Stockton cattle market, included in a view of the Square and Church Road, Stockton in 1944 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton cattle market, included in a view of the Square and Church Road, Stockton in 1944
The various comments about Geordie Hall the barber in Church Road and the cattle market certainly brought back memories.
It was true about the wait for a haircut and you knew you were regarded as ‘grown up’ when the barber shaved the back of your neck with the old fashioned cut throat razor. He would sharpen the razor on a leather strop that was hanging on the counter in front of you.
I think that when they moved the cattle market from Church Road to Yarm Road that started the demise of the High Street. On saturdays the farmers, bringing livestock to the cattle market, also brought their families in to do their shopping in the High Street. It was certainly a lot busier then than when I last visited the town in October 2009. What passes as a market now is a shadow of what it used to be like in the late 1960s.
The WMC referred to was perhaps the M&D Club (formally the Music & Dramatic Club) off the top of Tarring St.
The Parish Church as it was known in my day, perhaps still is, the cattle market, and the police station, lively and busy places, were all familiar sights as I was growng up. My father-in-law, George Bainbridge, was a Police War Reserve constable operating out of that police station, and related many a story about the Americans and Canadian forces stationed nearby (Goosepoole?) who came into town on their free time. The Maison and The Palais, with nearby pubs, being on his beat, were places where he struck up many a friendship – or escorted some to the lock-up for too much loud celebration. His “spare-time” job was at Dickie Smiths the undertaker, either driving the hearse or a big black Austin saloon carrying mourners. He briefly served later on as a steward at the nearby back street “Arts and Dramatic Club” (is this a correct name?) which I now suspect had more liberal drinking hours than the local pub.
I think you might mean the music and dramatic club, Buchannon Street
(M and D)
In the early 1950s Scurr’s buses stopped by the cattle market to pick up passengers for Stillington. As a very small child I used to love cattle market days as I could watch the cows while waiting for the bus to come. I would have been under 5 at the time and can still smell its acrid aroma.
Correction, on the corporation tip down Portrack Lane driving the bulldozer was Hughie Jobe (not Greene as stated)just to keep the record straight.
The Cattle market pub was opposite, I used to go in during the war. They changed its name probably because the cattle market had closed and moved to Yarm road, the pub got very run down but it recently closed and was re-furbished. It has now reverted back to its original name, the Cattle Market and I have been in and sampled its delightful beer at a very reasonable price.
I used to spend saturday mornings in Geordie Halls the barbers, if you didn’t get in early it was a two hour wait. Further along, next to the old police station, there was a place called Coffmans Yard where corporation lorries tipped loads of refuse before been carted down to
the tip that was where Asda’s old store used to be. Used to love going down there with me dad(Jack Meadows) in his lorry. On the tip was Hughie Green, the tractor driver. Those were the days.
I lived in Thorpe Street, close to the cattle market, and according to my mother Frances, I used to go to there to talk to the farmers and old men. Does anyone remember a 3/4 year old lad in 1953/4, blonde hair, and 2 leg calipers (I was recovering from polio).
Yes David Mills is correct Geordie Hall and his son-in-law did wear white dust coats at work. I remember Geordie leaving home in Elliott Street each morning going to his shop, always in dark suit, flat cap and newspaper under his arm. I think he enjoyed a flutter on the horses too, much the same as Ned Mannion and Syd Boyes who also lived in Elliott Street. My Gran also enjoyed her little daily flutter, either Ned or Syd would place the bets for her. No betting shops in those days, only back-street bookies.
My dad used to take me to Geordie Hall”s for a haircut more than fifty years ago. I can still smell those burning tapers that Geordie used to singe the gentlemans newly cut hair!! If I recall correctly Geordie and his assistant were decked out in short white dust coats just like the local dentist. Or maybe my memory is fading and I am talking of the local dentist!!
Noting the mention of Geordie Hall”s barbers shop, shown on this photograph, brings back memories of the man himself. When just a boy I would often be taken there by my dad for my haircut. To my knowledge Geordie would never cut the hair of a child, that chore was handed to his son-in-law who worked alongside him. After finishing cutting the hair of one customer, Geordie would call out “next gentleman please”. Geordie lived in Elliott Street, Portrack, a few doors away from my Grannie Dobson who lived at number 32 and Aunt Emma at number 7. Although I went to Geordie Hall”s for the occasional haircut I went mostly to Dickie Wilson”s at the top of Garbutt Street. I was sent there with the instuction from my dad to “tell him to take plenty off”. One memory of Dickie Wilson”s was the canaries he kept in the shop, chirping their little heads off for hours on end. If as a young man you required a style of the day, the two aforementioned barbers were not for you they were strictly short back and sides men.
From Bath Lane,1/2 Moon Pub then there was Geordie Hall”s barbers shop ,a showroom/come sales shop with agricultural implements, next a bicycle shop;then between hereabouts and the old Police Stn,there was a row of dilapidated old wooden fronted dis-used shops. These were removed & as I re-call a Tax Office erected.When football matches re-started after the war the “match buses” left from here taking 100″s if not 1000″s via Portack to Ayresome Park, M”bro,to see players like Johnie Hardwick, Wilf Mannion, Mickey Fenton and the like.My father who played for Portack Shamrocks FC always said they served as a feeder club for The Boro”. How times have changed !
Martin Spires – Martin did this pub, along with the Gray Horse serve Flower”s beer? In addition, did the frontage on Church Road consist of a varnished wood finish with candy-twist embellishments? I remember the building style but can not identify the site. Hope you can help!
The Half Moon Inn was situated at the Square, now Church Road and on the corner of Bath Lane.