St Andrews and St Georges United Reformed Church, Yarm Lane. Foundation stone laid in 1872. Officially opened and dedicated as St Georges Presbyterian Church on 14th Septemeber 1876, by Rev.J.Oswald Dykes D.D. Merged with former St Andrews church on 18th Januray 1934. c1985 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Has anyone got a photo of St Andrews on Towers Street? John Bogue was a distance uncle.
St Andrews Tower Street
To anyone who remembered Dr Alastair Smith MBE (Mil), a General Practitioner in Stockton-on-Tees from 1949 to 1982, he died in a nursing home in Kendal yesterday the 14th February 2014 aged 95.
Having seen active service on the rescue ships in the North Atlantic during WW11 he was also active in the Royal Naval Association in Stockton and a Serving Brother with The Saint John’s Ambulance Brigade. A supporter of The National Health Service he worked hard as a member of the North Tees Hospital Management Committee.
With surgeries in Dovecot Street, Stockton and George Street in Thornaby Dr Smith and his partner Dr Hood worked hard and were respected as doctors.
Alistair, your father had a long and productive life. I’m sorry to hear of his passing. As I mentioned in a previous posting, Dr. Smith played an important role in my early life, starting when I had a life-threatening experience with pneumonia as a five year old. That was in 1949, so it must have been not long after he opened his practice in Stockton. He and Doctor Hood were our family doctors throughout my childhood and adolescence.
Mr. Birnie baptised my sister, Catherine in 1956. I too was baptised in the Church but by Mr. Struthers who also married my parents. I was married in the Church as was my sister. My daughter was baptised there also.The Minister was Mr. Michael Dunford.My Grandfather, William Johnstone was an elder.
Fiona I am sorry to hear of the death of your father. I remember him well. A man without bias, he gave both your brother Alastair and I the same dressing down for letting off a stinkbomb at the Sunday School. I believe, with another Alastair, we were the three trouble Alastairs. You will no doubt remember my sister Rosemary. She is living and teaching in Liverpool.
Fiona – obviously you must have been Fiona Birnie! I was Judith Hird, and I remember you and your family very well. Your mother taught maths at Grangefield, didn”t she? And you ( and older sister – Eilidh ??? ) were both pupils there at the same time. Do you remember Cathy Parkinson, Virginia Moody, Joan Askew, Cherry Coates, Margaret Pennock, Rosemary Wardell, Marion Lee???? They were all my friends for most of the 7 years I was at Grangefield. We are now living in Hertfordshire, but my spiritual home is very much the north east and we try to get to Yorkshire at least a couple of times a year – a bit easier since retirement! I”d love to hear from you – I think this website is brilliant, especially some of the old photographs, which I”m finding most helpful in my family history project. Very best wishes, Judy
My father, Norman Birnie, was Minister at St Andrew & St George from 1955 to 1960. He died in Northumberland in February 2006, at the age of 93. It was good to find this picture of the church I knew so well as a girl.
Alistair Smith: it is good to hear that your father has enjoyed a long life and is living in Kendall. I remember him as a kindly, no-nonsense doctor who worked very hard for his patients. I”m sure there are many Stocktonians who owe their health and their lives to him. I did not know he was an MBE.
Further to Doctor Alastair Smith. He is still alive,01/02/2006 and living in Kendal at the age of 88.
The surgery was No.77 Dovecot Street until the new health centre was built in the 70s. My father also saved me from certain death when I had pneumonia at the age of 3. Good to hear from expats.
Alistair Smith: was your father Doctor Alistair Smith the Scottish MD who had a surgery in Dovecot Street? If so he was our family doctor for years until his retirement when he was replaced by Dr. Hood. My mother always credited Dr. Smith with saving my life when I contracted pneumonia as a small child.
The stencilled illuminated message in the window to the right of the front doors was created by my father Dr Alastair W Smith MBE in the 1960″s. The message was changed every week. However, the present message has remained unchanged for over 20 years. Dr Alastair Smith was a respected Elder of the Church when it was The Presbyterian Church.