This is a view of Victoria Bridge at sometime during the early 1900s. An electric tram can be seen crossing the bridge and the Bridge Hotel is in the distance on the left hand side.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This is a view of Victoria Bridge at sometime during the early 1900s. An electric tram can be seen crossing the bridge and the Bridge Hotel is in the distance on the left hand side.
Norman Kidd has got it right about Brunner Mond being the origins, or to be fully accurate part of the origins of ICI.
In 1923 my father Tom, sometimes known as Len, was one of the earliest employees of Brunner Mond at the Billingham site then making ammonia.
Brunner Mond itself had been started in Northwich in 1873 by John Brunner and Ludwig Mond. At a time of great UK problems in traditional industry enterprise was needed. In 1926 Brunner Mond, British Dyestuffs, Nobel Explosives and United Alkali combined to form ICI. As far as ICI and Billingham is concerned the rest is history.
By 1929 Dad was a group foreman on the Gas Plant and in later years was plant superintendent for the coke ovens and latterly was mostly concerned with the Hydrogen Plant.
So he was part of Brunner Mond & ICI history!
One of the main reasons for bombing the ICI was that it produced fuel of a fairly high octane rating. This was done by hydrogenation of coal tar and similar gas works by-products. Franks Mee’s note seems to indicate that the main plant was missed. As Frank says the distance from Occupied Europe precluded a big bomb load, and the bombers would not be protected by fighter aircraft. At a very late stage in the war there was at least one reconaissance flight over the ICI by a German Jet Bomber. Another Teesside first?
Quite correct Brunner Mond were the origins of ICI. I would recomment anyone interested to read The History of ICI Vols 1 and II by Reader. I am sure the Stockton Library would have them. It was not a painless birth and a lot of intregue went on onboard ship out of hearing. It was announced on the radio during the war, by Lord Haw Haw, that Germany were keeping the valuable assett of ICI for when they came! Cheek.
I think this was view held by many during the war (the reason why the ICI was not bombed during the war) Colin. I remember my Mum telling me the same story.
I did ask the question tongue in cheek as at the time censorship kept such news out of the papers. A large number of HE bombs and Incendiary bombs dropped on the large expanse of the works area from 1940 to 43. In 1942 the oil storage tanks were bombed and set on fire. There was also damage to the Sulphuric plant Stores Engineering plants and workshops. We could also include our own Ack Ack fire which sometimes came back to earth before exploding. When you think of the distance those planes came they would be light on fuel facing a heavy barrage so quite possibly veered off and dropped their load of bombs elsewhere. The area of Thornaby bombed when the Victoria Bridge was hit got another bombing in 1943 when bombs hit the Electricity Power Station near Darlington street. The five lamps Gilmore street and Mandale road were hit. The Britannia Hotel was demolished and several people killed. Victoria bridge and the railway were blocked for several days and local works unable to work due to the power being cut. Water and Gas also cut with pipes damaged. ICI started in the 1920’s as Bruna Mond then we knew it as the Synthetic until it became ICI and now defunct, something none of the people around the area ever thought could happen.
In reply to Franks remark regarding ICI not being touched by bombs, I was always led to believe that prior to the war the site was owned by a German Company Bruner Mond or some name like that, so they did not want to destroy their property. Who knows?
I wonder how many people remember the first civilian death from bombing in this area was on Victoria Bridge. The night of 26th August 1940. Harold Ewles from Laurel road was crossing the bridge going to work when a bomb hit the bridge blowing a hole in the walk way at the south side (Thornaby). Mr Ewles died on his way to hospital. More bombs dropped in the river on the Northern side shattering windows in the High Street. Another bomb hit Mandale road. The flour mill and Bridge Hotel plus Thornaby Town hall were damaged and gas pipes on the bridge ruptured. The hole in the bridge was fenced off and not fully repaired until after the war. June, August and September was quite a hectic period for us people around at the time. The Mill at Norton was bombed, I was outside running for shelter when I heard them coming, a memorable but not happy experience. Later Norton Billingham road was bombed and blocked. Then the Church bells rang which meant Parachutists were coming. My memory of that is Mother running from the shelter and grabbing a pitchfork and yelling “come on you (unmentionables), I will give you something to remember.” Knowing my Mothers Irish temper she would have done so had it not been a false alarm. We never did understand how they could miss big places such as ICI and the Shipyards yet hit civilians and their houses. The noise at times was horrendous, mobile Ack Ack guns on the show field behind us or Norton Green, Kiaora guns big 4.7 ex naval guns that shook the ground when they fired. With the flaming onion rockets it was also a spectacular sight and I often had to be dragged back into the shelter, what went up came back down with nasty sharp edges, no place for a soft head outside wanting to see the fireworks.
The Victoria Bridge has just gained Grade II listed status. It was built by Whitaker Brothers of Leeds and is made of wrought iron, cast iron, Bramley Fall stone and granite. It was used by trams until 1931 when it became a road bridge.
The bridge was opened in June 1887 on the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and named in her honour. Many years later, in World War 2, the bridge suffered bomb damage, and splinter holes from the attack can still be seen in the downstream parapet near to the Thornaby side. I believe the bridge replaced an earlier stone multi-arched bridge dating from the previous century.