The Portrack Hotel in truth is located on Portrack Lane at the corner of what is now St. Ann’s Terrace. In the 1890’s it was on the corner of Portrack lane and a clay pit. A few yards to east of the pit was Portrack Road. At that time Portrack lane was known as Portrack Lane East. I have bee trying to make some sense of the odd house numbering system in Portrack Lane and suspect that the date of the pubs construction/opening might throw some light on the subject. Does anyone know when it was built?
Photograph and details courtesy of Derek Wade.
Picture Stockton Archive 
Dear Billy Mee, I wonder if you remember winding up Mr West, one of our teachers athe age of ten, when morning after morning he kept pestering you with the question “How many pounds in a ton?”
We all knew you knew the answer (2240) and enjoyed Mr West’s frustation. Well done. The first example I saw of what the Army calls “Blind Insolence”.
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There was a Billy Mee in my class in what was Portrack Primary.
Any relation to him as you obviously knew Portrack so well?
I began to lose contact with my classmates after I went to Richard Hind in 1953. Most of my mates would have gone to Tilery Boys and Girls or to Bailey Street. Everyone of these schools have disappeared
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I am the very same Fred. I remember you well. Even in our school days we called you Prof.
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This is now the last pub in Portrack. It is now owned outright by Mr Ian McGlade, a hard working bloke and a distant relative of mine. I am sure I can think of ten pubs that used to exist along Portrack Lane and side streets, counting the Conservative Club in Barrett Street. Who can remember them?
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The Cricketers. Cons club. The Zetland. The Portrack. The old Portrack social. The Rolling Mills. The Royal. The Prince of Wales.
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Was born at The Royal in 1942 and lived there until 1945. My grand father Arthur Metcalfe was the publican and in that year he retired to Redcar. My Uncle Dave, his son, worked as a tool maker at the Malleable.
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It appears that the Malleable Works was quite open to all at around 1900.My Grandmother Florence Starr said that kids could go and watch the red hot iron being manufactured. I would guess that wrought iron was still being produced at that time.
The puddling process used to make wrought iron was very heavy and dangerous work. It involved dragging white hot balls of wrought iron out of the furnace, about the size of a football, and then sq
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The Portrack Hotel was in existence as early as 1869.An inquest into the death of a young boy named Francis Ross was held at the hotel by coroner John Settle on 29 November 1869.Francis had been sent to the Malleable Iron works with his brothers breakfast.As he was leaving he accidentally fell into a “bosh” (a trough filled with water,and used for the cooling of the puddlers red hot irons.He was fully submerged and despite being quickly pulled out he died the following day.A verdict of accidental death by scalding was given.Francis was aged 9 and the son of Edward Ross,an iron roller at the Malleable works.
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I deliver the mail there and the number of the portrack hotel is 47 portrack lane.
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The 1899 map showing Portrack Lane East shows only 6 houses in St Ann’s Road, later renamed St Ann’s Terrace. From the last house it looks as if the clay pit was still there. On the opposite side is shown all the houses, including a Chapel which became the Baptist Chapel. Number 75 Portrack Lane was occupied by an innkeeper, a Mrs H.J.Mellin according to the 1899 map and that could possibly be the Portrack Hotel. Also at Number 75 was a Mrs I.Simpson, a grocer.
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How can I get a photo of the six houses as I think they might be the houses I lived in as a kid 1950 till 1963.
Also my grandad and grandma lived in no 5 St Anns Tce, William Wood, can’t remember grandma’s name, my uncle Ernie lived there too.
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Go on Google earth and use the streetview feature
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My second great grandparents lived at 44 St Ann’s terrace from 1911 on; they were the Hobb’s family
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