This photograph shows Stockton Market and was taken from the top of the Parish Church by Jack Marriott.
It includes views of Marks & Spencer, Littlewoods and the Town House.
Courtesy of Stockton Museum Service.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
My memories of Stockton Market include accompanying my mother on her Wednesday morning (in school holidays!) and Saturday morning shopping expeditions. In particular I recall that having got off a 4 or 5 bus at the then Regal we went to the meat stalls in the Shambles and Mr Stott an excellent and very polite butcher who came in from somewhere towards Barnard Castle with meat from his own farm. Then on to Marsh’s biscuit stall between the Shambles and the Town Hall and from there to the fruit and vegetable stalls on the north side of the Town Hall. There we went to (Jackson) Walker’s stall for vegetables fresh from his own land and for good fruit. My mother enjoyed visiting the stalls which sold clothing materials.
Just look at that great view of the town filled with stalls,even some were beyond the town hall and Shambles. Nothing can ever beat it. I loved it. The Market traders were real characters and entertainers. I loved the old gas lamps which were brought round on the dark winter afternoons and evenings.They had a smell I remember as well as keeping the place warm. Wonderful memories.
….another give away of course is the Swallow Hotel which didn’t open until the early 70’s
Ah yes, The Sun, lot’s of happy Friday nights spent in there in the late 80’s/early 90’s. I can even remember some of them! Back to the photo, looks like the ‘Farmers Friend’ stall at the bottom left, it used to sell loads of different hardware, tools, even ladders! Imagine walking home with a set of ladders on your shoulder. I suppose the rise of the big DIY sheds like Wickes and B&Q finished that stall off.
Yup! I agree, it’s the 1970’s, that’s ‘the worst car British Leyland ever made’ an Austin Allegro (rear view) in the bottom left hand corner…I know, I had one! Good to see the market in it’s traditional format. Not much traffic about at 2:30pm, why did ‘The Planners’ change it? By doing so, they seemed to remove that unique experience of ‘outdoor market’ shopping, where you could walk in a straight line, thru’ The Shambles, around the Town Hall to the point shown in the photograph then you’d cross over to the sweet stalls backing onto Knowles Street and then into ‘The Sun’ for a quick pint of hand-pulled Bass!
A lot of people must have got rich when they changed it but not the market holders. and look at it today hardly anybody goes there you see more people in Middlesbrough than Stockton these days..
Not sure that’s in the 1960’s; the bus outside M&S looks like a Leyland National, so more like 1970’s, also the Escort Mk 2 just coming into the bottom of the picture would be from 76 onwards.