Castle Theatre High St. c. 1909. In about 1912 the building was renamed the Empire Theatre. At this point in time moving pictures had started being made. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Castle Theatre High St. c. 1909. In about 1912 the building was renamed the Empire Theatre. At this point in time moving pictures had started being made.
My mother was an usherette at the empire. I remember watching Abbot and Costello in “Jack and the beanstalk” there when I wad a kid. I used to go in Sloans too in the mid 60s. I remember Buster Russell well, he was always in the cafe in Ramsgate Street.
Speedy, a name from the past, and Dave Hall. I bumped into Dave a couple of months ago, he lives in Acliff and is a Sunday morning reff. And Barry Jones, I made contact with him on friends reunited – he was always known as “young Barry”, and “old Barry” was the dark one. I have seen him a couple of times and he is not well (Billy Russell) he died a couple of years ago I am now married to his niece. Can you all remember walking on our tiptoes to look older to get into the snooker hall? I can still remember the first fim I saw at the pictures above, it was called Old Yellow (Best Dog Of Dogs in The West).
Still a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan fan and some more but divorced from Sally now. The Metropole Cellar bar opposite Sloans! We could tell a lot more stories too.
I too remember a blonde Barry Jones ( I think he married a nurse (was it Sally?) he was a Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan fan. I also used to frequent Sloanes with Dave Hall and speedy from Parkfield in the early sixties. I think I first met Barry in the Metropole cellar bar,(entrance in Wood Street.)
Sorry Tony Scott cant put a face to a name but it has been 40 years and I do apologize. I am the small one, with gray hair now, but still the same inside and still a Townie. If you come across big Barry say hello for me, I”ve heard he is not his old self. I live in Grimsby now and I love logging on to this site and catching up! Thank you Tony.
I think Billy Russel passed away years ago, and yes they are two Barry Jones and I know both of you. The tall dark haired Barry did not look to well last time I saw him, and you must be the small blond haired Barry – the last time I saw you was away somewhere I was doing a charity gig and I was talking to you. Did you not work for Dickens at one time? Hope life is treating you well anyway Barry.
I do have a brother called Terry but I did have a good friend, also called Barry Jones, with a brother called Terry too. My family lived in Cecil Street in the Parkfield area. Does anyone know if old BILLY RUSSELL still with us?
BARRY JONES YOU ARE SPOT ON WITH GOOD OLD BILLY RUSSELL, ME AND MY MATES WERE 16/17 YEARS OF AGE WHEN WE USED SLOANS, AND HE USED TO SAY “ANY PROBLEMS LADS, COME AND SEE ME”. ARE YOU RELATED TO TERRY JONES BY CHANCE?
Regarding Sloans snooker hall – I attended Holy Trinity in the early sixties and visits there were not encouraged, I believe it was out of bounds. In the late 60s I played there on saturday afternoon, the private room did not have the best table, that was number one next to the room.
The snooker hall was run by two sisters Nora and Agie and their friend Sally as well. It had six tables on the first floor and six tables on the second floor and a private room for the big gamblers. Good old Billy Russell, ex prize fighter and part time bouncer but a lovely friend to a young 15/16/17 year old like myself.
Spent many an hour in Sloans around the mid-sixties during my mis-spent youth. Although some of the clientelle may have been a little rough around the edges I can”t remember any trouble. I remember the place being run by two ladies who I think were sisters. One I am sure was Nora, can”t remember the other. Only time I saw a policeman in there was during the big country wide manhunt for Harry Roberts who killed three policemen in London and is probably being released soon I have read recently.
The billiard hall in the Empire Arcade was called Sloanes, rumoured to frequented by Teddy Boys and not the type of establishment for boys like myself attending Holy Trinity School. Of course this made it all the more attractive a place to visit. To me it appeared a respectable billiard hall and from what I can remember very well run with strict rules. The Empire Cinema was the venue for all the “X” rated films and the “Flicks” where at the age of 14 I managed to sneak in for my first horrer movie, The Blob. I was always told that to be good at snooker or billiards was a sign of a misspent youth. No such luck, I am useless at both.
I REMEMBER THE BILLIARD HALL UPSTAIRS IN THE EMPIRE, WE USED TO GO THERE IN THE EARLY SIXTIES AND PLAY SNOOKER IN THE PRIVATE ROOM. IT COST A BIT EXTRA BUT IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE YOUR OWN ROOM TO PLAY IN. AS FOR THE CINEMA, I ONCE WENT FIVE AFTERNOONS IN A ROW WITH DAVE APPLEBY TO WATCH JERRY LEWIS & DEAN MARTIN”S FILM (IN THE ARMY), THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIFTIES.
My father took me to the billiard hall when I was 4 years old in 1939. I stood on a beer crate to reach the table and got a round of applause off the other players when I managed to hit the cue ball. I now play pool so I must have learnt something.
The billiard hall was upstairs.I used to go and play there on a saturday morning during 1942, with my fellow apprentices from Fred Kidds.
The good old Empire, I also used to go there in the fifties. You could also go in by the front as you see on the picture, that was the posh entrance – all red carpet and velvet seats. I also remember there was a billiard room or club underneath as well as the shops, anyone remember that?
I remember going to the Empire in the late 50″s to see “The Dam Busters” the entrance was through of the large arched openings at each side of the photo.A lso in there were a few shops, I can only remember a chemists of some sorts. Outside on the right, and possibly part of the building or not, was a record shop, name forgotten, where my uncle bought me my first record R.O.C.K, by Bill Haley and the Comets. I still have the record and since then have bought very little else except Rock n Roll or Rhythm n Blues.
Great site, even for someone not from Stockton. Does any one out there have a photos of Pine Street in the early 1900″s and Hill Street W from the mid 1920″s please? I checked the photos on site but some aren”t named so I wouldn”t know it even if it was on the site.