This photograph of the River Tees was taken in Summer 1980. This view is looking east from the Bonadventure night-club boat, one clue is the electric cable with coloured light bulbs across the photo. Courtesy of Martin Spires.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
My daughters Margaret and Janet worked at Harkers at the time the bridge opened. They walked to the bridge just a few minutes away to see the ceremony on a quite blustery day.
Diana got out of the car and walked straight up to them both and chatted shaking hands with them, I think they have washed those hands since but it took a while. They thought her beautiful and without any side at all the way she spoke. When the plaque was unveiled, Margaret leaned across and read it quite slowly not realising the photographers were all lined up waiting to take a picture, it caused a laugh. On the other side of the bridge from the view shown I well remember Heads building some sections of the Mulberry Harbour for D Day. We nosey school boys could not make head nor tail of them and came to the conclusion they were to be dragged into the river to dam it for some reason, they would never float. How wrong you can be when we saw them being towed down river by tugs only to disappear and remain a mystery until the landings when all became clear.
The Princess of Wales Bridge was opened by Diana, herself. That was on the 23rd September 1992 and there are two memorial plaques in memory of Diana after her tragic death, guessing the flowers are put there in her memory. I may pop over and have closer look and maybe take a photo of the view from the place I took the original.
The bridge was opened on the 23rd of September 1992 by the Princess of Wales herself.
To Bob Irwin and Anon – Thank you for your comments, as I stated previously I don’t know the cause of my fathers accident but I do remember him telling me that the height he fell from was the equivalent of falling from the roof of a house and that he felt he was being sucked under the water and sludge due to the weight of his welding gear, we always felt that this incident led to the decline of his health and subsequent death not long after.
Hello Martin – That Princess Wales bridge name threw me. I’ve always thought it was named the Diana Bride – I wonder who opened it.
I think a lot of the flowers that you see on the bridge are from family and friends whos relatives have lost their lives there over the years.
I will have to read what it says about who opened it and when next time I go to the Barrage.
Very interesting photo.
As I mentioned you had left when this happened Bob, the side of the gate nearest to the river had water there at high tide & black sludge at low tide. I was working on the dockgates at the time I mentioned, thats how I knew the plater’s name.
On behalf of Tees Rowing Club I would be interested to learn from Martin (who took the photo) what event was happening on the river at that time. I think it may well have been Stockton Regatta. The colours worn by the the crews are not local – I think the green strip is that of Cambois RC (from near Ashington) and the black strip could well be Tyne RC (from Newburn).
As far as I can recall the Bonaventuture (also at sometime called The Boat) itself became unsafe and was I think scrapped.
Jimmy Kelley told me that he would always try to take a body that he recovered from the Tees to the Thornaby side because they paid him 7/6d where at Stockton it was 5/-. When a person fell into the river and was not located Jimmy new through the tides and currents where it would eventually be. Sometimes he would use his drag chains to recover the body. He has even rowed up to Yarm where a body of a Doctor after the Spring tides was in a tree, and he took it down to the Thornaby side. Regarding the falling of personnel into the river from dock gates it never happened in my time, but once I could have finished up in the river and also been killed. At a launch they have chains attached to the blocks that the gates were sat on. Tied to these chains are long ropes which were coiled at the side of the launch. On this day the Manager, Ed Sanderson, told me to put my foot on the rope as the gate was launched. It went down the slipway like a bullet. Of course I took no notice of the Manager, otherwise I would have entered the water with the gate. I can’t imagine any person falling into the river as the gates were built on dry land on a slipway and were launched at high tide into the river so they were never over water until launched.
Not sure what happened to the Bonaventure boat, but, I heard there was a lot of trouble down there on the night-time and guessing it was unsafe being near water. In later years, the site was occupied by the HMS Kellington, a mine sweeper.
The Princess of Wales bridge was opened in 1992 and Diana sadly was killed in 1997, so the bridge changed names to the Diana Bridge, although, it is offically called Princess of Wales bridge. I passed over it the other month and people still put flowers there.
My Mum and Jim’s daughter, Thelma, told me that over the years Jim had saved and recovered a number of people who had fallen into the Tees. Thel also mentioned that he received 7/6 on one side of the river 10s on the other for anyone recovered. Has anyone else heard of this? If my memory serves me I was shown a newspaper article with a picture of Jim about his time on the river. Bob thank you for your kind words about Jim, I know my Mum was very proud of her Dad and I was always a little in awe of him whenever I visited.
Two workers fell in the river off Dockgates about that time, a plater & a welder but that was from about six to eight feet, they were taken to Stockton & Thornaby Hospital where they were given numerous baths in a solution. The plater was a young chap called Don who lived in the old British Legion Club, Thornaby Road. Bob Irwin knows all about the dockgates on the river but I think it was after his time.
What happened to the Bonaventure night club boat – was it removed before the barrage was built? And why did they change the name of the bridge. Was it in Dianas memory? Rivers certainly changed now that its not tidal.
Looking at the photo, I agree with previous coments. It just so happens that the north bank at the top left of the picture is where the current River Tees Watersports Centre is located, the home of Tees Rowing Club. Have you access to the original photo, a copy would be a nice addition to the photos hung in the new club house.
My late father Joe Vettas was working for Head Wrightsons on the river in about 1972 – I don’t know what the job was or what happened but he fell from a great height into the river still wearing his welding gear. I don’t know how he was rescued but he was very shaken and ill for a while afterwards. I don’t know what health and safety regulations existed in those days but I’m sure it wouldn’t happen now.
Steve, your Grandfather Jimmy Kelley was a great gentleman and also a character. He also had a fantastic knowledge of the River Tees. I always looked forward each day to see him and listen to his gossip which included his memories of the past of working the River. I also had the pleasure of working with him. What a man.
The Princess of Wales namely now the Diana Bridge, was built and finished in 1991/92. I took this photo with the Bonaventure boat below on the quayside path, again the rope lights show this. I took it on a pocket camera, which had the old 110 film format and still have the original negatives.
Like Bob Irwin said, you can see the site of Kelly’s Crossing, which is where the Diana bridge would stand now.
If you search the site and type in ‘SPD depot’ (id=5620) you can see my other photo of the quayside which I believe is taken from the footbridge near to Silver Street.
As a regular reader I always look forward to reading Bob Irwin’s contributions they are always interesting and facinating. It is always good to see mentions of my Grandfather Jim Kelley too which I know our family always appreciate.
It is the Head Wrightsons works. The large light coloured building is the rear of the site shop, Head Wrightsons used to launch the Dock-gates & Boilers just the other side of this shop into the river.
Surely that picture is near Port Clarence? Where is the Princess of Wales Bridge on the Tees?
Where was the Bonadventure night club boat bearthed on the tidal Tees? Head Wrightsons was before the Barrage created the Lake up to Yarm on the Thornaby side now called Teesdale. The Infinity and the Princess Diana bridge cross the Tees above the Tees barrage and then Victoria. It looks to me where I was recently picking brambles and isn’t that the Transporter bridge.
Yes it is Head Wrightsons and also where the Princess Diana Bridge now stands. The brick building in HW’s was known as Jack Skinners shop. They did the maintenance steel work around the works. To the left of this building where there is a gap in the river walling is where Jimmy Kelley had his ferry, running from there to the other side of the river at the Remploy and Rembrandt buildings. There was a big set of gates with a wicket gate between the buildings that led you onto the roadway.
I would say this was where the Princess of Wales bridge is now standing. I’m not sure about the works, but I’m sure it would of been part of the Head Wrightson yard.