This is a view of Elm Tree Farm possibly taken in the mid forties. The farm was demolished around 1969/70 to build St Marks Church of England School. Courtesy of June Guy. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This is a view of Elm Tree Farm possibly taken in the mid forties. The farm was demolished around 1969/70 to build St Marks Church of England School. Courtesy of June Guy.
Totally developed with housing now.
Really enjoying reading the level of detail everybody’s memories have brought. I grew up in the Avenue from 1983 to present day, and now live in Biddick Close in Elm Tree ( just behind the old Co-op club) if anybody has any old photos relating to either of these places I’d be interested to see them! thanks in advance!!! Chris
I used to live in The Avenue (24) and remember going to Sunday school at the chapel next to Speights, also going to Speights with a ration book which my mother (Audrey now 90) would give me for butter or bacon.
The methodist chapel in Fairfield Avenue was next door to Speights news agents. I was one of the paperboys who worked for him. I like my brother Ken and my other four brothers lived in Fairfield Close from when it was built, although there were a number of years between myself, Ken and Bernard and the next three, Michael,Kevin and David. We all still live in the Fairfield area except Ken who now lives in Woodhouse eaves. I also remember the farm and also Seatons farm which was basically were the Rimswell is now. We moved to Fairfield long before the schools were built or in fact the houses on the opposite side of Fairfield Road as they are now, that area was just open meadows with cattle grazing in them, as was the area on the other side of Bishopton Road West which was farmland also and were Guys farm was.
The railway track that ran along the side of Guys farm was also an area we frequented and the line was still in use in those days. In those days Fairfield was Fair fields as they say and was in the outback in relation to Stockton. There were no buses or public transport when we first moved there. I remember walking from Stockton many a time with my mother Kath with our shopping from the market. In those days Fairfield was a community in itself, together with all the residents in Bishopton Court and the Dutch Barn Houses on Fairfield road and Bishopton Road West, many of whom have posted comments on other pages on this site.
Yes June. I cycled or walked past it in the Avenue very many times from boyhood till College & Army days and then for 9 years thereafter. I can picture it very clearly in my mind.
I have many many memories of the old methodist chapel, I attended the youth club there for many years in the late fifties and early sixties. The old rugged cross rings many bells.
Anyone have any memories of the Methodist Chapel (now a house) in The Avenue, Fairfield?
Steve Wheeler – fascinating to know of the old J.B. Guy milk bottle. J.B. Guy was my father in law, I married Alan Guy who ran the farm with his father. I can still remember marvelling at Alan lifting those huge milk churns on to our pick up truck to take to the Coop Dairy which was then on Church Road in Stockton. I lived at the farm for a few years after our marriage until it was demolished to make way for St Marks School. We then moved to the The Avenue sadly Alan died in 2000 but I still live in the Avenue.
Delighted to stumble on this material on Stockton. First contact was a piece about Riley Boilers owned by my wife Peta’s (Riley) family until the mid thirties. My Mother was Annie Gooding of Stockton.
I caught the picture of Elm Tree Farm. Eric Guy was in my class at the Grammar School and we were friends until we lost touch as we moved on. I spent many happy hours at the Farm. I remember his father sitting on the settle and saying all old men should be shot when they reached 60. Eric developed a problem with his legs and was in two casts for some time. I helped him up the stairs at school one day and we were both late for class getting a rocket from the English teacher (name forgotten) who seemed to think Eric was faking it. I believe he later did radio work and I heard he had died – I hope that is not true.
I remember all of the girls you mention from Mill Lane, Aline. I lived in Dixon Street from age 13 but before that Airton Street. Joy Stanger lived in the next street (Farrer Street) and Sandra Hipkiss lived in a shop near the end of Hume Street. I remember Valerie Spinks very well. I have never yet met anyone who doesn’t have good memories of Mill Lane School.
Yes indeed Linda i was a prefect and was so pleased with myself having been chosen to be one .I do remember your name but can not put a face to it, where did you live? I remember all the shops round the area ,Sambrooks in some way were related in laws somehow ,mam and dad did buy the shop off Thwaites and Dennis went on to play for Birmingham City that is why they sold the shop so they could move to Birmingham ,Dennis was a GOOD friend of mine once !!! His sister Sandra was Godmother to my son Mark.Girls I was friendly with at school were Joy Stanger,Nora Bradly,Sandra Hipkiss,Vera Brooks .Barbara Osborn ,Dorathy Fletcher, all in my year my closest friend was Valerie Spink who I grew up with living opposite to each other in Tarring street. Can you recall any of them? I dont know where most of them are now though, some of the happiest times of my life were spent at Mill Lane ,happy days.
Nice to read your comments Aline. I think you were a prefect when I was at Mill Lane. I recall that as we younger ones came in from the school yard, the prefects would be in the hall making sure we were quick and quiet. I remember Gerry Caira’s shop. I was always terrified if his mother came to serve the sweets. Much preferred Miss Wyleman’s or Trevor’s paper shop over the road or Sambrooke’s on the corner of Dixon Street. I also remember Goddard’s Mission in Fagg street. Only went once with the crowd I ‘knocked about with’. Not sure what it was all about but we got a hot drink on a cold night.I recall that Dave Fish had to do a reading from the bible! Shame about Brunswick Chapel – a lovely place. Did your parents buy the shop that once belonged to the Thwaites family? Dennis Thwaites played for England schoolboys I think. Totally agree with your comments about Amy Smith’s fish and chips.
Alistair Begg, so pleased to see that you enjoy what little I have writen about my childhood living in Tarring street. We lived in what was known as the little end number 77. When I was 16 mam and dad baught the corner shop, number 66 on the corner of the little end. Over the road can you remember another Smith family (no relation) who had the fish and chip shop the best fish and chips in the area. In St Bernards road backing onto our shop was another shop, the lady was Dorrie Dennison. I remember going with mams ration book for two 2oz of sweets that would of been late 40s. One of the shops I loved was Gerry Cara (not sure of the spelling) the ice lollies he made himself, also a card you punched a hole in and got a prize of whatever it revealed. Going down Dovecote street now is so depressing, all the Co-op shops are knocked down and the houses that were built in the sixties are all empty and boarded up waiting for demolition. Les Fords, formerly known as Blob Fords, has gone along with Brunswick Methodist – what is going to be built on all this land I do not know. Can anyone remember Godards mission in Fag street? I loved going, we would sit in a back room and knit Balaclavas for soldiers. On one winters night I remember running home telling my mam and dad I had signed the PLEDGE! at the mission and was so pleased with myself but I didn’t have a clue what it was for or about, needless to say I broke my PLEDGE… happy days.
I married a Tarring streeter some 50 years ago and lived there and started a family in the street. I really enjoyed every minute of living there and the sense of community spirit, after several years I moved away. Sad to see like that the street is being demolished, I have been back several times in the past few years but can no longer get down to Stockton. I am enjoying enjoying Alines comments and notes on the progress of whats happening in the streets. I have read the Stockton Borough Council site on the plans for redevelopment and hopefully the next generation will enjoy those streets as much as we did. Oh Happy Days.
In my “museum” of milkbottles, I now have a sand-blasted 1930’s milkbottle for J.B. Guy, Elm Tree Farm, Fairfield “For Pure Rich Milk”
I married Alan in 1966 and lived on Elm Tree Farm for the years until it was demolished to build St Marks School. Sadly Alan died in 2000 but I still live in The Avenue. I was so touched by the remarks made by Ken Salmmon about Alan. It really put a smile on my face that he was remembered so kindly.
As a teenager and with other lads from Fairfield we used to help out on the farm in exchange for being allowd to run our motorcycles across the fields Alan Guy was a smashing fellow and would often have ago on our bikes. John Dean, Brian Wastel, Alan Ambler, Rob Mackenzie, the Emerson brothers all used to help out on the farm. What great days they were. I never got used to the pigs in the orchard which was close to the railway lines and to the right of the farm picture shown.
James Bewick Guy was my father in law from Elm Tree Farm and W. Guy was Willie Guy married to Doris and lived at Stockton Grange Farm. Elm Tree Farm was demolished to build St Mark”s School and Stockton Grange Farm was demolished and Stockton 6th Form college is now on the site.
I have an old milk bottle six & quarter inches tall & wrote on the side is PURE RICH MILK, Produced by W.T.GUY, DAIRY FARMER, STOCKTON GRANGE FARM, TELEPHONE 6350.
James Bewick Guy moved here in about 1921 married to Gwendoline and had three sons John Alan and Eric.
Do you remember Rosedale Farm? My mam Beatrice Holmes lived there when she was a child. She often talked about Guys Farm and Sanderson Farm all of which were in close proximity to each other.
My mother, Doreen Wolsey nee Bransby, was born at Rosedale Farm in 1918. I have a few photos from there.