27 thoughts on “Norton Road and King Street 1981

  1. I remember King Street vividly as it was there in the large building that I had my very first job after leaving school. The firm was Hartlepool Mutual Trading Company, and the reps used to have a “round each” and sell coupons to people who may not have had the cash to buy clothing etc. They paid it back at so much a week, and we in the office did all the ledger books from the reps, at xmas time we would bring in toys for people to come and buy, it was a very busy office. I remember Eddie Harston and Jim Lloyd as 2 of the reps, and Bob Thompson was the manager of the office.

  2. This brings back memories from long ago. I always made a detour via this shop when walking between the High Sreet and my Grandmother’s in Railway Street. When I was about twelve I saved up my pocket money for weeks to buy a Tri-Ang horsebox like the one they had on display in the window. That was about 1954! Always looked in the Silver Street shop as well. Haven’t progressed much, still building model trains.

  3. I think I should have noted previously, that the Silver Street model shop I was querying was there in the 1950s, long before the bank site near The Royal Oak. They may be the same company, I don’t know as I’ve not made any models for over 40 or 50 years.

  4. The model shop in Silver Street was either called The Modeller, The Modellers Halt or the Stockton Modeller, may well have changed it’s name over the years. It was owned by a chap called Humphrey Bloor, his original shop was on Stockton High Street next to the Royal Oak pub which was previously a bank, can’t remember which one!

  5. I have a 1957 publication for Listers Model Shop which gives an answer to the queries about the King Street shop. It was definitely Listers at 17A King Street who also had a shop at 16 Wilson Street, Middlesbrough.

  6. I remember buying Matchbox models (the originals) during the 50’s from the model shop being mentioned. It certainly wasn’t in Garbutt Street but in King Street on the corner of either Nelson Street or Starkey Street. In those days most models cost about 1/6d (seven and a half pence). No doubt they would be worth quite a bit today if kept with their original box.

  7. There is no doubt that this is King Street. The shop premises is the Barbers shop. If I’m right, when in the Police Force at Stockton, one of the lads working with me once lived there.

  8. If you go down the ‘Aerial View of Stockton’ it is just possible to make out the opening of this street into Norton Road. The area is in the the top left hand corner of the picture. Garbutt Street is not in the aerial view, but the street from which the picture was taken goes down to Bath Lane.

  9. That’s right Brian, you’d be standing on the step looking out. Lister’s definitely rings a bell, but I never went over to Boro to buy models. I lived in the same street as Paul in the 60s and knew him and his family. His dad used to develop our photos and print them. I remember a model Paul made, a fairly large scale Fokker Triplane, complete with Pilot and ground crew.

  10. If I’m not mistaken the Model shop was behind the photographer who took this photograph. Listers model shop was on Wilson Street in Middlesbrough. I remember them both well, I would also go to both shops in the late 1950’s (with Paul Steer) and spend my pocket money.

  11. I remember a model shop on the corner of King Street, approximately where this photo was taken. Spent a few quid in there before all my cash went to Les Browns for rock n roll records. I also remember a shop called Lister’s. Was the model shop and Listers one and the same shop?

  12. I remember this street very well in the early to mid 50’s. There was a toy shop called Listers and I saved up for months to purchase a Sooty hand puppet for 10/- (50p) from this shop. My brother bought most of his Matchbox toy car collection from there too. Opposite King St on Norton Road was a chemist called Churchills where my grandmother used to buy me magazine type books with a cardboard cut out doll and paper dressing up clothes with tabs to fit the clothes – I loved them!

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