This photograph shows Joseph Street in Portrack, it was taken some years before it was demolished.
Photograph and details courtesy of John Robson.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This photograph shows Joseph Street in Portrack, it was taken some years before it was demolished.
Photograph and details courtesy of John Robson.
We also lived in Joseph Street, The Peacock Family, Bill & Alice Peacock, us kids Alan, Judith & Gary. I remember having to move when I was about 5 years old. I also remember Mam telling me that we had to move as the houses were compulsory purchased by the council to make way for the industrial estate. We ended up in Norton Avenue after that in a council house.
Hi all, I have been searching my grandmas family in Portrack and found out my great grandfather Abraham Heslop and great grandmother Isabella Heslop lived at 50 Joseph street in 1901. I was so pleased to find a photo of this street on this page. It’s sad that there aren’t more of them. The Heslops had 6 children, 4 boys and two girls, one being my late grandma ( Elizabeth ) who will undoubtedly have played in the street along side your distant relations. I live in Skipton, North Yorkshire and have a Yorkshire accent and when I was small child I didn’t notice my grandmas Stockton accent, it was only when my husband noticed it was a Teesside accent I wanted to know more about this area and grandmas relation to it. We visited Stockton a few years back and was saddened to find the streets where my family lived, destroyed to make way for an industrial estate. I’m sure you all feel the same, they weren’t the prettiest streets but they were home for our distant relatives.
If anyone has more information or photo’s, I would love to hear and see them.
Regards Anita.
Looking at a photocopy of the 1926 polling register for Joseph Street, my paternal grandparents Henry & Elizabeth Robson are listed at 39 along with Henry Adams grandmother’s brother. The house remained with the family up until the street was demolished along with almost all of old Portrack. On the same register it shows Joseph & Elizabeth Heslop listed at 52. Prior to their marriage in 1905 my grandfather lived in Rupert Street, an area of Portrack known as “the buildings”. My grandmother lived at 20 Elliott Street prior to marriage, also maternal grandparents John William & Margaret Dobson lived at 32 Elliott Street. Added to that is Great Aunt Emma with husband Jack Edwards who lived at number 7. My parents who married in 1925 remained in Portrack, until later moving to Buxton Street on the Garbutt Street side of the railway
Hi John, thank you for letting me know about Joseph and Elizabeth Heslop listed on the register. I don’t know what if any, relation they may have been. I’ll see if I can find out more. Thank you for this information, it’s nice to hear from you.
Anita have you checked out the 1939 Register? It is a really useful source of information and can be accessed free of charge from libraries.
I was born in Joseph St till the demolition , I now live in norton. james jordan
I am researching my family history (the family names are Davies and Rutter ) and have a photo of my mothers uncles in Joseph street. My family members also lived in Wyndham street and haverlock street. Does anyone have any information on this area please?
Hi Cath I am also researching my family history (Davies) living in Joseph Street (1911) and Wyndham Street (1901): Thomas Davies (my great grandfather).
A while ago(somewhere on this site) a distant relative asked about the Turner family that lived in Wyndham Street about 1910/1911. Since that request another distant relative has contacted me with info into the Turner family. The Turner family originated in Scotland ,but prior to living in Portrack my grandfather’s parents lived in West Row. If that person is still interested she can obtain my email address from the PS team and I will forward the info that has been passed to me regarding the Turner family.
Having lived in Nicholson street as a child its hard to remember the short distance from one side of the street to the other. Is there any body out there with old photos of Portrack streets? if so why are they not on this site !!!!
I do have a slightly similar photograph taken in Elliott Street, Portrack. A few houses are shown also part of Tilery School at the end of the street.
39 Joseph Street was the home of my paternal grandparents for many years. After they passed away in 1944 my Aunt Dolly, standing in the doorway, remained in the house up to the time the area was demolished. My Aunt Gwen also in the photograph with husband Bill emigrated to Australia in the 1950’s, that would suggest the photograph being taken around that time. I have one other photograph taken in the backyard at this address it was taken around 1948 and features myself and my sister Margaret in our new Easter clothes, for some reason that was the time of year when children would get a new rigout. Prior to moving into 39 Joseph Street the Robson family lived in Elliott Street for a number of years. A photograph showing my Grandmother Robson with her young family outside that address is also on this website. My father being the eldest of the children, the youngest being Aunt Gwen. The youngest child on the Elliott Street photograph was Aunt Dolly, she was the last of the family to pass away just over 5 years ago at the age of 95. Being born at 10 Buxton Street, the Garbutt Street/ Portrack Lane area played a large part in my life, I retain wonderful memories of those years.
I have just discovered my family also lived at 39 Joseph Street as at the 1901 census. I do have ‘Robson’ in my family but it is on my granddad’s side but I’m currently researching my nana’s family so I’m not sure if your surname at that address is coincidence
I cannot be sure as to when my paternal grandparents moved into Joseph Street, previously the family had lived in the adjoining Elliott Street. I mentioned in my previous comment that an early photograph of the family, submitted by me, was on this website. However since changes to the site have taken place that photograph seems to have disappeared from view.
My Father Raymond WALTON & his parents Andrew WALTON & Ethel Walton (nee EVANS) lived at no 37 Joseph Street, between at 1925-1959 (at least)
This is the only picture of a street in old Portrack to have survived. It is possibly looking back to Portrack Primary School. Joseph Street was the one immediately west of St Annes Terrace, which still exists in some form. Barracloghs Pie shop was on the corner, where the street met Portrack Lane. I would guess that the date of the picture is the late fifties or early sixties. Notice how badly lit is the street. There waould have been a gas lamp at the top and bottom of the street and at most one half way down. Thank you John!