This image is taken from a postcard and shows the butchers; W.S Toulson and Son at no.114 High Street, Norton. Could this be Billy Toulson the bucher and his son? Date unknown.
Postcard courtesy of Kathleen Ferguson.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Bob, that must have been whilst I was away as walking down Norton High Street one day I saw Marjory Davidson of whom I was enamored as a school boy at Norton Board, she was standing outside of London’s Butchers. Asking what she was doing she told me she helped make the Famous pies, unbeknown to me she had married a London, “oh well” I too had married and such is life we move on. I saw Marjory a few times over the last few years, I lost my wife she lost her husband and it was usually in or near St Mary’s Norton. We both had memories of those bygone days of people now long gone.
Billy Toulson was a character, I always thought him jovial and funny, Mother did not, I wonder what he would say about the shop now the girls have taken over. Vastly improved, Egg and Bacon flan to die for, some lunch times you cannot get near for workers vans taking bags of food away, a different outlet for a different time as most of the old butchers shops became part of the history of Norton and what a history, a few of us still know the old Norton and cherish those memories.
This is Blackwells shop opposite Norton pond. May I ask is there any connection between Toulson butchers who are listed at this address then, and Toulson the family butchers in George Street, Thornaby from 1940 – 1965? Reading various Stockton posts the name Toulson with the occupation of butcher keeps occurring, so one wonders are they all related?. With regards to Blackwells, I used to stop there when ever I was passing to buy 6 pork pies to take back to Leeds with me, the only shop I knew that made pork pies has good as them is 40 miles away in Easingwold, and a third excellent choice would be Weegmans of Otley. It’s been claimed by many that the best pork pies on Teesside are Petches of Great Ayton, the best nationwide are Taylors of Darlington, and the best in Stockton Blackwells. The best in Yorkshire are Weegmans of Otley. Weegmans been going over 100 years, it was started by a German immigrant butcher, and usually win all the top trophies at the Great Yorkshire Farmers Show held in July each year in Harrogate. When I was a child Newboulds had quite a reputation, but they were never in the same class as Blackwells.
Billy Toulson was the Butcher in that shop from me being knee high so well before the war, his mother lived in the rooms above the shop and the slaughter house was round the corner facing the green. My Mother put our meat ration books in with him when we got them until one day he was serving her who always paid cash and walked away to serve a Lady from Redwing Lane who got meat on the slate paying every six months when ICI staff got their salary, Mother went mad pulled her ration books and never entered his shop again. He apparently upset many of his customers and lost a lot of trade.
The slaughter house was to us lads a site to see, we had all seen animals and fowl killed, it was part of life so the chance to see an animal break loose and run wild would amuse us no end, quite a few did escaping to the High Street where the local Policeman would get his 303 Rifle out and shoot the escaped beast which then had to be got back to the butchers for cutting up even more fun.
Billy was there for many years, I went away so have no idea when he sold the shop or whether the Toulson’s were related.
I was stationed at Otley with around a 1000 polish Troops who could not go home, I remember the beer Melbourne Vaults, very good stuff though they ended up under the Tetley banner. Whitehills fisheries were another favourite across from the Dance Hall, happy memories of it all.
Frank, I would say Blackwells took over 1953ish. Billy Toulson once said it was the best move he ever made closing down and going to the ICI.
Probably was Billy’s best move he upset a lot of his customers. We had plenty of Butchers in the village including a very good Co-op. Curry and Hutchinson next to the old Post office was mothers next stop after she fell out with Billy, Tommy Hutchinson killed our pigs and butchered them in situ, we did the salting. They retired and sold up too, so many shops changed hands while I was away.
They sold to my uncle Jim Walker.
In the present day Stewart Hoare’s Ragworth Butchers takes some beating.
Lees of Thirsk take some beating.
When I was a delivery boy working for my uncle who had the butchers shop Curry’s further down the High Street we had to give out the monthly bills. It was always Junction Road and the Redwing estate areas never any where else. Probably because they were paid monthly and straight into the bank and not the pocket. Before finishing the dealings in his shop the business I would say was on its knees. My friend was a delivery lad with him and in my first round of three my basket was three times bigger than he delivered all morning. Billy Toulson after leaving the shop worked at the ICI and commented how easy it was there and he should have done it years ago.
This must be an old picture as the position in the High Street has me puzzled. My memory of Billy Toulson was where Blackwells shop is now before during and after the war, he sold meat butchered in the slaughterhouse facing onto the Green which is now the Kitchen for Blackwells. We often watched as an Ox was killed and if as did happen they did not get it quite right we would all be scrambling up on the meat hooks out of the way. Billy, his wife and Mother lived over the shop I believe this is now flats. My mother fell out with them and took her ration books away when whilst serving her and she always paid cash, he rushed to serve one of the ICI managers wives from Redwing lane, they paid when they felt like it but got the best service. My mother made or altered dresses for them and only got her money much later so she knew the score.
I would think the young lad in the picture would be the Billy Toulson I knew much later than this picture. I am sure there will be some one puts me right about this.