This photograph of the south end of the High Street includes a view of the Shambles, Dormand Stewarts clothiers, Lamplughs hosiery, Books ladies clothiers, A. Curry & sons and a Liptons delivery van can be seen outside Liptons itself.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The phone boxes were still red but the door frame was painted white as a guide to the door. Most public buildings had white door frames for the same purpose and vehicles had the bottom section of the front and rear mudguards painted white. Some lamp posts had a white flash on them but it did not stop people walking into them on moonless nights. Imagine a world of no light apart from natural moonlight or clear skies, you still need to go out and the torch was to be saved for emergency. We got used to it and used our ears a lot as you often heard a vehicle coming before you saw it. Good job there where not many about as their shaded headlamps were lethal for both the driver and pedestrians.
The two telephone boxes in the lower part of the photo seem to stand out more than usual. Were they painted a different colour during the war so that you could find them in the blackout?
Books the dress shop – the in place for clothing for the modern miss and her mother, they seemed to sell for all generations. Gone now, along with Charles, Graftons, Paiges, Jones and Richards, all excellent ladies clothes shops – no need to go to other towns then.
In this picture you can see the name of the butchers shop A Curry & Son. Often discussed on this site and asking of its whereabouts.