A wide view of terraces on Norton Road in Stockton. c1985 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A wide view of terraces on Norton Road in Stockton. c1985
Hi, can anyone tell me the name of the pub at the end of the street please? Thank you
Hi Claire. The name of the pub was the Mechanics Inn.
I lived in the Turks Head
Hi Lee Mark Debbie Carberry I am Kens daughter, so your cousin.
Can anyone remember David Charlton who had his own business just up above the bridge on Norton Road?
The houses weren’t owned by Hills, they were all privately owned.
Yes I remember Norman the piklet man with his gold tooth he live at the end. Good friend of my grandads. He was a nice man sadly died about 20 years ago of a heart attack. Good bloke.
My map of some of the terraces of Norton Road (1895) http://goo.gl/HSMabE
This would make the first photo be the end of Walter Terrace / corner of Tilery Road and, as well commented in this post the other three being Crosby Terrace.
Some good 1950’s views of this area here: http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw052010
I remember Norman Holmes the pikelet man who later sold hot dogs outside the Shambles opposite the Bingo. Norman lived in one of the terraced houses. Norman owned the remaining ones too. A very nice man.
Norman’s premises were after the terraced houses which belonged to F. Hills, Door manufacturers and were divided by an alleyway. The pikelets were baked at these premises and he lived above the shop.
Norman didn’t live above a shop he lived in a house at the end. Been in his house many times. He made the pikelets, burgers and hot dogs in a van which he parked on Stockton High Street mainly at nights selling them. He was a nice man and sadly missed. He didn’t own any houses there apart from his own. I don’t know where this info came from… He was a friend of the family for over 25 years till his death.
Dick & Jessie Nicholson lived above the shop before moving to Yarm.
He was a good bloke. Long time friend of the family.
No he didn’t own any apart from his own.
Any body have any info about the Davis family who lived in Swainby Road in Stockton-on-Tees? There were 5 brothers and I think 4 sisters?
Tony, not seen the Davis family for years n years, I think Freddy & Allan live up on Norton estate, not sure about the others, I knew the family very well, also remember one sunny day Freddy & Allan got on a raft over in the clay hole and drifted out into very deep water, I swam and got the lads out, this was just before a little lad did drown in the clay hole 1962, a very sad time.
All the best.
Derek
I’ve spoken to my mam who lived in the house for years she said. The club on the end was owned by the Styles family who then sold it to a man who turned it into a timber merchants. Then you had Mrs Styles house next door then my grandads and nanas house which was the hairdressers. My mam did say that the other 6 houses on the block were owned by the same guy and he did rent them out. So I hope this clears this up. I also made a mistake about how long my family lived there my nanna bought the house in 1964 and lived there till 1988. So she lived there a long time. She knew everyone around there and if she was alive today could tell you a few tales about that area.
When this photo was taken in 1985 my nanna and grandad owned the hairdressers which was rented out and called Marie’s Hair Salon which is in the picture. Mrs Styles house to the left and the timber merchants on the end. They were all owned by seperate home owners.
There were 9 houses on the block, not 6.
He did not buy all of the houses. My grandad and nana bought that house in 1971 and then sold it in 1990. Mrs Styles who lived next door also bought her house and then sadly passed away then her son Reg sold it around 1994.
The man I spoke about was the last owner of the houses before being demolished. I would think he had them in the mid 1990’s.
The shop on the end was a small club at one time and then stood empty for years. After that it become a shop that sold tools and all sorts really. Mrs Styles next door to that then my nanna and grandads hairdressers which was called Maries and then later Hair by Helen.
The shop at the end was owned by a chap who did contract work for Hills. He bought all those houses and sold timbers plywood materials and reject doors he bought from Hills. He didn’t sell tools.
He sold timber and tools I know I was in the place every day when I was a kid.
He sold timber and tools. I was in there as a kid and wax a friend of my grandad who live 2 doors up.
He didn’t own all the houses at all.
My grandad and nana owned the hairdressers in the picture of terraced houses on Norton road for years. They lived above the shop but rented it out. Mrs Styles did live next door and on the very end Norman the who sold Hot dogs up on Stockton high street. I have lots of memories of that house. My nana sold it in about 1990. She lived there for 20 odd years. Eric And Lillian D’souza was their names if anyone can remember them.
I believe this is Crosby Terrace, the bottom two photos.
The bottom three photo’s are all taken of the same stretch of terraced houses, on the same side of Norton road, the top photo is of the opposite side (which still exists).
Does anyone know when the buildings on Crosby Terrace were built? They were above the current level of Norton Road and my guess is that this is due to the road being lowered when the level crossing was replaced by the bridge in 1873.
Guessing between 1865 and 1894.
I believe that these houses were built for Hills and were for their employees. So guessing that they were built after Hills started up at the factory.
About 1960 a guy from Billingham I think they called him Willoughby drove the hare on the Belle Vue Dogtrack from a little shed with all round vision windows in the center of the stadium, his son a ginger lad called David used to parade the dogs round before the races. A guy called Bob & Cliffy Burridge were in charge of the dog lads.
Can anyone remember Brydon (Jimmy) Craven of 13 Crisp Street who was groundsman at the dog track? I don’t think anyone has mentioned the dogs yet? They used to pull the hare round the track using an old car with ropes looped round the wheels and had two donkeys to mow the grass. My dad used to visit the Brown Jug frequently too, does anyone remember that far back?
I used to live in Crisp Street when I was a kid, can’t remember the number but we lived next door to Jimmy Muldowney with Jud and Katie Hunter on the other side, if I remember rightly we moved out when I was about 7 or 8 yrs old that will have been about 1958.
Hello to those who remember Mary Oliver – she was my auntie, my dads sister, and lived with my grandad and Frank Casey who was my mams cousin. My dad was John Oliver and my mam was Olga Casey.
Thanks Derek and Tony, I’ll walk down Swainby Road and take a look, before they demolish it. My dad used to often talk about your uncle Franky, Derek, and would get rather emotional about him at times. I’ll pass both your regards on to Johnny, though unfotunately he’s not online. He had a bash at it in the library once but said he thinks he broke the internet! He speaks through me, a bit like Doris Stokes. He’s told us lads in the club about the good times in Swainby Road and at the Co-op. I’ve got your e mail address Tony and will write soon. Thanks again lads.
Paul, there’s a blast from the past – John Nelson, Buller we used to call him. He worked on the Coop vans with me and your uncle Frank. John was is a good lad. There was a little group of us who use to knock about then – Davy Johnson, his brother Billy, your uncle Frank, John Nelson. My nickname then was Killer. You will have to give my regards to John. Happy days on the vans, we used to have some laughs.
Paul, I knew your dad Trevor, his family (mam &a dad) lived in the flat in Swainby Rd beneath my granny Casey’s flat, 127. I can remember them living there, Trevor would come in the Brown Jug and sit with my Uncle Franky (Casey). Shimmer Nelson grew up with my dad Robert Casey, they all came from the Housewife lane area of old Stockton to live in Danby and Swainby. When I was a little lad Shimmer came to my mam & dads flat, 34 Swainby rd, with a sack. Their was just me and my late brother Leonard, then 5 or 6 years old, Shimmer opened the sack and out came the most beautiful Fox you can imagine! Shimmer would come in the Jug and when he and our Franky got together you would cry laughing. Would love to hear from Johnny Nelson, not seen or spoken to him since the 60s, please ask picturestockton for my e-mail and pass on to Johnny.
Talking to a friend of mine who lived in Swainby Road, John Nelson, about this site and he asked me to inquire wether anyone had a photo of his Dad, Shimmer, one in particular was a photo of Shimmer with two ravens or crows that would follow him around and sit on his shoulders. It was apparently taken at the allotments back of Swainby Road. A long shot I know but I said I’d ask. My family lived in Swainby Road, I’m going to try and find out house number, up till around 1960 I think, Grandad Gordon Snr. and Dad Trevor both worked at Downings and frequented the Jug.
I assume his dad was Richard Henry Nelson?
Caroline Ennion; Albert Gooding – do you know any connection with my Grandfather Walter Gooding who died in 1916 – son of another Walter Gooding. Grandfather married Ann Eliza Spence and they had three Daughters – Lucy, Annie and Constance born a few months after her Father died. My Grandfather had brothers Raymond, Reginald, Harry, Sydney and Cyril and a sister who died young. Walter Junior was, we think, a nephew of Major Tomkins and Ann Eliza was a Cousin of Sir John Harrison – both men were Mayors of Stockton. Tomkins owned an engineering works near the cricket field and Harrison had a printing business behind the Grammar School. Any links would be helpful.
Albert Gooding was my Grandad.
DEBBIE, I WAS BORN IN SWAINBY ROAD AND KNEW YOUR DAD AND ALL THE CARBERRY FAMILY, YOUR UNCLE KEITH WAS MARRIED TO MY COUSIN JEAN. I MAY BE ABLE TO GET YOU SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR DAD AND WILL EMAIL THEM TO YOU, ASK PICTURE STOCKTON FOR MY EMAIL ADDRESS.
BOB IRWIN – can you tell me anything about Owen Carberry? I’m his daughter – I have one photo of him. I would like to know about his life – by the time I came home to find him he had died. It would mean the world to me to have some stories and photos. The Picture Stockton Team can provide you with my email address if you would like it.
Hi Debbi, My dad was Hockey Carberry, Owenies brother let me know if you still want info
Hockey, Oweny and Keith. All sadly dead too young. Miss them all. Too painful to think too often about my dad Hockey and mam Dot. Reunited at last.
I wonder if Debbi ever got the pictures of Owen she wanted. I have one at least of that lovely man.
Hi Debbie, I am Kens daughter so your cousin.
I have a photo of your dad with Ken and my oldest daughter taken around 1981
Colin Brownlee, there were two foundries top of Railways St, both owned by Downings.
I served my time as an apprentice moulder at the bottom foundry J Downings, my brother Leonard worked there for a while before working for the council as you will remember. During lunch breaks I would climb on our foundry roof which looked into the council yard and speak to the lads I knew who were working for the council, big Ronnie Carbery was one of them.
To Anon. Memory is a wonderful thing. I only went to the Corporation Yard once – in 1959 – and I’ve been left Stockton for 40 years. But now you have awoken memories, I DO now remember the foundry – and certainly the Commercial Hotel! And as I search my memory banks, I now remember a very tall chimney, in that same area. What did that belong to? It was knocked down before I left Stockton, so before 1970. Also – the dismantled railway bridge. What was the purpose of that railway? I never did know, nor sought to ask. At a guess, I would think probably to connect the gasworks with the South Durham coalfield? The arrival of North Sea gas in Stockton during the late 60s was the death knell for the gasworks, so the railway would become redundant.
Colin, funny but sad. During the War when food was scarce I had an uncle living in Oxbridge. He took his dog to be gassed and had to walk it there. When in the town he stopped at the ice cream shop and bought it a cornet before going on. I would say at that time gassing was the more humane way of destroying dogs. When in the Police Force at Seaham Harbour the strays were taken to a smallholding opposite the old police office.
Hill’s factory boundary had Flanges Ltd & the gate before the little bridge belong to the railway. To get to the destructors yard was under the bridge past Downings foundry & down the allyway between the Commercial Hotel & Zion House you were in Richmond Street & the yard was on the right hand side, it used to be a shilling in my day.
Bob, just up the road from Hill’s wall that you describe, ie up the bank and toward the town centre, after passing Tilery Road, there was a railway bridge. On one side of the bridge, in large letters, it said ‘Gandy brake linings’ and on the opposite side it was ‘Gandy machine beltings’. That bridge was dismantled, many years ago. Anyway, continue up the pavement, up the bank next to Hill’s wall. Hill’s factory boundary was reached – and on the right was a gate, leading into the Corporation Yard. There was a notice that said ‘Lethal Chambers’. This was where you took your dog or cat, to be put down. I once witnessed it being done to a cat, when I was about 15. There was a large brick built chamber for dogs, with a steel door – and no doubt rubber seals, on the door – for dogs. On top was a smaller one for cats. Contained carbon monoxide, so pretty lethal. The other thing I remember, is that they gave one a ticket ‘Destroying a dog. 2/6d’ & ‘Destroying a cat 1/6d’.
Today, the process is much more merciful. You have to sign a form entitled ‘Consent for euthanasia’. A bit more tactful than ‘Destroying a dog/cat’. We have certainly moved on. In some ways.
Colin, you’ll find that a lot of changes are still happening in Norton Road. The DIY is now a physiotherapists, Snowdons a Betting shop and since Hills finished and after 13 years they are now clearing the land and levelling it off. The big wall and the Hills offices have been removed. The wall just being a retainer wall for all the earth and rubble at the moment. They are lowering the land levels which in places was approx. 25 feet above the road level. So eventually houses which are going to built there should be level with Norton Road. On the opposite side of the road, the terraced houses going upto the old Tilery Road have been re-vamped on the outside, new garden walling with metal fences on them have been built right along the road with dividing walls between each garden. They have either been bought out by the Council or some housing authority. So eventually when driving through this area it will look great from seeing it in the past.
It’s all change along Norton Road altogether. There were places that seemed to have always been there. Like the XL fish and chip shop (now Farooq’s takeaway) Snowden’s shop, the stationery shop next door, the post ofice and chemist’s, all now gone and replaced by DIY’s and toolshops! One good change is the one way system, now introduced into Trent St and Derwent St. The parked cars used to cause problems 40 years ago, when I lived ‘down the dip’ in Chadburn Road, accessed via Derwent St.
To Maggie Boyd. Very sorry to hear about John, I did know about your parents. About 5 years ago, I had another blast from the past re the old days in Victoria Ave. An email from Kay Snowden, via Friends Re-united, now living in Australia. They lived a few doors down from you. She is in touch with the Congreves and her sister Ann lives in Cambridge.
Just a footnote for Colin Brownlee about Victoria Avenue – we, the Atkinson family, lived at 32. Sadly both my parents have died. Mum passed away in 1988 and Dad in 1997. John then moved to a flat but still frequented The Top House till his death in February 2009. I remember your family well. My Mum was very fond of your Mum. Your family had the first TV in the street thanks to your Dad’s place of work. We all used to worm our way into the house to watch Muffin the Mule. Eventually my Dad decided we had to have one of our own and we got it in time for the Queen’s Coronation. All our relatives came for the day – even some from Plymouth! How times change.
In the first photo that Michael Higgins is refering to the cafe was not Albert Grubb’s hairdressers it was the one to the left of it behind the lamp post.The cafe used to be Addisons the butchers Trevor and Keith used to own it.To the left of Albert’s shop used to be Walter Wilsons the grocery shop. In the other photo that he was referring to, yes it was a cheap “barber’s” shop but that was originally a chemists. The corner of that block to the left was Stylo’s the Bookie and also it was his club long before it was taken over. Hope I have put the record straight? Denis Grubb, Albert was my Dad.
ANDREA FORD, I NOTICED YOUR COMMENTS REGARDING PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR DAD ALFIE LITTLEFAIR, I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR DAD, BEING FROM SWAINBY ROAD MYSELF. I TOLD SLOGGER WILSON TODAY THAT YOU WERE AFTER PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR DAD, HE SAID JUST CALL DOWN AND SEE HIM AND YOU CAN HAVE AS MANY AS YOU WANT.
YES!! I do know her. I didn’t know she had married. And her brothers John and David. Her mother Mary was a good friend of my mothers, she used to teach at St John’s school. She was a regular churchgoer at St Michael & All Angels. It’s more than 40 years ago since I last saw Margaret – I saw John about 25 years ago, with his Dad Arthur, in the Top House (Unicorn) at Norton.
The more I think about the old times, more comes back. Derek, I remember your Leonard introducing me to Walter Towler, who used to look after the recreation ground, he lived in that big house in front of the bowling green/tennis courts. I remember, many years later passing the house and it was derelict. Probably demolished by now. Like the pottery field has vanished under new developments. Before they built the Milburn Crescent and Brentford Road extensions, in the mid 1950s, that was a huge area, we had some great times up there as kids. Train spotting and catching sticklebacks in the beck, by the engine sheds. I often come up to Pickering with my caravan, to a farm site just outside at Wrelton and go on the steam trains on the North Yorks Moors Railway. Nostalgia!
Colin, you will know this Maggie Boyd. She is part of one of the older members of Victoria Ave. Her married name is Boyd but was formerly Margaret Atkinson probably living at No. 30.
Derek, I don’t remember a Boyd family in Victoria Avenue. I left there in ’67 when I was married and left Teesside for good in 1970, so maybe she came after. What I remember about your Len, was that he was a very genuine lad. I was talking to him one night in the Jug and he said he’d never been up on the Cleveland Hills – so I took him up to Clay Bank and we climbed up to the Wainstones and Cold Moor and then down to the Bay Horse in Great Broughton, for a pint. He had a friend called Arthur and I remember one Saturday, I took the pair of them over Black Hambleton, between Osmotherley and Kepwick. That would be about 1969. The last time I saw him was probably around the early 1980s, when I was up visiting my family and I think he was working at ICI, if I remember rightly. Interesting, your delve into family history. I did mine, some years ago and managed to get back to 1728. I had some very lucky breaks, when I thought I’d come to a blank wall. The earliest ancestor came from Scotland to Tyneside, working as a keelman on the River Tyne, transporting coal from the pit head to the bigger ships, to take it on to London and other places. There were several keelman generations, until my great great grandad moved to Hartlepool in 1832. Dad was born in West Hartlepool in 1907, his father had been a sea going engineer, for the West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company. All fascinating stuff – and all unknown before I managed to winkle it all out!