The day before congestion when you could refuel your car at the Victoria Garage, Yarm High Street, Yarm. Next door was Presto’s Supermarket, this site was bought and redeveloped by Sainsbury’s. Note the ICI Petrol sign, ‘That’s my Petrol’. c1960s?
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
I use to walk by the river from Central Garage in Central Street in 1979 to collect parts from the Victoria Garage parts department.
I worked in the office in 1961, with a lady called Jan. I remember they gave green shield stamps with the petrol sales. I remember a Sunbeam alpine in the show room, my dream car, and it was a dream.
My very first job was at Presto’s Supermarket in 1975. I’m loving looking over all the photo’s on this site.
I remember some of the cars for sale were brought out onto the high street every day. Behind the petrol pumps used to be 3 offices for the car salesmen one was called Mick Brunton and the other Mick Stark the sales room ran through to the back where there was a stores and the workshop managers office. Jack Bolton was the workshop manager. Further back was the workshop and the spray shop. Both Jack and Clive Lodges sons are still about, one lives local the other down south.
Note the ICI Petrol sign, ‘That’s my Petrol’. c1960s? Some time later it was styled Imperial Petrol.
This garage was still up and running in the early 1980’s but only as a salesroom – does anyone remember a guy who worked in there, known as “Spud”?
As I recall the garage was being run / owned by the Lodge brothers around 1960 and sold Rootes Group cars (Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam).