John Bond. Yes I remember your house very well.I remember all the places round there so clearly and so very fondly. Norths bakery was it run by sisters? I think there was some connection with my first ever teacher in reception at Richard Hind Miss Robson and another sister who had a connection with St Peters sunday school and who wore hats like the Queen. As for the Miss Leonards John I used to get my liberty bodices from there things have moved on somewhat from those days!
To Ken Rhodes, thanks for that about my grandad. He was a great old fella, the reason he drank so much was that he was in the navy in World War I and got “shell shock” – it must have been pretty awful by the family stories I have heard, but he still had to go back for more. This man was a real hero but never spoke about it all. Evidently his ship was called HMS Ceasar and I am currently researching his navy/army records, he was in both services! His mother had died when he was an infant and he was brought up by his sister and a very strict father. When he was an old man and would stagger up the street singing “Sweet Adoline” and he always said the same thing, “I never knew me mother” Even after all those years it must have upset him. No wonder he drank, he had a hard, hard life, as they all had in those good old, bad old days. Isn”t it odd, everybody who comments on this site about the “old” days always say the same thing, I have even said it myself, “Happy Days” Think the happiness must have been bought by all the old heroes like my grandad. If anyone has any info about HMS Ceasar I would be delighted to receive it.
Alice, thank you for your message about my Gran, Tishy. It was lovely to hear something about her. I thought I had replied to you, but for some reason it did not appear. Maybe I didn”t send it properly. I wish I knew more about her. All I know is that she was born in Ireland. She died when I was 10 in 1967. I remember my dad talking about Sergeant Coles. In one of the above messages I said that someone was arrested after he fell off the doorstep. I think the arresting officer was him.
What a great site this is for bringing back memories of days gone bye.As you rightly say Trevor the bakers shop was Norths who also made wonderful Teacakes.I remember old man Cordukes who had newsagents shops on the corner of Northcote Street and Bowesfield Lane and on the corner of Bowesfield Lane and Parliment Street.I used to go to the co-op in Northcote Street for my mam for food and meat and my mother used to shop at the Misses Leonards. Alice i also remember Sergeant Coles what a wonderful man as you say when sober.Do either of the Bond lads remember Robsons shop run by the Woodward family which i think is the one called Parkins and cross corner to them was a shop called Shepards which sold sweets etc, its sincebeen turned into a house.Lisby going back to an early item you mentioned,the foundry you mentioned near the Six Fields walk was the Head Wrightsons Iron Foundry which another old HW employie Bob Irwin will remember all about.
My Dad Norman Anderson worked at Head Wrightson. I think it was in 1941. They were making bombs & dad was the office boy, one of his jobs was to go round and write down how many they had made and as my Dad was about 16 & the family had spent the last 10 years in Walthamstow area he had a cockney accent despite being from Middlesbrough, so the men working there had his life!
The bakers shop at the corner of St.Peters was called Norths and made the finest iced buns.It was only when it was demolished that I saw it had a cellar.
Lisby Brown, just been browsing this thread again and realised I missed your question. yes, I lived at 34 St Peter”s Road. Willimots one side, Billy Maclean at the other for a long time. Mean anything? Was Parkins the shop at the top on the right as you look towards Stafford street? And can you remember a shop at our end of St Peter”s, before they made the car park? a baker”s? Mum used to send my brothers Nigel and or Trevor for Russian and/or Custard Slices. was there a shop there? And what about Fat Kee”s take away, Harbron”s greengrocer”s, and Cordukes. I think Fat Kee”s was formerly The Misses Leonards haberdashery, corsets, bits of wool and knitting patterns, but that”s probably a boy”s way of looking at it!!!! and are you old enough to remember the Co op on Northcote Street?
I enjoyed reading all of your comments I knew most of the people keith shirty, god rest his soul, their dad dicky i knew him as a good dart player and also davie burlo god rest his soul i am an oxbridge lad myself
Norman Rhodes. Re. your Dad with his happy days. I wrote in an earlier message re HW and how happy I was at the Firm. As I quoted “Job Satisfaction.” Which you don”t get these days. Although your Dad adds the War years which I can only remember as a small boy, they were the good years to be around. For many reasons. Another tale re. a name your Dad mentions Dicky Bradshaw. He was a Slinger in the Machine Shop at HW Thornaby. I was doing my training from the Apprentice School in the Fitting Shop for a week. Dicky was placing a large Vessel onto the ground and asked me to loosen the hook on the opposite side to where he was. I did so and just let it go, it flew over and hit the side of the vessel. It was only the vessel that saved him from a serious injury. I knew Dicky had a reputation of being a hardman and I became very frightened when he came round to me. Instead of playing war to me, he showed me where I had gone wrong. I regarded him as a true Gentleman after that.
To Lesley Targett, Do I remember Tishy, she was a lovely old lady, she was my mothers friend. She used to come into our house every Sunday night and we used to watch Sunday night at the London Paladium, then a quick turn of the knob onto BBC to watch Dr Finlay”s Casebook. She loved them both. I used to go into your Nanna”s house on a christmas morning to show them what toys Father Christmas had bought me. I used to carry them over in a pillowcase. Your aunt Patti and uncle Bill used to make a fuss of me in those days, I was just a sweet little girl. Pity things change. On New Year we used to go into Thishys to let her new year in. She always gave me a drink of cherry wine. I can taste it now and I have never tasted anything as lovely since. Don”t know where she got it from. I have bought several bottles of cherry wine but they never tasted as good as that one. To Ken Rhodes, I remember your mam as well, she was lovely lady. Always kept herself to herself I recall. You don”t remember me, I am Nora and Norman Coles” daughter, we lived in 35 Camden Street opposite your mam I believe. You were married when I was 2 years old. Bet you remember my grandad though Seargant Coles. He was right old bugger I believe but a kind grandad. The stories I have heard about him and the things he got up to, could write a book.
Hi Ken Some of the Bradshaws lived next door to my nan. I remember a lady who lived next door being very kind to my nan. She was crippled with arthritis and lived downstairs in her house for many years. I had a telephone conversation back in 1988 with Jackie Bradshaw. He told me quite a bit about nan.I think it was the Bradshaws that dad used to talk about when he said the lads used to get rather inebriated on a Saturday night and often put out the windows in the street and then go around on the Sunday apologising and repairing them! There was also a story that someone in the street was chased by the police for being drunk and disorderly and whoever it was got onto his own doorstep and said to the policeman that he couldn”t arrest him now because he was on his own property. Unfortunately, he fell off and was arrested anyway.
Hi Brian. No, I don”t remember the Spiritualist church in Cecil Street. That would have been towards the top of the street and I didn”t really know of anyone up there apart from “Dolly” Simpson who lived about halfway up the top half of Cecil Street on the odd numbered side. She married a distant cousin of mine from Wheatley Hill. I remember the Rainbow centre though, on Bowsie lane. It was a workshop area for handicapped persons.
Hello to Lesley Heselwood and Alice Coles both well known Camden Street names along with the Bradshaws, Smiths, Davis, Huntons ,Barbars, Gatenbys etc. I grew up with Jimmy, David and Pat as well as knowing Tish all my life in Camden Street. I lived in 36 next door to old man Dicky Bradshaw and the Coles family lived across the road next door to the Stanley family and the Perrots, Its a long long time ago when I was a boy of four to the day i got married in 1955 playing in the street during the war and going to Richard Hind Junior School and dodging the bombs in Denninson street. Happy days!
Alice Gardner, I note with interest that you lived in Camden Street. My Nanna, Bridget (Tishy) HESELWOOD lived at no 28 for many years. Do you remember her? My dad was Jimmy. I seem to recall him talking about the Coles family. I also remember him talking about the Spiritualist Church, and telling me that he and his pals used to rattle buttons on a piece of string on the window when they were having their meetings! I would love to know if anyone has any photos of Camden Street.
Yes I remember the Spiritualist Church Building. I lived in Camden Street, just across Bowesfield Lane from Cecil Street. The Spiritualist Church you refer to, in a later life became a bingo hall, or should I say HOUSE! It was known locally as “The spuggies”, I think this must have referred to its spiritualist past, spooks, spuggies? I don”t know. Anyway, I used to attend “The Spuggies” bingo hall with my mam, sometimes my dad, aunties and uncles and cousins, quite a family night out with the off chance of winning the grand total of £3.00 per house! In the 60s, Bingo was the place to be, that was a Monday and Wednesday night. If I am not mistaken there was also a bigger bingo hall at the bottom of Bowesfield Lane, right near the Robson Maternity home called The Rainbow Workshop. This was a really big HOUSE (sorry for the pun again) and I believed it was a handicapped fellowship building but had been a church as well in the past. This was Friday night out. All knocked down of course.
Arthur Oakley – As you lived in Cecil Street do you remember the National Spiritual Church at number 62? I have a family marriage certificate dated December 1928 and this is where the couple were married. I have been told it was just a house, if it was I can”t understand how it was licenced for marriages. Does anyone have a photograph of it?
We lived in Cecil Street. I well remember the fish shop on the corner of Chalk street and Pearson street as well as the Royal, Parliament Street and also Villiers Street which was a fish shop at one end and a fish and chip cafe at the other.
John Bond/Ken Rhodes Just taken my mum back to Stockton after she had a break with me and I am amazed at how much demolition is still going on around there. There is nothing left from our days there apart from Ropner park which has been revamped. I have so many lovely memories of days gone by. I”ll never forget them will you?
This must be the longest tale on this site. Going from HW ponds to the fish shops of Parkfield,which some people call Gods country.Parkins in my day was called Robsons run by a family called Woodward cross corner from Robson,s was a shop run by a family called Sheperd,s on the corner of Stafford Street. A gentleman called Herbert and his daughter June ran this shop for many years. Are all these shops and fish shops still there?
L brown. Don”t know about time delays. You”re right about an exciting site, while I ignore the pun on food/chips!!!!!!!! I”m just fascinated that Stockton in those days seemed to be full of chip shops, if Parkfield was anything to go by. Park-ins, I presume, was the shop on the corner, and not a chip shop? Diagonally opposie was, I think, a car breakers yard or something, behind high wooden fencing.
What were the turrets on the HW offices. We were able to get up there and play, but what were they for? and were the labs downstairs? And what was kept in the Strong Room in the corner of the Typing Pool?
John Bond. I did post the last message on chip shops on the eighth May. The time delay is odd. Did you say you were writing about Stockton? I expect this site has given you some exciting food for thought about chips if nothing else. Did you patronise any other shops round there. I remember Parkins on the corner of St Peters Rd
ken r, many thanks for the correction about the Waverley St chip shop. Although I lived in St Peter”s for a long time, we never seemed to move from one street to another very much, so although I know the names, I”m not sure which is which. My nana lived in Cecil Street, and the same was true there – Chalk Street, Bickersteth Street. You knew the names, but you seemed to keep to your own. As for the patterns, I hope I did play on some of yours. I would have been there 1951/2. And I”m sure there was a shop somewhere near St Peters called Rhodes”. any connection?
Chip shops. The Royal was on Bowesfield Lane and a bit posher than the others. I was fasinated by the potato slicing machine as a child.We were spoiled for choice as there was Meggies too.We lived closest to that one so I don”t know why we didn”t use it that much. Then the one in Dennison Street where we used to beg scraps on cold winter nights.We thought all our HAPPY BIRTHDAY”s had come at once and all for free.
John Bond.I lived in Camden Street next to Stafford Street and a lady called Mrs Mack run the fish shop in that street.The fish shop on St Cuthberts Road was called Meggies,it was on the corner of Waverly Street.There was also shops at the bottom of Northcote Street, one in Addley Srreet and one lastly on Bowsfield Lane.Quite a number. Doreens came a few years later.Also John i happen to work at HW pattern shop at Thornaby for a spell and possibly made some of the patterns you played around near the pool.Small world.
phil collier, this certainly seems to be the pond I have been interested in. Concrete lined definitely. I played there in the early fifties. maybe the design office was part of the building where my dad worked. The pond was full of boxes, which we used to run across and hope not to fall in,for the concrete was also lined, with thick black mud! I only went there on Saturdays, when the works was deserted, except for the foundry, and when it rained, we played in the office building while my dad “caught up” on work, I suppose. I don”t know what he did. He died in 53.
lisby brown, yes I lived in St Peter”s Road. I think there was a chip shop on the corner of stafford Street and St Cuthbert”s Road – the Ideal, the Royal? Or something else. It wasn”t Doreen”s; that was in Dennison street, I think. Maybe we need a special site for chip shops! I remember Grove Street, Bowesfield Lane and Northcote Street had them, and later of course Fat Kee”s offered chips with the takeaways.
My dad worked at head wrightsons for many years (Alan Collier. I learned to fish in the concrete lined fire pool around 1980. A chap called Harry? was in the fishing club and via my Dad showed me how to catch roach. I used to drop my dad off to the design office at the back of the works in the early 70″s, I remember feeling intimidated by the noise, sparks and industry at the works.
lisby brown the bakery was jacksons, I think, the head wrightsons was the eaglescliffe one, where I worked on my holidays in the pattern shop. across the railway was the bricky, and running at ninety degrees or thereabouts to the main line was the cuckoo railway. maybe you remember st peters road as well, before it was pedestrianised?
I”ve been off this site for a while. Just seen your comments. Are you both talking about the same pond? Or were there two? As I remember, the one I was wondering about was concrete lined, had sloping sides, and wasn”t terribly big. And it was near where the patterns were piled up. I used to play among those patterns, climbing, hiding and so on.
When I was a little girl I used to cross the railway line at a bakery and go across the “Six Fields” I have a feeling that included the back of Head Wrightson am I right?
The “pond” at Head Wrightson was a fire pond. It was stocked with fish brought back from fishing trips made by Head Wrightsons fishing club (still going to date). The club members would feed the fish at lunchtimes!! There were roach,chub,gudgeon etc. I used to take my son there fishing in about 1980.
John Bond I Remember there was a pond I think it was lined, between the foundry offices and the river in the area were the patterns were stored though I don”t know its purpose.If we can get comments from any of the metallurgists from the foundry we could find out, possibly it was for some form of treatment to the Castings which involved rapid cooling.
John Bond. Re. Jimmy Kelley. He worked on the River as a Boatman and he had Retainers from various Companies whose property went down to the Riverside. One of them being Head Wrightsons. When there was a launch Jimmy was always there in his boat passing the ropes etc from the Dockgate to the men on the Tugs. Eventually everything went wrong for him because Companies were not keeping up the retainers except for HW”s. They then took him on their payroll but he did keep up the Ferry. I left HW”s in 1962 and he still worked there after that. As far as the pattern boxes are concerned they were made in the Pattern shop by Pattermnmakers and not Joiners. Re. the pool I can”t remember that. HW”s was a good firm to work for and I would say that I had “Job Satisfaction” there which I can say never happened at any other place I worked.
Bob Irwin,Thanks very much. Soon as you mentioned the name Jimmy Kelley, it rang a bell. I have this misty memory of going on that ferry with my dad. Is that possible? I was born 1942. As you were a joiner, did you make the “pattern boxes” that seemed to be all over the place, and what was the Cooling Pond and why was it always full of said boxes? These are all vague memories of a nine or ten year old so probably contain lots of inaccuracies.
John Rowlands Bond. Head Wrightsons were well known for the production of Dock Gates. I worked on them as a Joiner. Any that were ordered for the East Coast and the area around the English Channel were made at the Teasdale Works and launched from there and towed along the Coast to their destination. The West Coast ones such as Liverpool were made in Liverpool and we had to work away from home. Regarding the Ferry, it was run by Jimmy Kelley. He worked it from the end of Trafalgar Street on the Thornaby side and went straight across the River to the Stockton side and landed his customers between Rembrants Factory and Remploy at Bishop Street. I would think that it is in the area of the new Princess Diana Bridge.
My dad was Norman Rowlands Bond and worked at Heads till 1952 or 3. He worked in the offices. I used to go with him on Saturday mornings and play in and around said building with Frank Allen, whose dad George worked with my dad. I”m actually writing about these experiences at the moment,was amazed to see the photos that show the building very much as I remember it, and wonder if anyone has any info about my dad (and even me, for that matter! I seem to remember something being launched – dock gate springs to mind. And was there a rowing boat ever that ferried people across the river, or have I made that up?
Hi Alan. Thanks for the information. In my days there we were to busy to take photographs, remembering one occasion. It was the launch of one of the Boilers. Attached to the timber work under the Boiler were chains and then ropes. The Manager then was called Sanderson. He said to me When the boiler goes down the slipway put your foot on that rope so we can get hold of the end to bring the timbers back in.” I”m not joking the Boiler was the fastest launch I have ever seen with it nearly touching the Malleable bank of the River. I didn”t put my foot on the rope but if I had I would have been pulled into the River. The landing of the Boilers at the other end were more complicated. Did you ever photograph the landings? Those were my happy days when job satisfaction was more than money earned.
Hi Bob I worked in the photographic dept as a photographer at HW from early 1963 until Dec 1968. Yes pictures were taken of these launches (before my time) and were listed in the negative register as Bradwell and Dungeness boiler launches. They were the boilers( not the Reactors) for the CEGB Magnox Power Stations being built at this time. When I started I remember seeing large framed colour prints of the boilers being towed down the river, taken from the raised Newport Bridge. These pictures would have been taken using a 5×4 MPP camera, on a tripod so a print of 20in x24in had very little loss of detail. HW would have owned the Copyright of all the pictures we took and owned the 1000s of negatives, but as I left before the company finished I have no idea what eventually happened to them. While I was there Newport Bridge (raised) was also a good viewpoint for photographing Dockgates being towed down the river, as was the top of the Transporter although it was hard work carrying a plate camera and tripod up the steps! I would not like to think of the Red Tape involved in trying to organise either location now. The dept would also cover the same launches at Teesdale usually from both sides of the River, and quite often assembly on site if in the UK. I think also the “legs “ for the early gas and oil-drilling platforms, that were fabricated at Teesdale, were also delivered using the River.
Alan Rowbotham – did you go to Richard Hind Sec Tech school? I remember competing with an Alan Rowbotham in metal work – would that be you? If so would love to hear from you. Hotmail me. I left in 1962 to start an App with the council bus company but now am retired and live in Australia. I came to this site as my Father Syd Todd worked at HW as a boilermaker/plater/welder. He worked at the Thornaby site and at the site the end of Mary St, Oxbridge where my Nan used to run a newspaper home delivery service. eddietodd
Hi Lisa. I worked at HW from 1953 to “62. I was an apprentice in the Joiners Shop and also a Joiner when I served my apprenticeship. My lastjob there was on the Dock Gate section. We were responsible for the launch of Nuclear Reactors which were towed by the Tees tugs to both Bradwell Power Station and Dungeness. I wonder if you have any photo”s of the launches of these Reactors or the Dock Gates that you could put on this site?
My grand father worked at Head Wrightson all his working life. His name was Oswald Rowntree. He was a Foreman (boiler maker). My gran (Pat Allison) also worked their and is in an booklet about Head Wrightson in the 40″s. I have lots of photos, if anyone is interested.
I was the commercial manager of Villares Wrightson Engineering Company a merger compnay resultes from a joint venture of a brazilian group and Head Wrightson . This fact comes back from it´s beginning on 1973 and up to 1975 and by this time I have visited Head Wrightson offices and industries in England including the head quarters in Yarm.
My great grandfather was Charles Arthur Head founder of Head Wrightson. I have undertaken family research and would be pleased to hear from anyone with a connection to Head Wrightson, knowledge of Hartburn Hall etc. Ian Stewart ian.stewart@keme.co.uk
I remember myself and Terry Atkinson having a nosey in those offices back in 1985/86 the rooms were filled with old library books they were years old. There were old photos on the walls and real antiques.
Hello, thank you for this web site. My father worked for this company over 20 years ago, his name is Dennis Watson. Please could any folk tell me if any of his drawings will exist and, would they be available to me to view ? Please contact the Picture Stockton Team for my details. Many thanks.
My dad, Norman Addison,was at Head Wrightson for most of his working life. Seeing these shots of the office blocks took me right back to 1953 when we were taken to a celebration party there for the coronation. I was only 4 but the memory is still clear!
Do you remember the scrapyard in Northcote Street? You very rarely saw the gates open, it may have been a car repair works.
John Bond. Yes I remember your house very well.I remember all the places round there so clearly and so very fondly. Norths bakery was it run by sisters? I think there was some connection with my first ever teacher in reception at Richard Hind Miss Robson and another sister who had a connection with St Peters sunday school and who wore hats like the Queen. As for the Miss Leonards John I used to get my liberty bodices from there things have moved on somewhat from those days!
To Ken Rhodes, thanks for that about my grandad. He was a great old fella, the reason he drank so much was that he was in the navy in World War I and got “shell shock” – it must have been pretty awful by the family stories I have heard, but he still had to go back for more. This man was a real hero but never spoke about it all. Evidently his ship was called HMS Ceasar and I am currently researching his navy/army records, he was in both services! His mother had died when he was an infant and he was brought up by his sister and a very strict father. When he was an old man and would stagger up the street singing “Sweet Adoline” and he always said the same thing, “I never knew me mother” Even after all those years it must have upset him. No wonder he drank, he had a hard, hard life, as they all had in those good old, bad old days. Isn”t it odd, everybody who comments on this site about the “old” days always say the same thing, I have even said it myself, “Happy Days” Think the happiness must have been bought by all the old heroes like my grandad. If anyone has any info about HMS Ceasar I would be delighted to receive it.
Alice, thank you for your message about my Gran, Tishy. It was lovely to hear something about her. I thought I had replied to you, but for some reason it did not appear. Maybe I didn”t send it properly. I wish I knew more about her. All I know is that she was born in Ireland. She died when I was 10 in 1967. I remember my dad talking about Sergeant Coles. In one of the above messages I said that someone was arrested after he fell off the doorstep. I think the arresting officer was him.
What a great site this is for bringing back memories of days gone bye.As you rightly say Trevor the bakers shop was Norths who also made wonderful Teacakes.I remember old man Cordukes who had newsagents shops on the corner of Northcote Street and Bowesfield Lane and on the corner of Bowesfield Lane and Parliment Street.I used to go to the co-op in Northcote Street for my mam for food and meat and my mother used to shop at the Misses Leonards. Alice i also remember Sergeant Coles what a wonderful man as you say when sober.Do either of the Bond lads remember Robsons shop run by the Woodward family which i think is the one called Parkins and cross corner to them was a shop called Shepards which sold sweets etc, its sincebeen turned into a house.Lisby going back to an early item you mentioned,the foundry you mentioned near the Six Fields walk was the Head Wrightsons Iron Foundry which another old HW employie Bob Irwin will remember all about.
My Dad Norman Anderson worked at Head Wrightson. I think it was in 1941. They were making bombs & dad was the office boy, one of his jobs was to go round and write down how many they had made and as my Dad was about 16 & the family had spent the last 10 years in Walthamstow area he had a cockney accent despite being from Middlesbrough, so the men working there had his life!
The bakers shop at the corner of St.Peters was called Norths and made the finest iced buns.It was only when it was demolished that I saw it had a cellar.
Lisby Brown, just been browsing this thread again and realised I missed your question. yes, I lived at 34 St Peter”s Road. Willimots one side, Billy Maclean at the other for a long time. Mean anything? Was Parkins the shop at the top on the right as you look towards Stafford street? And can you remember a shop at our end of St Peter”s, before they made the car park? a baker”s? Mum used to send my brothers Nigel and or Trevor for Russian and/or Custard Slices. was there a shop there? And what about Fat Kee”s take away, Harbron”s greengrocer”s, and Cordukes. I think Fat Kee”s was formerly The Misses Leonards haberdashery, corsets, bits of wool and knitting patterns, but that”s probably a boy”s way of looking at it!!!! and are you old enough to remember the Co op on Northcote Street?
I enjoyed reading all of your comments I knew most of the people keith shirty, god rest his soul, their dad dicky i knew him as a good dart player and also davie burlo god rest his soul i am an oxbridge lad myself
Norman Rhodes. Re. your Dad with his happy days. I wrote in an earlier message re HW and how happy I was at the Firm. As I quoted “Job Satisfaction.” Which you don”t get these days. Although your Dad adds the War years which I can only remember as a small boy, they were the good years to be around. For many reasons. Another tale re. a name your Dad mentions Dicky Bradshaw. He was a Slinger in the Machine Shop at HW Thornaby. I was doing my training from the Apprentice School in the Fitting Shop for a week. Dicky was placing a large Vessel onto the ground and asked me to loosen the hook on the opposite side to where he was. I did so and just let it go, it flew over and hit the side of the vessel. It was only the vessel that saved him from a serious injury. I knew Dicky had a reputation of being a hardman and I became very frightened when he came round to me. Instead of playing war to me, he showed me where I had gone wrong. I regarded him as a true Gentleman after that.
Only my Dad could describe dodging bombs with the words “Happy days”!
To Lesley Targett, Do I remember Tishy, she was a lovely old lady, she was my mothers friend. She used to come into our house every Sunday night and we used to watch Sunday night at the London Paladium, then a quick turn of the knob onto BBC to watch Dr Finlay”s Casebook. She loved them both. I used to go into your Nanna”s house on a christmas morning to show them what toys Father Christmas had bought me. I used to carry them over in a pillowcase. Your aunt Patti and uncle Bill used to make a fuss of me in those days, I was just a sweet little girl. Pity things change. On New Year we used to go into Thishys to let her new year in. She always gave me a drink of cherry wine. I can taste it now and I have never tasted anything as lovely since. Don”t know where she got it from. I have bought several bottles of cherry wine but they never tasted as good as that one. To Ken Rhodes, I remember your mam as well, she was lovely lady. Always kept herself to herself I recall. You don”t remember me, I am Nora and Norman Coles” daughter, we lived in 35 Camden Street opposite your mam I believe. You were married when I was 2 years old. Bet you remember my grandad though Seargant Coles. He was right old bugger I believe but a kind grandad. The stories I have heard about him and the things he got up to, could write a book.
Hi Ken Some of the Bradshaws lived next door to my nan. I remember a lady who lived next door being very kind to my nan. She was crippled with arthritis and lived downstairs in her house for many years. I had a telephone conversation back in 1988 with Jackie Bradshaw. He told me quite a bit about nan.I think it was the Bradshaws that dad used to talk about when he said the lads used to get rather inebriated on a Saturday night and often put out the windows in the street and then go around on the Sunday apologising and repairing them! There was also a story that someone in the street was chased by the police for being drunk and disorderly and whoever it was got onto his own doorstep and said to the policeman that he couldn”t arrest him now because he was on his own property. Unfortunately, he fell off and was arrested anyway.
Hi Brian. No, I don”t remember the Spiritualist church in Cecil Street. That would have been towards the top of the street and I didn”t really know of anyone up there apart from “Dolly” Simpson who lived about halfway up the top half of Cecil Street on the odd numbered side. She married a distant cousin of mine from Wheatley Hill. I remember the Rainbow centre though, on Bowsie lane. It was a workshop area for handicapped persons.
Hello to Lesley Heselwood and Alice Coles both well known Camden Street names along with the Bradshaws, Smiths, Davis, Huntons ,Barbars, Gatenbys etc. I grew up with Jimmy, David and Pat as well as knowing Tish all my life in Camden Street. I lived in 36 next door to old man Dicky Bradshaw and the Coles family lived across the road next door to the Stanley family and the Perrots, Its a long long time ago when I was a boy of four to the day i got married in 1955 playing in the street during the war and going to Richard Hind Junior School and dodging the bombs in Denninson street. Happy days!
Alice Gardner, I note with interest that you lived in Camden Street. My Nanna, Bridget (Tishy) HESELWOOD lived at no 28 for many years. Do you remember her? My dad was Jimmy. I seem to recall him talking about the Coles family. I also remember him talking about the Spiritualist Church, and telling me that he and his pals used to rattle buttons on a piece of string on the window when they were having their meetings! I would love to know if anyone has any photos of Camden Street.
Yes I remember the Spiritualist Church Building. I lived in Camden Street, just across Bowesfield Lane from Cecil Street. The Spiritualist Church you refer to, in a later life became a bingo hall, or should I say HOUSE! It was known locally as “The spuggies”, I think this must have referred to its spiritualist past, spooks, spuggies? I don”t know. Anyway, I used to attend “The Spuggies” bingo hall with my mam, sometimes my dad, aunties and uncles and cousins, quite a family night out with the off chance of winning the grand total of £3.00 per house! In the 60s, Bingo was the place to be, that was a Monday and Wednesday night. If I am not mistaken there was also a bigger bingo hall at the bottom of Bowesfield Lane, right near the Robson Maternity home called The Rainbow Workshop. This was a really big HOUSE (sorry for the pun again) and I believed it was a handicapped fellowship building but had been a church as well in the past. This was Friday night out. All knocked down of course.
Arthur Oakley – As you lived in Cecil Street do you remember the National Spiritual Church at number 62? I have a family marriage certificate dated December 1928 and this is where the couple were married. I have been told it was just a house, if it was I can”t understand how it was licenced for marriages. Does anyone have a photograph of it?
We lived in Cecil Street. I well remember the fish shop on the corner of Chalk street and Pearson street as well as the Royal, Parliament Street and also Villiers Street which was a fish shop at one end and a fish and chip cafe at the other.
John Bond/Ken Rhodes Just taken my mum back to Stockton after she had a break with me and I am amazed at how much demolition is still going on around there. There is nothing left from our days there apart from Ropner park which has been revamped. I have so many lovely memories of days gone by. I”ll never forget them will you?
This must be the longest tale on this site. Going from HW ponds to the fish shops of Parkfield,which some people call Gods country.Parkins in my day was called Robsons run by a family called Woodward cross corner from Robson,s was a shop run by a family called Sheperd,s on the corner of Stafford Street. A gentleman called Herbert and his daughter June ran this shop for many years. Are all these shops and fish shops still there?
L brown. Don”t know about time delays. You”re right about an exciting site, while I ignore the pun on food/chips!!!!!!!! I”m just fascinated that Stockton in those days seemed to be full of chip shops, if Parkfield was anything to go by. Park-ins, I presume, was the shop on the corner, and not a chip shop? Diagonally opposie was, I think, a car breakers yard or something, behind high wooden fencing.
What were the turrets on the HW offices. We were able to get up there and play, but what were they for? and were the labs downstairs? And what was kept in the Strong Room in the corner of the Typing Pool?
John Bond. I did post the last message on chip shops on the eighth May. The time delay is odd. Did you say you were writing about Stockton? I expect this site has given you some exciting food for thought about chips if nothing else. Did you patronise any other shops round there. I remember Parkins on the corner of St Peters Rd
ken r, many thanks for the correction about the Waverley St chip shop. Although I lived in St Peter”s for a long time, we never seemed to move from one street to another very much, so although I know the names, I”m not sure which is which. My nana lived in Cecil Street, and the same was true there – Chalk Street, Bickersteth Street. You knew the names, but you seemed to keep to your own. As for the patterns, I hope I did play on some of yours. I would have been there 1951/2. And I”m sure there was a shop somewhere near St Peters called Rhodes”. any connection?
Chip shops. The Royal was on Bowesfield Lane and a bit posher than the others. I was fasinated by the potato slicing machine as a child.We were spoiled for choice as there was Meggies too.We lived closest to that one so I don”t know why we didn”t use it that much. Then the one in Dennison Street where we used to beg scraps on cold winter nights.We thought all our HAPPY BIRTHDAY”s had come at once and all for free.
John Bond.I lived in Camden Street next to Stafford Street and a lady called Mrs Mack run the fish shop in that street.The fish shop on St Cuthberts Road was called Meggies,it was on the corner of Waverly Street.There was also shops at the bottom of Northcote Street, one in Addley Srreet and one lastly on Bowsfield Lane.Quite a number. Doreens came a few years later.Also John i happen to work at HW pattern shop at Thornaby for a spell and possibly made some of the patterns you played around near the pool.Small world.
phil collier, this certainly seems to be the pond I have been interested in. Concrete lined definitely. I played there in the early fifties. maybe the design office was part of the building where my dad worked. The pond was full of boxes, which we used to run across and hope not to fall in,for the concrete was also lined, with thick black mud! I only went there on Saturdays, when the works was deserted, except for the foundry, and when it rained, we played in the office building while my dad “caught up” on work, I suppose. I don”t know what he did. He died in 53.
lisby brown, yes I lived in St Peter”s Road. I think there was a chip shop on the corner of stafford Street and St Cuthbert”s Road – the Ideal, the Royal? Or something else. It wasn”t Doreen”s; that was in Dennison street, I think. Maybe we need a special site for chip shops! I remember Grove Street, Bowesfield Lane and Northcote Street had them, and later of course Fat Kee”s offered chips with the takeaways.
My dad worked at head wrightsons for many years (Alan Collier. I learned to fish in the concrete lined fire pool around 1980. A chap called Harry? was in the fishing club and via my Dad showed me how to catch roach. I used to drop my dad off to the design office at the back of the works in the early 70″s, I remember feeling intimidated by the noise, sparks and industry at the works.
John Bond I used to live in Stafford Street and have very fond memories of St Peter”s Road.Did you live around there?
lisby brown the bakery was jacksons, I think, the head wrightsons was the eaglescliffe one, where I worked on my holidays in the pattern shop. across the railway was the bricky, and running at ninety degrees or thereabouts to the main line was the cuckoo railway. maybe you remember st peters road as well, before it was pedestrianised?
I”ve been off this site for a while. Just seen your comments. Are you both talking about the same pond? Or were there two? As I remember, the one I was wondering about was concrete lined, had sloping sides, and wasn”t terribly big. And it was near where the patterns were piled up. I used to play among those patterns, climbing, hiding and so on.
When I was a little girl I used to cross the railway line at a bakery and go across the “Six Fields” I have a feeling that included the back of Head Wrightson am I right?
The “pond” at Head Wrightson was a fire pond. It was stocked with fish brought back from fishing trips made by Head Wrightsons fishing club (still going to date). The club members would feed the fish at lunchtimes!! There were roach,chub,gudgeon etc. I used to take my son there fishing in about 1980.
John Bond I Remember there was a pond I think it was lined, between the foundry offices and the river in the area were the patterns were stored though I don”t know its purpose.If we can get comments from any of the metallurgists from the foundry we could find out, possibly it was for some form of treatment to the Castings which involved rapid cooling.
John Bond. Re. Jimmy Kelley. He worked on the River as a Boatman and he had Retainers from various Companies whose property went down to the Riverside. One of them being Head Wrightsons. When there was a launch Jimmy was always there in his boat passing the ropes etc from the Dockgate to the men on the Tugs. Eventually everything went wrong for him because Companies were not keeping up the retainers except for HW”s. They then took him on their payroll but he did keep up the Ferry. I left HW”s in 1962 and he still worked there after that. As far as the pattern boxes are concerned they were made in the Pattern shop by Pattermnmakers and not Joiners. Re. the pool I can”t remember that. HW”s was a good firm to work for and I would say that I had “Job Satisfaction” there which I can say never happened at any other place I worked.
Bob Irwin,Thanks very much. Soon as you mentioned the name Jimmy Kelley, it rang a bell. I have this misty memory of going on that ferry with my dad. Is that possible? I was born 1942. As you were a joiner, did you make the “pattern boxes” that seemed to be all over the place, and what was the Cooling Pond and why was it always full of said boxes? These are all vague memories of a nine or ten year old so probably contain lots of inaccuracies.
John Rowlands Bond. Head Wrightsons were well known for the production of Dock Gates. I worked on them as a Joiner. Any that were ordered for the East Coast and the area around the English Channel were made at the Teasdale Works and launched from there and towed along the Coast to their destination. The West Coast ones such as Liverpool were made in Liverpool and we had to work away from home. Regarding the Ferry, it was run by Jimmy Kelley. He worked it from the end of Trafalgar Street on the Thornaby side and went straight across the River to the Stockton side and landed his customers between Rembrants Factory and Remploy at Bishop Street. I would think that it is in the area of the new Princess Diana Bridge.
My dad was Norman Rowlands Bond and worked at Heads till 1952 or 3. He worked in the offices. I used to go with him on Saturday mornings and play in and around said building with Frank Allen, whose dad George worked with my dad. I”m actually writing about these experiences at the moment,was amazed to see the photos that show the building very much as I remember it, and wonder if anyone has any info about my dad (and even me, for that matter! I seem to remember something being launched – dock gate springs to mind. And was there a rowing boat ever that ferried people across the river, or have I made that up?
Hi Alan. Thanks for the information. In my days there we were to busy to take photographs, remembering one occasion. It was the launch of one of the Boilers. Attached to the timber work under the Boiler were chains and then ropes. The Manager then was called Sanderson. He said to me When the boiler goes down the slipway put your foot on that rope so we can get hold of the end to bring the timbers back in.” I”m not joking the Boiler was the fastest launch I have ever seen with it nearly touching the Malleable bank of the River. I didn”t put my foot on the rope but if I had I would have been pulled into the River. The landing of the Boilers at the other end were more complicated. Did you ever photograph the landings? Those were my happy days when job satisfaction was more than money earned.
Hi Bob I worked in the photographic dept as a photographer at HW from early 1963 until Dec 1968. Yes pictures were taken of these launches (before my time) and were listed in the negative register as Bradwell and Dungeness boiler launches. They were the boilers( not the Reactors) for the CEGB Magnox Power Stations being built at this time. When I started I remember seeing large framed colour prints of the boilers being towed down the river, taken from the raised Newport Bridge. These pictures would have been taken using a 5×4 MPP camera, on a tripod so a print of 20in x24in had very little loss of detail. HW would have owned the Copyright of all the pictures we took and owned the 1000s of negatives, but as I left before the company finished I have no idea what eventually happened to them. While I was there Newport Bridge (raised) was also a good viewpoint for photographing Dockgates being towed down the river, as was the top of the Transporter although it was hard work carrying a plate camera and tripod up the steps! I would not like to think of the Red Tape involved in trying to organise either location now. The dept would also cover the same launches at Teesdale usually from both sides of the River, and quite often assembly on site if in the UK. I think also the “legs “ for the early gas and oil-drilling platforms, that were fabricated at Teesdale, were also delivered using the River.
Alan Rowbotham – did you go to Richard Hind Sec Tech school? I remember competing with an Alan Rowbotham in metal work – would that be you? If so would love to hear from you. Hotmail me. I left in 1962 to start an App with the council bus company but now am retired and live in Australia. I came to this site as my Father Syd Todd worked at HW as a boilermaker/plater/welder. He worked at the Thornaby site and at the site the end of Mary St, Oxbridge where my Nan used to run a newspaper home delivery service. eddietodd
Hi Lisa. I worked at HW from 1953 to “62. I was an apprentice in the Joiners Shop and also a Joiner when I served my apprenticeship. My lastjob there was on the Dock Gate section. We were responsible for the launch of Nuclear Reactors which were towed by the Tees tugs to both Bradwell Power Station and Dungeness. I wonder if you have any photo”s of the launches of these Reactors or the Dock Gates that you could put on this site?
My grand father worked at Head Wrightson all his working life. His name was Oswald Rowntree. He was a Foreman (boiler maker). My gran (Pat Allison) also worked their and is in an booklet about Head Wrightson in the 40″s. I have lots of photos, if anyone is interested.
Hi. My name is Sandra Dover. My dad Tommy Dover knew your grandfather. Regards Sandra Dover
I was the commercial manager of Villares Wrightson Engineering Company a merger compnay resultes from a joint venture of a brazilian group and Head Wrightson . This fact comes back from it´s beginning on 1973 and up to 1975 and by this time I have visited Head Wrightson offices and industries in England including the head quarters in Yarm.
My great grandfather was Charles Arthur Head founder of Head Wrightson. I have undertaken family research and would be pleased to hear from anyone with a connection to Head Wrightson, knowledge of Hartburn Hall etc. Ian Stewart ian.stewart@keme.co.uk
I remember myself and Terry Atkinson having a nosey in those offices back in 1985/86 the rooms were filled with old library books they were years old. There were old photos on the walls and real antiques.
I”m researching the Craig Taylor yard. Any info about it, their ships, photo”s etc gratefully received.
Hello, thank you for this web site. My father worked for this company over 20 years ago, his name is Dennis Watson. Please could any folk tell me if any of his drawings will exist and, would they be available to me to view ? Please contact the Picture Stockton Team for my details. Many thanks.
My dad, Norman Addison,was at Head Wrightson for most of his working life. Seeing these shots of the office blocks took me right back to 1953 when we were taken to a celebration party there for the coronation. I was only 4 but the memory is still clear!