This is a view of St Annes Terrace looking south in 1985. Courtesy of Fred Starr.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This is a view of St Annes Terrace looking south in 1985. Courtesy of Fred Starr.
I believe the doctor referenced here is my uncle. Dr Fred Hopkins-Husson. His twin brother Thomas was also a doctor. Their younger brother was an antique dealer in London, Cecil Hopkins-Husson. They had a total of 10 children in their immediate family, all born and raised before WWII in what was then India. Only 3 remain, 1 is my mother. She emigrated to the states after the war and lives in Oklahoma. However there are 2 remaining siblings that spent much time at Fred’s place in Stockton.
Hello Anthony, What a small world it has become. I was delighted to see your comments. Please let me know how you and Aunty Mary and the rest of the family are doing. Uncle Cecil was in the Royal Star & Garter, Richmond, Surry with my Dad, Arthur Hopkins-Husson until he passed away. Dad was almost 100 when he also passed away.
Anthony, we knew your family well, I have a lovely photo of your Aunt Mary taken with my brother on the River Hooghly. Bill was a great favourite. If you Aunt Mary is still alive I would love to get in touch with her. My cousin Pat McCready, who died recently told me that Cecil was not very well, but I have heard no more.
My maiden name is (Beth) Reay-Young
I’m looking into my family history and wondered if anyone had any memories of a shop run by Mary (Pol) & Rhoda Hiles on or around St Annes Terrace? I’ve grown up hearing stories about the area and it would fill in a few gaps for me.31/03/2012 13:10:27
It was interesting reading the comments from Alastair and Irene about Doctors running a saving book prior to the NHS starting. I was born in 1944 in Bishop Auckland moving to Stockton at a very early age when my father, who was a born and bred Stocktonian, moved back to his parents home in Portrack. I have, over the years, wondered how people on low incomes managed to pay for the services of a doctor prior to the NHS being formed. As both my parents are long since dead I wasn’t able to gain that information so the information supplied by Irene and Alastair has proved very useful.
Irene, prior to the creation of the National Health Service in 1947 some Doctors had their own system of health cover. The ‘Doctor Saving book’ you found would have been the record of weekly payments made to the doctor, usually one shilling, in return the doctor gave free treatment. It was common practice in the North East and I believe the Doctors who ran this type of medical assurance were said to belong to a ‘Druid Practice’.
My father, Dr Alastair Smith, was a friend of Dr Hussan ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins and I can confirm that he was always on the lookout for antiques in his patients’ homes for the halfway delivery to his brother.
That was interesting, George, I didn’t know that about the Common. My Mum (I was one of the first patients on his books in Barratt Street!) relates the history of Dr Husson to anyone who will listen when she visits Alma Street Surgery near Stockton Station! It’s the present day Barratt Street with a few moves/changes in between! Regarding antiques, when Dr Husson did a home visit (remember them!) he used to try and make an offer that my Mum and Dad couldn’t refuse for ‘the dogs’ sitting on the mantelpiece. Didn’t work because they now sit on mine and they’re not a bit of bother! My Mum told me about the halfway handover of antiques to his twin brother from London.
On the subject of doctors… looking through some old family papers of my Mum’s we found a ‘doctor savings book’. She was born in Thornaby and my Grandad and Grandma used to pay so much a week for ‘healthcare’.
Dr Husson bought antiques but, instead of being a collector, he took them down to London where his brother had an Antique shop.
The common that Irene Horsburgh mentions between Wyndham and Barrett Street is shown as being an old clay pit on the 1899 Map of Stockton North. There is also shown on the map more clay pits and a brick & tile manufacture in the area behind the Portrack Lane Iron Works. These works were near the level crossing that linked Portrack Lane with Garbutt Street.
Irene mentioned various people who I also remember well, eg Norman Lamb, Willie and Elsie Farthing, Barracloughs and Dr Hopkins-Husson. Dr Husson was our family GP, along with most of Portrack and he did collect antiques. Apparently his home was furnished with antiques and he would travel all over to antique fairs looking for bargains.
I certainly don’t remember anyone having an accident when carrying home the recharged accummulators and mantles from Lamb’s, it would have been a fate worse than death had one done so.
A few more memories of Portrack.
Remember going to Barracloughs for the wonderful meat pies, peas and a jug of gravy and to the fish’n’chip shop. I have to remember to ask for a fish pattie these days to get the two slices of potato and fish in the middle and not a fishcake which is now the mashed up version!
Lambs, to get the accumulators recharged for the wireless and to buy the gas mantles, both of which had to be carried gingerly back home (Health & Safety??). Groceries from Mary Nevin’s opposite Barracloughs and Willie and Elsie Farthings on Portrack Lane opposite our Wyndham Street.
My Uncle Albert and Auntie Winnie (King) lived at Portrack Lane end of Elliott Street. Albert had a motorbike and I would get a little ride round on it. He bred budgies too.
Remember running through the archways between the houses on that side of Portrack Lane, particularly one time when all the other kids jumped the gap, I didn’t and ended up with one leg down the grate! A good clip from mam when I got home, scraped and stinking, made me remember to jump the next time!!
Wyndham Street was just a single street with the big common behind us and Hill St East at the top end. The common was used for our big fire on bonfire night, guarded from the Tilery and Portrack top end gangs!! Bus Station is there now.
Across the common was Barratt Street where Dr Hopkins-Husson had his surgery, think you had to go up a small flight of steps to the door. He had a collection of antique chairs dotted around the waiting room… you couldnt sit on them as they had no seats!
Happy days!
The McDermotts, besides owning a motor bike, were one of the few families in Portrack to have a car. My recollection is that Mr McDermott would spend time spraying some kind of red undercoat on his car. The only people I knew, in Portrack, in the 1950s, who owned a car were Mr Lamb, the newsagent, Mr Rigg, the headmaster at Portrack Primary, and the ‘Master’ of the Old Peoples Home/ Portrack Hospital/Workhouse on Portrack Lane. Tommy Bear, who owned the smallholding next to Portrack Primary School, continued to use a horse and cart for delivering coal. He was also the local ‘coalman’. Even in the 1950s I thought that this was rather old fashioned, but until he enclosed the common land next to the School, he used to allow his horses to graze on the grass, so it probably made good sense
I seem to remember that around the house nearest to the camera there was a passageway into the back lane of St Ann’s. The house adjoining this ‘gap’ was the McDermot house, the owner Keith McDermot had a Norton motorcycle and used to house it in the back yard and used this small alley as the access. Next to them towards Portrack Lane was the Tucker family and Stephen Tucker was a school friend of mine.
The picture starts at the gap in the row of houses built in 1936. An old lady, Mrs Durkin, lived in the second house from this end,with her grandson, Derek, and her daughter. We lived in No 17, which is the fourth house. At the time when we lived there all the house fronts had wooden fences and privet hedges. There was a gas street lamp just outside of our house, which in those economic times would start to shut down with a clicking noise at about 11.30 pm. After that the street would be in complete darkness and almsot total silence.
The view shows the ‘new’ side of St Annes Terrace, built in 1936, looking south. The rear of the Portrack Pub can be seen at the end of the street. The gap between it and the new houses is where the older, three storey houses used to stand.