Does anyone have pictures of the factory from after it closed down? I lived in Swinburn Road between 1998-2008 and used to explore the old factory and get up to no good as a kid.
I worked at Hills for a period of 2 years as an apprentice manager. Probably from 1950 to 1952. I have memories of the huge Obeche Logs imported from West Africa, being turned into plywood, some of which was used to make panel doors. The waste wood from the plywood manufacture was chopped up and made into chipboard, some of it went into making solid doors.
I was lead to believe that Hills were pioneers in creating chipboard as a useful building material.
I worked for a supplier of lacquer and used to spend a lot of time with Mick good both in and out of the factory when I visited the Hills site. I seem to remember him telling me about his daughter had just found she had diabetis. He used to manage the finishing line. I would like to know how he is.
I am loving this site – does anyone remember my parents or brothers & sister who worked at Hills, Mick & Ethel Good? Micheal Good was a manager, Julie Good, also Kenny & Ian worked there for a while. Mams friends were Madge Vickers, Sheila Boston, Vera & Tilly. Would love to hear any memories you have about them.
Does anyone remember working with my late Grandfather, Albert Edward Cavanagh? He retired from Hills around 1973 (I think!) when he was 60 and joined as an apprentice aged 14. Grandad served in World War II and was captured by the Japanese following the fall of Singapore in 1941, and forced to work on the Burma ‘Railway of Death’. He was a prisoner for over three gruelling years, and after liberation by American troops eventually came back to Norton and Hills. Although he suffered ill health related to his captivity he stayed at Hills until retirement. Grandad died in 1987 and was a great man whom I was very close to. So I’d very much appreciate it if anyone, or their relatives, has memories of working with him?
Hi Stephen, my grandmother Lilian Cavanagh was your grandfather’s cousin. I am just researching him for my family tree. He also survived when the prisoner transport ship sank too.
Your post was a long time ago so not sure this will get to you but would love to hear more about him if you do.
Nichola, I worked at Hills for 24 years and until it closed in 1997. I remember all of your relations. The reason for the closure was that a company called Premdor who originated in Canada bought the Company. Hills also had another works at Barnsley which only made stock doors. Premdor were also in Europe but needed a hold in the UK. Barnsley was the target because all they thought of was the stock door market. The Stockton site were famous for their special doors but Premdor did not need that side of the industry. I was at the meeting on the 12th January 1997 when our Manager told us of the closure and that the decision was irreversible, meaning that was the end of ‘doormaking’ on this site. Above now explains why it closed and it was not that they had run out of money. In fact before it closed the Stockton Division was the only one making a profit. Besides Barnsley they had factories also in Essex and Bridgend.
Served my time as a moulder at J. Downings iron foundry, don’t think they contributed that much smoke. Yes some, but biggest contributers were the gas works. Council yard had big chimmney. Our furnace was switched on at about 3.30pm and ran for about an hour, all moulds were usually cast by 4.30/4.45, about same for the top foundry.
The name Mr Grubb sounds familiar. The procedure was that the working men always got their hair done first, even when they came in after the school kids. The price remained the same for years… there was no inflation in the fifties, but eventually Mr Grubb put the prices up. I didn’t have enough money, and I suppose this must have been the umpteenth time this had happened, so Grubb lost his temper with me. My mother who went by the shop every day, settled with him. It would been about threepence in old money, equivalent to about 75p today I suppose.
Thinking back now I would say the biggest contributers to the smoke belching from chimneys would be the Railway Sheds and the number of trains there. Also Downings Foundries and possibly the Gas Works that bordered onto these works. Thinking again about Hills I forgot about the heating systems, but they were oil fired.
Bob Irwin and myself will have to disagree about the amount of smoke and number of chimneys that I saw from the barbers, across the road from Hills. But there could have been other factories or workshops responsible. Does anyone remember the name of the two barbers? The owner was quite a short thin man aged about 50-55, and his assistant, who was a more genial type, was vey tall, wore glasses had slick backed straight hair, and was in his early forties. The barbers was next to Walter Wilsons, a big grocery shop.
I can’t imagine any other smoke other than from the boiler house chimney. Other outlets would be from the factories where steam was being emitted from the presses. In the 1950’s and up to the late 70’s the boiler house was just behind Norton Road before being demolished for the new one further into the factory. In the early days when the chimney was blasting out the black smoke a nearby resident would throw stones at the windows.
I am sorry to hear about the run-down of this distinguished company and sad end. However, as regards the emissions of smoke, things had improved in response to public complaints by the seventies. In the mid fifties, things were different, with smoke being emitted from a lot of chimneys on this site all at one time.
I started work as a Joiner at Hills in 1973. At that time there were over 1000 people employed there. Over the years it was sold on time after time and when new owners appeared there were redundancies. Probably in the time I was there ending in 1997 there would have been 8 owners. When I finished because of the firm closing there would only be 124 people left. Regarding the smoke from the boiler house, the fires burned all day but materials that caused the dirty smoke were only burned at night time, I believe because of complaints from nearby residents. All the saw dust and timber chipped up through the ‘Hoggers’ was passed through ducts to the boiler house where it was dried before being manufactured into core material for the doors. Nothing wasted. This was called ‘Krieboard.’
I passed F.Hill’s every day on the bus on my way to Trinity School in 1838. It was indeed a hive of activity during the war years. They were experts at lamination of aircraft propellors, goodness knows what else they made for the war effort. As ICI staff made cigarette lighters and fire irons from bits of Perspex so the Hill lads, made table lamps with laminated bases provide your own shade. Such items would be a treasure today.
After I left school I made my own lighter from perpex and made it to strike a match on the base in case of failure. Petrol was called Pool Petol and was rationed. It was not easy to get lighter fuel. The simple little job of making the lighter, enabled me to make a fly deflector for my Austin 8 car to deflect flys over the windscreen and stop splatter. Pre war cars did not have such things as windscreen washers or heaters. The deflector worked well, I shaped it like a snowplow using a plaster mold and heat to bend the shape in clear perspex. Oh happy days.
I used to see this and other factories belching smoke when I went to the barbers, that was just across the main road from Hills Ltd. My recollection is that all the chimneys started giving out smoke at the same time, at around twenty minutes to the hour. The smoke stopped after about 15 minutes. I think there was smoke-control legislation which accounted for this.
I used to live opposite this factory on Norton Road and remember it belching out black smoke each day… my mum had to make sure there was no washing out in the back yard when it happened.
Looking at this photo, the 1st set of windows in the middle left of the building is where the Veneer Shop was. There were two guillotines which cut the veneers and then they were stiched together to the sizes of the doors before being transferred to the appropriate factories for manufacture.
That building was Hills factory 3. That factory made solid core doors which were half and one hour firecheck. They could be faced with very exotic timber veneers such as Bombay Rosewood which in the 1970’s could cost £250 per door.
I visit Stockton occasionally and noticed this factory a few weeks ago, I had a look around the derelict site and wondered what it had been. Does anyone know where you can get more photos and info on it?
Does anyone remember my Mam who used to work in Hill’s factory, not sure of the years but must have neen round about the 1960’s – her name is Mary McKenzie?
My mum Kath Lambert worked at Hills for many years in the 60’s – I remember she mainly worked in Factory 5 and I used to meet her at the stockton end gate when she finished around 4pm.
My Father (Nigel Goodall) my uncles (Stephen Keightley, Ian Keightley, Colin Goodall, Peter Goodall) my Grandfathers (James Goodall & Dennis Keightley) all worked here until the company itself ran out of money in the last recession and forced its workers to take redundancy. Since then the building has been demolished due asbestos in the walls, and the ground has yes to be worked on because there’s arsenic in the ground left over from an old pottery factory that was knocked down prior to Hills being built. Hope this helped anyone who was unsure to how to Hills ended up 🙂
The stall frames were put on flat back lorries & run round the back of the Parish Church & stored in the top end of the cattlemarket. The man in charge of the operation was called Benny Powell.
The operation of Stockton market was a joy to behold. Such a busy market produced quite a lot of rubbish. When the market was cleared by 6pm you would not have known a market had been held, not a piece of rubbish in sight. What would I give for some of that local produce today. I enjoyed the bit about the “flush Doors” Bob.
I worked on the market throughout the sixties, the market started to pack up at 5.30 pm, the stallholders were gone by 6.00 pm, all year round. By 7.30 the area was cleared, swilled down, cars were parking, and the hotdog stalls were in place. The lamps were hung in the morning and hung all day providing both heat and light. Seemed late as it was dark in winter. More on the lights elsewhere here.
As a child in the 1960’s I can remember the market staying open a lot later than it does now, when it got dark the stall holders used to light lanterns. I’m not sure what time it actually used to close.
I was born in Tilery Road, nee Smith. My dad’s name was fred and my mum’s name ann. Moved to Billingham in 1966…tilery slum cleared. Does anyone remember the corner shop? I think the owners name was Ethel Smith – no relation. I remember Hills, the rec, tilery school, Mr Rigg, walking to town. Did the market stay open until 10pm ish or am I mistaken?
F. Hills were well known as a National supplier of doors. They made flush doors, paint grade and veneered types. Panel doors which were the type with a glass in the top and a panel at the bottom. Architectural doors in hardwood, softwood and veneered and also Special Doors. There were stock sized doors in Imperial and Metric sizes. One line would produce approx 40,000 flush stock size doors a week and together with other lines altogether 60,000. Also made were Fire Preventive Doors. There were few Firms which made these because you had to have a Special Certificate. They were used to stop a fire from spreading and were times as 30 minute, 60 minute and 2 hour dooors. That was the time it took for them to be burned through. All Architects had Hills at the top of their list of suppliers. Also made at the Factory were the Toilet Cubicles and Shower units and Door Frames. They actually made the frames and doors were fitted into them with Locks and latches supplied and also fitted. These units were mainly sent to the High Rise Buildings and there was a system of packing them so that each floor was seperately supplied. It was always known as Hills but in the 24 years I was there there were about 6 different Companies owned it and was always sold as a “Going Concern”. The last owners who were Canadian only bought the works as a step into the UK Market. They closed the Stockton site down in 1997. Since that date Special and Architectural Doors are made by a Company in Hartlepool. The owners being all previous workers for Hills. There was also a Door Framing Firm at Thornaby also owned by a previous person from Hills. A M”bro Door Manufacturing Company took on quite a few Joiners who had been made redundant. All these Firms are doing very well.
Who can remember the sign on Hill”s “Famous for Flush Doors” – I passed this often visiting my grandma in Tilery. For years I wondered how a firm became famous for fitting doors to W.C.s…
To anyone that new my father Ken Leo. He passed away 28/09/2018. He was 90 years old.
Trying to find Shirley that worked there circa 1990. Anyone help?
Is it Shirley McCleod?
Shirley McCloud is my cousin Bob, she worked at Hills for years.
Also Shirley’s brother Gordon Even worked for a long time, Gordon had a bad accident there and almost lost his arm, very very lucky.
All the best.
Derek
Yes Derek I was there for nearly 25 years and knew both Shirley and Gordon Evans, didn’t know of the accident though.
Yes Bob, Gordon was really lucky, he still carries the scars. I was born at Shirleys mothers house in Napier Street.
Derek
My mother worked at Pitchers newsagents across the road from Hills for many years and knew a lot of the people who worked there.
Does anyone have pictures of the factory from after it closed down? I lived in Swinburn Road between 1998-2008 and used to explore the old factory and get up to no good as a kid.
A very short clip of Hills in production here (at 17:48) :
http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/north-east-land-opportunity-0
I worked at Hills for a period of 2 years as an apprentice manager. Probably from 1950 to 1952. I have memories of the huge Obeche Logs imported from West Africa, being turned into plywood, some of which was used to make panel doors. The waste wood from the plywood manufacture was chopped up and made into chipboard, some of it went into making solid doors.
I was lead to believe that Hills were pioneers in creating chipboard as a useful building material.
In the 1955 era, the company was a manufacturer of plywood. The logs were imported from West Africa.
I worked for a supplier of lacquer and used to spend a lot of time with Mick good both in and out of the factory when I visited the Hills site. I seem to remember him telling me about his daughter had just found she had diabetis. He used to manage the finishing line. I would like to know how he is.
I am loving this site – does anyone remember my parents or brothers & sister who worked at Hills, Mick & Ethel Good? Micheal Good was a manager, Julie Good, also Kenny & Ian worked there for a while. Mams friends were Madge Vickers, Sheila Boston, Vera & Tilly. Would love to hear any memories you have about them.
Does anyone remember working with my late Grandfather, Albert Edward Cavanagh? He retired from Hills around 1973 (I think!) when he was 60 and joined as an apprentice aged 14. Grandad served in World War II and was captured by the Japanese following the fall of Singapore in 1941, and forced to work on the Burma ‘Railway of Death’. He was a prisoner for over three gruelling years, and after liberation by American troops eventually came back to Norton and Hills. Although he suffered ill health related to his captivity he stayed at Hills until retirement. Grandad died in 1987 and was a great man whom I was very close to. So I’d very much appreciate it if anyone, or their relatives, has memories of working with him?
Hi Stephen, my grandmother Lilian Cavanagh was your grandfather’s cousin. I am just researching him for my family tree. He also survived when the prisoner transport ship sank too.
Your post was a long time ago so not sure this will get to you but would love to hear more about him if you do.
Regards
Theresa Harding (nee Carney)
Nichola, I worked at Hills for 24 years and until it closed in 1997. I remember all of your relations. The reason for the closure was that a company called Premdor who originated in Canada bought the Company. Hills also had another works at Barnsley which only made stock doors. Premdor were also in Europe but needed a hold in the UK. Barnsley was the target because all they thought of was the stock door market. The Stockton site were famous for their special doors but Premdor did not need that side of the industry. I was at the meeting on the 12th January 1997 when our Manager told us of the closure and that the decision was irreversible, meaning that was the end of ‘doormaking’ on this site. Above now explains why it closed and it was not that they had run out of money. In fact before it closed the Stockton Division was the only one making a profit. Besides Barnsley they had factories also in Essex and Bridgend.
Served my time as a moulder at J. Downings iron foundry, don’t think they contributed that much smoke. Yes some, but biggest contributers were the gas works. Council yard had big chimmney. Our furnace was switched on at about 3.30pm and ran for about an hour, all moulds were usually cast by 4.30/4.45, about same for the top foundry.
The name Mr Grubb sounds familiar. The procedure was that the working men always got their hair done first, even when they came in after the school kids. The price remained the same for years… there was no inflation in the fifties, but eventually Mr Grubb put the prices up. I didn’t have enough money, and I suppose this must have been the umpteenth time this had happened, so Grubb lost his temper with me. My mother who went by the shop every day, settled with him. It would been about threepence in old money, equivalent to about 75p today I suppose.
Thinking back now I would say the biggest contributers to the smoke belching from chimneys would be the Railway Sheds and the number of trains there. Also Downings Foundries and possibly the Gas Works that bordered onto these works. Thinking again about Hills I forgot about the heating systems, but they were oil fired.
Was the Barbers Shop called Grubb? A H Grubb I believe.
Bob Irwin and myself will have to disagree about the amount of smoke and number of chimneys that I saw from the barbers, across the road from Hills. But there could have been other factories or workshops responsible. Does anyone remember the name of the two barbers? The owner was quite a short thin man aged about 50-55, and his assistant, who was a more genial type, was vey tall, wore glasses had slick backed straight hair, and was in his early forties. The barbers was next to Walter Wilsons, a big grocery shop.
I can’t imagine any other smoke other than from the boiler house chimney. Other outlets would be from the factories where steam was being emitted from the presses. In the 1950’s and up to the late 70’s the boiler house was just behind Norton Road before being demolished for the new one further into the factory. In the early days when the chimney was blasting out the black smoke a nearby resident would throw stones at the windows.
I am sorry to hear about the run-down of this distinguished company and sad end. However, as regards the emissions of smoke, things had improved in response to public complaints by the seventies. In the mid fifties, things were different, with smoke being emitted from a lot of chimneys on this site all at one time.
I started work as a Joiner at Hills in 1973. At that time there were over 1000 people employed there. Over the years it was sold on time after time and when new owners appeared there were redundancies. Probably in the time I was there ending in 1997 there would have been 8 owners. When I finished because of the firm closing there would only be 124 people left. Regarding the smoke from the boiler house, the fires burned all day but materials that caused the dirty smoke were only burned at night time, I believe because of complaints from nearby residents. All the saw dust and timber chipped up through the ‘Hoggers’ was passed through ducts to the boiler house where it was dried before being manufactured into core material for the doors. Nothing wasted. This was called ‘Krieboard.’
I passed F.Hill’s every day on the bus on my way to Trinity School in 1838. It was indeed a hive of activity during the war years. They were experts at lamination of aircraft propellors, goodness knows what else they made for the war effort. As ICI staff made cigarette lighters and fire irons from bits of Perspex so the Hill lads, made table lamps with laminated bases provide your own shade. Such items would be a treasure today.
After I left school I made my own lighter from perpex and made it to strike a match on the base in case of failure. Petrol was called Pool Petol and was rationed. It was not easy to get lighter fuel. The simple little job of making the lighter, enabled me to make a fly deflector for my Austin 8 car to deflect flys over the windscreen and stop splatter. Pre war cars did not have such things as windscreen washers or heaters. The deflector worked well, I shaped it like a snowplow using a plaster mold and heat to bend the shape in clear perspex. Oh happy days.
I used to see this and other factories belching smoke when I went to the barbers, that was just across the main road from Hills Ltd. My recollection is that all the chimneys started giving out smoke at the same time, at around twenty minutes to the hour. The smoke stopped after about 15 minutes. I think there was smoke-control legislation which accounted for this.
I used to live opposite this factory on Norton Road and remember it belching out black smoke each day… my mum had to make sure there was no washing out in the back yard when it happened.
Looking at this photo, the 1st set of windows in the middle left of the building is where the Veneer Shop was. There were two guillotines which cut the veneers and then they were stiched together to the sizes of the doors before being transferred to the appropriate factories for manufacture.
That building was Hills factory 3. That factory made solid core doors which were half and one hour firecheck. They could be faced with very exotic timber veneers such as Bombay Rosewood which in the 1970’s could cost £250 per door.
I visit Stockton occasionally and noticed this factory a few weeks ago, I had a look around the derelict site and wondered what it had been. Does anyone know where you can get more photos and info on it?
Does anyone remember my Mam who used to work in Hill’s factory, not sure of the years but must have neen round about the 1960’s – her name is Mary McKenzie?
My mum Kath Lambert worked at Hills for many years in the 60’s – I remember she mainly worked in Factory 5 and I used to meet her at the stockton end gate when she finished around 4pm.
My Father (Nigel Goodall) my uncles (Stephen Keightley, Ian Keightley, Colin Goodall, Peter Goodall) my Grandfathers (James Goodall & Dennis Keightley) all worked here until the company itself ran out of money in the last recession and forced its workers to take redundancy. Since then the building has been demolished due asbestos in the walls, and the ground has yes to be worked on because there’s arsenic in the ground left over from an old pottery factory that was knocked down prior to Hills being built. Hope this helped anyone who was unsure to how to Hills ended up 🙂
The stall frames were put on flat back lorries & run round the back of the Parish Church & stored in the top end of the cattlemarket. The man in charge of the operation was called Benny Powell.
The operation of Stockton market was a joy to behold. Such a busy market produced quite a lot of rubbish. When the market was cleared by 6pm you would not have known a market had been held, not a piece of rubbish in sight. What would I give for some of that local produce today. I enjoyed the bit about the “flush Doors” Bob.
I worked on the market throughout the sixties, the market started to pack up at 5.30 pm, the stallholders were gone by 6.00 pm, all year round. By 7.30 the area was cleared, swilled down, cars were parking, and the hotdog stalls were in place. The lamps were hung in the morning and hung all day providing both heat and light. Seemed late as it was dark in winter. More on the lights elsewhere here.
As a child in the 1960’s I can remember the market staying open a lot later than it does now, when it got dark the stall holders used to light lanterns. I’m not sure what time it actually used to close.
I was born in Tilery Road, nee Smith. My dad’s name was fred and my mum’s name ann. Moved to Billingham in 1966…tilery slum cleared. Does anyone remember the corner shop? I think the owners name was Ethel Smith – no relation. I remember Hills, the rec, tilery school, Mr Rigg, walking to town. Did the market stay open until 10pm ish or am I mistaken?
F. Hills were well known as a National supplier of doors. They made flush doors, paint grade and veneered types. Panel doors which were the type with a glass in the top and a panel at the bottom. Architectural doors in hardwood, softwood and veneered and also Special Doors. There were stock sized doors in Imperial and Metric sizes. One line would produce approx 40,000 flush stock size doors a week and together with other lines altogether 60,000. Also made were Fire Preventive Doors. There were few Firms which made these because you had to have a Special Certificate. They were used to stop a fire from spreading and were times as 30 minute, 60 minute and 2 hour dooors. That was the time it took for them to be burned through. All Architects had Hills at the top of their list of suppliers. Also made at the Factory were the Toilet Cubicles and Shower units and Door Frames. They actually made the frames and doors were fitted into them with Locks and latches supplied and also fitted. These units were mainly sent to the High Rise Buildings and there was a system of packing them so that each floor was seperately supplied. It was always known as Hills but in the 24 years I was there there were about 6 different Companies owned it and was always sold as a “Going Concern”. The last owners who were Canadian only bought the works as a step into the UK Market. They closed the Stockton site down in 1997. Since that date Special and Architectural Doors are made by a Company in Hartlepool. The owners being all previous workers for Hills. There was also a Door Framing Firm at Thornaby also owned by a previous person from Hills. A M”bro Door Manufacturing Company took on quite a few Joiners who had been made redundant. All these Firms are doing very well.
Hills didn”t just make W.C. doors, read the history of Hills on the front page of this site it makes very interesting reading
Who can remember the sign on Hill”s “Famous for Flush Doors” – I passed this often visiting my grandma in Tilery. For years I wondered how a firm became famous for fitting doors to W.C.s…