These images show Bishopton Lane c1990. They include views of The Board pub, Swainston’s windows, Maskerade fancy dress hire and The Station pub. Courtesy of Terry Westwood. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Ha, this took me ages to figure out. The reason I don’t recognise the buildings is because they were all knocked down. I didn’t realise that Ultimate Windows had been there so long and that their signage hadn’t changed for the past 20 odd years lol.
So I’m guessing the Station pub is the same pub, it had just moved to a new building up the street a bit?
Why did they knock the buildings down? The junction is terrible now.
You are correct about Waltons Butchers shop… it was my Grandfathers, my auntie and uncle also worked there, Cyril and Elizabeth (Did). I can remember visiting as a young child and going out the back of the shop, which wasn’t for the faint hearted! There was a huge vat of cows blood and various bits of animals. I remember vividly the cows heads!! Not a lot of health and safety! As a young child I was fascinated by the sawdust on the floor.
Mr Carr was my dentist too and indeed he was a very nice man. I had horrendous fears of dentists none the less and I know precisely what Steve is getting at as I didn’t visit a dentist again from age 15 to 21. The grim building and dreadful interior did nothing to help however, when joining a new practice, my fear subsided.
I remember Mr Grunthal too. My brother refused to go to the dentist for years after a bad experience with him. I seem to think he had hardly any teeth himself. I once had a tooth out when I was about 7 years old and came out with a black eye. I walked into the door post after being told to get out of the chair when I wasn’t fully awake. On a brighter side, I remember being given 6d to go next door and get an icecream after check ups.
This has brought back memories. I was so scared of Mr Grunthal he always said ‘it’s just a little filling, you won’t need me to numb your gum’. He must have taken about 8 of my teeth out under gas- I also remember the 6d for an ice cream. However give him his due – I’ve had 4 and a half decades with beautiful straight teeth and only now as I approach 60 are my teeth starting to crumble around the huge fillings he gave me. He knew I played in the Cleveland Youth Orchestra and would tell me about his daughter Barbara (I think) who played the cello.
Mr Carr at this practice was my dentist from 1972 until he retired about 4 years ago. He was a very kind and gentle man and always made a point of asking about the whole family as they grew up. Neither I nor my children had any fear of going to see our dentist.
I can vouch for the bad experience of having dental treatment at Grunthal et al. I had a tooth extracted after being given ‘gas’. It felt as though the dentist was trying to stretch my mouth over the arm of the chair. I was always sick later in the day after being given gas. So, for people like Steve Raw, as youngsters a visit to a dentist was not always one to enjoy.
I am guessing Julian the dreadful memories you mention are from the dental treatment? They were for me going there, as a young boy I recall being slapped around a bit (perhaps because I wasn’t given anything before the drilling started and had the cheek to yell out). I had a great fear of dentists after this experience – I was given the option by my mum of not going back which I took but which left my teeth in bad order. This fear lasted until I became a boy soldier at the age of 16 – I couldn’t believe the difference going to an Army Dentist to the point of looking forward to my weekly visits.
Linda – the dental practice was Grunthall, Fletcher and Carr. Dreadful grey-brick building with equally horrendous interior. Dreadful memories!
Bobby Gunn was a small blonde haired lad & was a motor mechanic, Colin. I am obviously familiar with the Airton Street people but I did not live in the street, Linda.
Is this this the same Ben Gunn worked as a fitter at Metro Vics in the 50’s? He was also a shop steward at one time.
In the mid fifties my parents lived for a short while at no 19 Airton Street, it was an end house and had a little back alley to access the rear of the house. My brother, Barry, was born there in 1954. I seem to remember a builders yard at the bottom of Airton Street on the other side?
Anon: You are abviously familiar with the history of Airton Street and you are correct with the names – although it is Haxton and not Axston. I meet Sandra Nicholson and Janet Haxton every Saturday. They are part of my extended family and we are all still very close. My family lived between the Rayner’s in No 7 and Mrs Loughran in No 9. I can still name all of the residents of big Airton Street but only the Blackwell’s and Skerrit’s from Little Airton Street. I do however think that the girl you refer to in Little Airton Street might have been Mary Coyle. I’m not sure but I don’t think she went to Mill Lane School though most of the rest of the kids in the street did. I see Evelyn and Brenda Blackwell in Stockton High Street most Saturdays. Did you also live in Airton Street?
I was born in number 15 and a half, Airton Street in 1960. I remember Mr Wilberforce in the big house at no 14. They had a grandfather clock and beautiful furniture and he was very kind to us children, giving us sweets.
Linda, You are right the girl’s name was Mary Coyle and I now think she went to St Marys School, she later worked in the offices at the crisp factory in Billingham. No I did not live in Airton Street, but I was a Gashouse Lad.
Thats a blast from the past Bobby (Ben) Gunn, Linda. He lived near the Axstons, Nicholsons & Pearsons, the big house at the Tennant Street end of Airton Street was the Nobles. Billy was recently Mayor of Stockton. On your side were the Appletons & Rayners. In little Airton Street were the Blackwells, Skerrits, Jeff Hall’s relations & a tall girl called Mary I think she went to Mill Lane School – a few of the residents of Airton Street in the fifties.
Alan Blackburn – I do vaguely remember your family, you were only a baby at the time I think. The people who lived in the house before you were called Gunn and the house next door (29) was occupied by the Greenfield family and the other side (27) was Winnie Foley. I was born in 8 Airton Street and left there when I was 13 in 1960 (just given my age away!) but have everlasting memories of the street the the families who lived there. I still meet with my cousins from the street every Saturday.
Hi Linda ,I spent the first 8 years of my life living at 28 Airton street, which was in the big Airton street. My parents Archie and Rita owned the house until it was demolished and we moved to a new house at Hardwick, where my mum still lives. It’s a pity there isn’t any photos of the street. I still have fond memories of the cobbled streets and the tar boiling between the cobbles on hot sunny days.
Tom – the Cartwrights are related to me.
14 Airton St was the big house at end of the street. Turn right on Hume St into Airton St and it would be in front of you. The wilberforce family lived in Airton St for 96 years. My g.grandfather and grandfather, great aunts lived in the street, my father was born in 14. The last Wilberforce in 14 Airton St was my grandfather, he died 1963 not long after the house was demolished.
No 3 Airton Street was in ‘Big’ Airton Street and 14 would have been in ‘Little’ Airton Street. The street was divided by Hume Street. My family lived in Number 8 and extended family occupied numbers 10, 23, 5 and 30. It was cousins and cousins of cousins and those who weren’t related were still Aunts and Uncles!
The Wilberforce family lived at 3 and number 14 Airton St. Richard was the last Wilberforce to live in Airton St – he was born and died there – he was my grandfather.
y husband was best man for a Ray Wilberforce who lived in that area about 50 years ago and we are still in touch, he now lives in Coventry and we are in Lincolnshire. Don’t know if it is the same family but the name is not a very common one is it.
Tom – I and many of my extended family lived in Airton Street all of our childhood. We cannot remember a family caled Wilberforce living in ‘big’ Airton Street. ‘Little’ Airton Street was the other side of Hume Street so perhaps Wilberforces lived there.
Does any one know of the Wilberforce family that lived in Airton Street for many years?
I had the same paper round in 1957. I remember I used to fill the beech nut chewing gum machine on the wall outside the shop, I was always suprised to find some of the packets found their way into my pocket, happy days.
On the other side of Allison Street to the doctors was a cafe before the chinese restaurant, then a butchers shop & Evans the builder in the fifties.
The doctor’s was Dr. Merson, first the old Dr. Merson ,then his son’s David & John. The newsagent was Whiteside’s. Tom Reed got me a job there delivering paper’s, starting in Bishopton Lane & finishing at Studley Road. The butchers I referred to as Salten’s, they must have supplied the butcher. They had the " farm" whitch is now Wrensfield Estate. My dad used to help them out.
Linda Boyle – A lot of the shops and businesses on Bishopton Lane are mentioned here from the fifties and
sixties.
Grunthal & Fletcher dentist was across Bishopton Lane from Budgen & Hare,there was a newsagents on the John Street corner then Grunthal & Fletcher the dentist with a small wall in front of it.
I stand corrected folks, I remember it now. I also remember the Home & Colonial.
Yes Len, it was Moffats dentist. Does anyone remember the sauce factory after Lengs and before Marks skin factory?
It would be around 1956/57 one saturday afternoon I was walking past Walton`s butchers shop, being saurday afternoon there were only female staff on, they called me in and asked if I would skin them a hare. So, donning an apron, I completed the task for which they gave me five shillings. The hare probably wasn`t worth that much. I was then off to the NORTH EASTERN where the five shillings got me three pints.
I remember a dentist call Fletcher on Bishopton Lane and also I recall as a little girl a shop, that might have been a dry cleaners, and in the window was a ‘dummy’ leg with a silk stocking on it and a beautiful lady with blonde hair worked there and mended stockings (before the age of throwing everything away). I remember Blanchenays and the other shops mentioned. Also the doctors surgery on the corner of Allison Street which I always thought was rather a grand house. Was it Dr Merson? I lived in Airton Street and along with my cousins went to Mill Lane School via Bishy Lane every morning.
I’m not sure if the dentist was called Moffat but ther was certainly one called Grunthal. If my memory is correct, his practice was in a house situated somewhere between the Leeds Hotel and Norton Road. On the same side as the Leeds. I had a tooth extracted there and it was not a pleasant experience.
There was a butchers shop between Sparks and Fewsters, it was Fred Walton & Sons.
The back shop was designed as a slaughter house but was never used as such.
There was a grocery shop between Sparks and the dentist, it was The Home & Colonial or Gallons, I can`t remember which.
On the other side of the road there was another butchers whose name I cannot remember. It was on the same block as Budgen & Hare.
The butchers shop was next to Lengs the seggs and leather shop, now part of Moores.
There definitely was a butchers shop in Bishopton Lane, I think it was next to Deans. I don’t know what it was called but it was quite a large shop and my nanna used to send me there for penny ducks when we lived in Alma Street – she loved them, I thought they were horrible.
Was the dentist called Moffats, Keith? I know my brother-in-law had a tooth extraction there & thought he had a broken jaw.
When I was a lad in the 50/60s, there was also a bookshop called Blanchenay’s,(excuse the spelling) between John Street and ‘the Leeds’, we used to get our trainspotting books there, this may have been Dodd’s Lending Library at some time before that.
Deans was a great shop for Dinky toys, and later a regular haunt for us to buy old records, he had loads of them in a back room, still in the record company cartons, and all unplayed, although many years old. He did a roaring trade from us kids buying stuff by the Coasters, Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran etc.
The premises next to the Station Hotel was a dentists that used to have a large brick wall about four feet in height surrounding the premises. Next door to the dentists was Sparks cake shop, then Fewsters fruit and veg shop. Then Deans, Uptons, Leeds Hotel, Dodd’s Lending Library and a dress shop before John Street. As far as I can remember Derek, there was no butchers shop in Bishopton Lane.
Kieth Roberts & Len Nicholson may be able to help my fading memory, but didn’t Saltens have their butcher’s shop next to the Station Pub in Bishopton Lane?
The top two photos are Guthrie’s taxi office & their workshop in Alma Street with Cooper’s cobblers shop next door.