navy depot question. My understanding is that it was a military camp that served as a POW camp in the war. It became the “Crossleys” building supplies centre and as someone has said, now Jewsons. Anyone remeber the yellow Crossley trucks (lorries, pardon my Canadian). Mickey Johnson formerly of Roseworth was (and perhaps still is) employed there. I last saw Mick a couple of years ago and will look him up when my family visit again in July.
Cheers Roy, I thought my mind was playing tricks, I used to go past every weekend going to darlington market and could slightly remember a sailor standing on guard duty at the gatehouse and a notice saying MOD royal navy ,There was somthing else as well Can anyone Remember a Spitfire Plane on display on Billingham Motors Roundabout at the bottom of Central ave,That would have been about the same time as the Great train Robbery, can rember my dad taking me to see it when I was a bairn
Peter Newell. The depot opposite the Horse and Jockey on Junction Road was a RASC/RAOC Depot, where Jewsons is now, which will have had Royal Navy trucks as well as RAF and Army traffic going in and out. Roy.
was wondering if anyone can shed some light, I can barely remember somthing to do with the royal navy depot opposit the horse n jocky pub,Junction rd ,was there one there or is it my memory playing tricks , I can remember the one on the yarm back road,
Nursery – Durham Road Nursery they called it then on account that it was on Durham Road, school for children under five, for some reason they now call it the Daylight Nursery! Going right back now is getting better, especially the dark winter mornings I remember most, Dad breaking his trip to work in the High Street to drop us off, I say us because there was two of us, me and my younger brother Howard (Gordon), I don’t think my older sister Carol went for some reason or I cant remember her, will have to ask. I can remember going in as if it was yesterday, opening the gate to the entrance way to the centre of the building, to the left was the grassed area sectioned off for the babies and a uniformed long row of black Silver Cross prams highly polished, to the right and all around the back was the grassed area were we big uns used to play. Entering the building at the centre you came in to the main body which housed the main hall, office and kitchen, to the left was the inner sanctum of the baby unit, apparently we went there as well but not even I can remember that far back. To the right was what we called our room, the main thing I remember about this was after dinner we were all put down to sleep on little camp beds a pillow and blanket. Breakfast, I remember dad having his tea and toast before resuming his journey in to town, us cuddling the old radiators getting warm, we had our own little tables and chairs in the hall, dinner and tea was also supplied, I wonder how much it cost, must ask mam. I remember a little girl choking on a fish bone and the ambulance arriving to take her to hospital, put me off fish for life. Radiators, old metal chunky ones, coming out of North Tees Hospital the other day and I remember saying to the wife, if this was Stockton and Thornaby Hospital this soggy cap would be dry now! Progress. Roy.
If im thinking rightly then this photo as it would look if taken now would man the top left (houses) are Roseworth, bottom left is now Mc”ds and Tesco, bottom right is now Horse and Jockey and top right is now Hardwick, please if im wrong let me know. Right or wrong its a fascinating photo
This is Durham Rd, a view heading south toward Stockton, at the junction where the “Horse and Jockey” now sits. Hardwick estate was about to be built, which makes me think that the picture was taken in 1955?
I was born in 1955 in Roseworth in Runfold Close, near Junction Rd which was then a track with hedgerows. As children we were turned out in all weathers to explore – we found a concrete gun base near the railway line near Blakeston Lane signal box – we called it a bomb. We played in the pillbox near there. My mother’s sister helped work an Ack Ack gun in WW2 in the Kiora area I believe – she told us tales of shooting down German planes which we took with a pinch of salt – but I found out later that the females who were supposed to just do the plotting often fired at Gerrie. Just recently I have learnt that my father who was reserved occupation and in the Home Guard was actually a seargent who marched POWs from place to place in the area. On manoevres he would tell my mother of ‘long legged fleas’ who attacked his men in some of their billets!
As a follow up to my other information here are a few more memories of my wonderful 1950s – 60s childhood in Roseworth.
A Spanish onion man who rode around on his bike selling the onions which were hung from his handle bars. He used to wear a black beret.
A shed, white-washed inside, around the corner from Kiora Hall, where I spent many happy times with my Dad as he picked out bedding plants to buy and other items for his beloved garden.
My older sister took a Sunday school class in the grounds of Kiora Hall in the summer in the early 60s. I was a very naughty pupil – after all she was only my sister!.
St Chad’s used the hall including our vicar Beeston who later became someone high up in the church in London.
As children there was a story about a ghost at Kiora which I thought we children had just invented – in later years I realised that other people had seen the ‘White Lady’.
I remember collecting donated books from house to house in Roseworth and then selling them on a stall in the grounds for the church fete.
There were huts in the ground used by Roseworth Junior School for a couple of years and I was one of the pupils who attended.
In later years I have attended various education classes in the main building at Kiora.
I remember as quite a small child watching firemen put out a hedgerow fire at the entrance to Blakeston Lane before the school was built – one fireman, obviously modifying the flow, sprayed water over us kids and I remember running away screaming.
Memories of HUGE bonfires being made.
I remember the grassed area in front of Runfold Close being a wilderness where we unPC and un Health and Safety kids got into all sorts of mischief with our bonfires etc
After we won the World Cup in 1966 I remember cycling to Thorpe Thewles (before the main road was built) in bright sunshine, complete silence, no traffic and under the old viaduct there – and as a child being completely safe.
Happy days!
I’ve missed out wonderful days in Ozzie Wood up Blakeston Lane and our friend the signal box man there.
And my final memory – a horse and cart delivery of milk to the area, a mobile shop, a sweet shop in one of the houses at the entrance to Blakeston Lane.
The Royal Army Ordanence Corp Depot (R.A.O.C) had spur line from Norton Junction to receive ammunition from the Royal Ordanance Factory at Newton Aycliffe. ( Track-bed can still be seen )
Its first supply was for the Royal Navy, later it supplied AA munitions and thousands of boxes of RAF ammunition, to bomber and costal-command. Both Blakeston School field and Supermarket car park now cover base sections of this dump, which proved impossible to remove. Of interest in this area is the 1938 BBC transmitter area, still in place south of Horse and Jockey. In late 1940 it was brought into action to ‘bend’ the Luftwaffe bombinging aid beacon, (knickelbein) which caused such havoc in Coventry. It was used also as a homing device for North of England RAF stations.
Until Fylingdale, it was part of the defence chain.
Bob, thank you sir. I have lived in Stockton all my life and never knew my mams sister married a German POW from Blakeston camp and went to live in Germany. Sadly we have lost touch with her,
so thanks again.
My late father Arturs Dalbins was also Latvian and also served for the German army fighting the Russians until he was wounded and taken off the front line. He arrived in the UK on 7/7/1947 and stayed at the National Service Hostel in Market Harborough and then was transferred to Kia-Ora Hall and later transferred to the YMCA hostel at Beacon Hill, Sadberge. I have quite a few documents and photographs from that time of the men that lived there with my dad. Sadly my dad passed away in 1999, I can’t remember him mentioning a sweet shop to be honest, buts it so nice to hear of someone else who was at the same place as my dad.
Did he worked at Redland Tiles… decent bloke.
I have reference to your dad on my Knibbs Family web site. I would love to know more information about him and your mother if you would be happy sharing it with me.
My father, a Latvian, served in the German army fighting the Russians during the last war. He was captured by the Americans, handed over to the British, who forced him to clear mines in Europe until 1947, and he docked in Hull on 21st Jul 1947. 2 days later he was in Kia-Ora work camp, or POW camp. I have here in front of me his very first National Insurance certificate, which states his local office was the National Provincial Bank Chambers, High Street in Redcar. I remember my dad telling me he was flabbergasted that the moment he came here, he had to start handing over his money!.. (no change there then!), but he also described Kia-Ora camp in detail, it being part of his new life. He used to have to squat in one of the gun pits for shelter, one of the others was the latrine! If only the shoppers now could picture that! He told me it was pretty grim in 1947 there, and he was more homesick than ever before, even more than under Russian attack! But he also told me there was a shop VERY near to the camp, he went to get sweets there, the woman behind the counter was very charming, asking if he was German, filling the bag with more than ‘a quarter’!… When he told her he was Latvian, she took a handful of sweets back out of the bag and ushered him out of the shop! Does anyone know which shop this might be?
Hello P Boiston, is it Peter? My broter Nicholos now lives in Sedgefield, married with two grown up children and David lives near me in Stowmarket Suffolk, he went a nasty operation for mouth cancer and seems to be doing well. I came up to Stockton in May and hope to come up again this November. I will remember you to them both.
Regarding the Military camp that became Crossleys depot – there was a road leading off Junction road just to the east side of the present bungalow which led to a gatehouse manned by soldiers round the back side of the depot, as kids we called the road ‘the Mag’ which was short for ‘magazine’ (a storehouse for ammunition)- inside the fence were concrete underground bunkers presumably where the ammunition was stored – these bunkers were left derelict for many years until the land was levelled for the Tesco store. The depot was, for a short while, rail served with a single line coming off the Norton West to Redmarshall East line – the line was no longer there in the 1950’s although the cutting was still visible, rubbish full, in the 1970’s. In the late 1950’s-early 1960’s I can remember the depot being emptied prior to closure & from our vantage point at the bottom of Renvyle Avenue we watched the equipment being moved away on low loaders.
Regarding the Horse & Jockey – I remember the single storied white prefab building very well as both my Father & Grandfather were regulars there – as you approached from Durham Road the bar was on the left side of the building & the music room was on the right side, I believe the music room was only open at weekends but was the unofficial ‘offdoor’ where us kids had to go if we wanted to buy any crisps, salted peanuts or popcorn – never ever were we allowed in the bar!!
Hello Ann Dove(Storey) – I still live in Rockferry Close, Anne. I know your brothers David and Nicholos. I remember your mam and dad. My sister is Barbara, I had a brother called Alan who sadly died. My father Bob worked at the Farm Stores in Stockton.
Your family lived in no 1 Rockall which is now up for rent I believe.
The Ward family live next door to me and Mrs Ward still lives in Rockferry.
You might remember the large black and white Borzoi dog. Cars used to stop and look at her.
I have a photo of the Borzoi stood with me and Alan outside our house in Rockferry Close –
sadly somebody poisoned the poor dog.
P Boiston – I moved to Roseworth in 1953. You say that you remember the Horse and Jockey being a prefab, well I also remember that. My brother and I used to spend many an hour over there in their house of course as we were friendly with their children – Caroline and John Sheperdson was their name. We lived in Rockall Avenue.
I was born at Roseworth in 1956. Looking at that picture I can see the road was a crossroads. I can remember sitting outside the Horse and Jockey with my father and our Borzoi dog. The pub was a prefab then, not the building it is now. Hardwick was not built then. I can remember Hardwick being built when I was at school because we used to play in the new buildings and the wogy (watchman) used to chase us back over the road into Roseworth. I walked into a pub up Thorpe Thewles one day and their was a debate about which was built first, Hardwick or Roseworth. I told the five men that Roseworth was first. They said how do you know, I said ‘well I was born there in 1956 and Hardwick wasn’t built.’ I will never forget their faces. You could hear a pin drop they were that quite. Now you are lucky to see two people in a pub.
The POW camp remains are still there under the houses opposite the Kiora hall main gates. There is a corner of a building in my nans garden. The last remains ofthe ammo dump were demolished for the now site of Tesco back in the 90s which was Sainsburys then. All that remains now (except for underground)is Kiora bungalow on Junction Road and Kiora Hall on Ragpath Lane.
To put things right, that was not the POW camp, it was an ammunition dump. Out back were concrete block houses full of ammunition of all kinds and in the big building, stores also big guns at one time. It was built before the war and suposedly secret but us local lads knew all about it. The POW camp was at Kiaora where the 4.7 anti aircraft gun pits were, when they fired during the war the shells flew over our house in Mill Lane with a big woosh to explode out over Tees Bay. The first men in the POW camp were the Italians who came marching out each day and peeled off at various places to work. A lot worked at the Norton Station coal stalls or with the local market gardeners we had a lot round Norton. Next came the Germans as the Italians were moved on. They did exactly the same, one used to work for my pal Dennis Goldsbrough”s father on the coal carts. The ones we met were very nice men who were glad their war was over so Kiaora must have been a Nazi free area. When they eventualy went home sometime in 1948 it became a camp for displaced persons, there were a lot of Poles there. Some of the local girls married men from that camp and lived out their lives locally.
Hi Peter, I remember the Spitfire, always wondered how it had managed to land there!
Re the navy depot question. My understanding is that it was a military camp that served as a POW camp in the war. It became the “Crossleys” building supplies centre and as someone has said, now Jewsons. Anyone remeber the yellow Crossley trucks (lorries, pardon my Canadian). Mickey Johnson formerly of Roseworth was (and perhaps still is) employed there. I last saw Mick a couple of years ago and will look him up when my family visit again in July.
Cheers Roy, I thought my mind was playing tricks, I used to go past every weekend going to darlington market and could slightly remember a sailor standing on guard duty at the gatehouse and a notice saying MOD royal navy ,There was somthing else as well Can anyone Remember a Spitfire Plane on display on Billingham Motors Roundabout at the bottom of Central ave,That would have been about the same time as the Great train Robbery, can rember my dad taking me to see it when I was a bairn
Peter Newell. The depot opposite the Horse and Jockey on Junction Road was a RASC/RAOC Depot, where Jewsons is now, which will have had Royal Navy trucks as well as RAF and Army traffic going in and out. Roy.
was wondering if anyone can shed some light, I can barely remember somthing to do with the royal navy depot opposit the horse n jocky pub,Junction rd ,was there one there or is it my memory playing tricks , I can remember the one on the yarm back road,
Nursery – Durham Road Nursery they called it then on account that it was on Durham Road, school for children under five, for some reason they now call it the Daylight Nursery! Going right back now is getting better, especially the dark winter mornings I remember most, Dad breaking his trip to work in the High Street to drop us off, I say us because there was two of us, me and my younger brother Howard (Gordon), I don’t think my older sister Carol went for some reason or I cant remember her, will have to ask. I can remember going in as if it was yesterday, opening the gate to the entrance way to the centre of the building, to the left was the grassed area sectioned off for the babies and a uniformed long row of black Silver Cross prams highly polished, to the right and all around the back was the grassed area were we big uns used to play. Entering the building at the centre you came in to the main body which housed the main hall, office and kitchen, to the left was the inner sanctum of the baby unit, apparently we went there as well but not even I can remember that far back. To the right was what we called our room, the main thing I remember about this was after dinner we were all put down to sleep on little camp beds a pillow and blanket. Breakfast, I remember dad having his tea and toast before resuming his journey in to town, us cuddling the old radiators getting warm, we had our own little tables and chairs in the hall, dinner and tea was also supplied, I wonder how much it cost, must ask mam. I remember a little girl choking on a fish bone and the ambulance arriving to take her to hospital, put me off fish for life. Radiators, old metal chunky ones, coming out of North Tees Hospital the other day and I remember saying to the wife, if this was Stockton and Thornaby Hospital this soggy cap would be dry now! Progress. Roy.
If im thinking rightly then this photo as it would look if taken now would man the top left (houses) are Roseworth, bottom left is now Mc”ds and Tesco, bottom right is now Horse and Jockey and top right is now Hardwick, please if im wrong let me know. Right or wrong its a fascinating photo
This is Durham Rd, a view heading south toward Stockton, at the junction where the “Horse and Jockey” now sits. Hardwick estate was about to be built, which makes me think that the picture was taken in 1955?