This grand old Victorian building built in 1875 was called The Erimus Hotel. It once stood on Middlesbrough Road (known locally as The Wilderness Road) opposite the old Stockton Racecourse. The Erimus Hotel closed in 1956 and was later demolished in 1958. c1905.
My great uncle Jack Sharp lived on Pioneer Street just prior to WW1. As referred to above he was lost on the Queen Mary in May 1916
A fascinating insight into the history of The Erimus Hotel and estate.
Thank you
Mabel ‘Sharp’ also lived in Pioneer Street and was my mam,s cousin. Her mother, Rebecca {Reebee} and my mams mother, Bella Thomson, were sisters. Bella, known as ‘Oma’ lived at 4 Erimus Terrace. When I was a baby, I couldn,t say grandma and it came out as Oma. From then on, for the rest of her life, that was her name, which is on her gravestone in Thornaby cemetery.
With the demolishing the river side section of the High Street to create a park, could I suggest that this Park is given the nickname “Half a Town Park!” The only other similar mythical place name in the area I recall is the once famous “Wilderness Road”, that ran from Harewood Bank, Thornaby to the racecourse, the Erimus Settlement, past Cleveland Park dog track, ending at the Blind School. Four monuments to Victorian Industry that have totally disappeared. Please remember the name Half a Town Park, as a constant reminder of what we have lost?
Me and my best friend, Maureen Crowe, often used to roller skate up and down the Wilderness Road. We would haul ourselves up Brewery Bank by the iron railings, holding our breath at the stink of beer coming from inside the brewery, then free wheeling back down the bank and see who could go the furthest! Hell, my hair stands on end at what could have happened as we shot downwards at 100mph, or what felt like it.
My Mother lived Pioneer Street her maiden name was Greta Shaw, I think she said the houses had no electric lighting.
I wss born in 3 Pioneer Street in 1947 as was my brother three years earlier and our grandparents Harry and Harriet Clark lived at No 20 until approx 1956.
We lived in 5 Pioneer Street. I was just a very young kid but knew everyone who lived in that street. My parents were Jesse and Olive Barron. I am Lorna, the eldest. We lived there until the houses were demolished and we went to live on the brand new Littleboy estate, built for the Erimus residents. I live in New Zealand now, and have for the past 26 years.
We lived at number 5 and, no, we didn’t have electricity in those houses. It was murder when being sent to Bob’s corner shop for a gas mantle 1/- and not daring to trip up or cough, or sneeze etc in case it fell to bits. The biggest magnet to us little kids, was the tip, on the opposite side of the road to Ped’s pub. I think that tip was a huge mound of ashes from all the coal fires in the area….. I think. Anyway, it used to grow very exotic flowers, marigolds, poppies and snapdragons which were irresistible to us. No amount of scolding and threats of getting the fever would keep us away. We found burnt pennies and other coins which would send us hurrying to the little corner shop to spend, a penny could buy plenty back then. It’s a wonder Bob, the owner never chased us as we were as black as the ace of spades.
We lived in 9 Pioneer Street, my Mam DAD called Poppy, Dave Brownlie along with my brother David my best mate was called Brian Cox who lived next door. My cousins / Grand parents all lived in the same street. We had 1 gas light in the front room every where else was candles and outside a freezing WC
We lived in 9 Pioneer St till we where rehoused and your right no electric, gas light in kitchen and living room only rest candles even for the out side freezing loo.
In 1829 a group of Quaker businessmen headed by Joseph Pease of Darlington purchased land known as the Middlesbrough Farmstead & Estate, and set about the development of a new town they intended to call ‘Port Darlington’, situated on the banks of the River Tees nearby. During a meeting Joseph Pease, `the father of Middlesbrough’ was heard to remark, ‘Yarm was, Stockton is, and Middlesbrough will be’, and the latin expression for these few words was chosen by the firs councillors to be the new town motto: ‘Erimus; Latin for ‘We shall be’.
The attraction of cheap land and the racecourse opposite it was probably the reason for the Erimus Community being there at all. The Erimus Hotel, a future Camerons House, was built in 1875 and was the largest and most prominent building in the little hamlet. · Noah Bedford was probably the first landlord, followed by Mr · Mark Outhwaite 1920, · Mr Bill Pedd 1940, the hotel provided 11 bedrooms and spacious public rooms, which were put to good use by the parties attending the races. The Erimus Terrace settlement was one of three streets, (the others were Pioneer Street and Stainton Street) created to house workers for the The Erimus Ironworks which opened in 1872. The works closed three years later because of a depression in the iron trade but were re-opened in 1880 by William Whitwell. It is to the introduction of the iron and shipbuilding trade that both Thornaby and the Erimus owe to their prosperity. The South Stockton Iron Co., Limited, erected extensive works near Thornaby Road, in 1874, and the following year Messrs. William Whitwell & Co. commenced their works here with two furnaces. The Teesdale Iron and Engineering Works, belonging to Messrs. Head, Wrightson, & Co, on an extensive scale, and near these are the works of Messrs. Allan & Sons.
· Stockton racecourse had hosted racing since 1724 at three different sites and in 1851, the permanent track was built. Horse racing saw a major boom during the Victorian era when increasing prosperity, saw an increase in the number of racecourses being built, covering 185 acres, the property of Lord Boyne, where a three days’ meeting was held yearly in August.
· In 1931 with the increase in car ownership the need to stay at the hotel slowly disappeared. By the end of the war, the days of the hotel were clearly numbered and in 1956 it closed down. The building survived for nearly two more years until it was demolished in March 1958, the village surrounding it was levelled a few months later and by the end of 1958 nothing was left.
· THE ERIMUS HOTEL, Camerons Brewing House history: The Lion Brewery was founded by a farmer, William Waldon, in the village of Stranton (West Hartlepool) on land he bought from Ralph Walker for £300 in 1852. He chose the site for its pure water drawn from an artesian well; the same well supplies the brewery today. After Waldon’s death in 1854, the brewery passed to his widow Jane. An employee, John William Cameron, was enlisted to run the brewery from 1865. He leased the brewery and 16 public houses in 1872. Henry Wilson, of the Phoenix Works in Stockton-on-Tees, built new brewery facilities for John Cameron in 1875. The present brewery building was completed in 1892. Cameron purchased the brewery outright from the Waldons in 1893 when the lease expired for £34,442, and Watson Cameron (John’s brother) became managing director. Sales slogan: Camerons Brilliant Bottled Beer.
· Thornaby Rail depot opened in 1958, It cost 1.5 million pounds. The main railwayline from Stockton junction to Middlesbrough was diverted over the former Erimus site. The Stage 2 Tees Rail Yard was constructed to the North of the Erimus land site. It was built in stages from 1960 until completion in 1963. When built it was the largest capacity hump shunting yard in Western Europe. It had the capacity to sort 7,500 wagons every 24hrs.
· Although it comprised just three small terrace streets, during WW1, 1914-1918, ‘The Erimus’ suffered 6 military deaths amongst it’s sons.
· John Richard Donnison, 1915, · J.R.Sharpe Stoker H.M.S.Queen Mary, died May 31st 1916 at the Battle of Jutland, · Thomas Munroe, 1915, · A.Wright. Stoker H.M.S. Carribean 1915, · J.G.Wales Pte. Died October 1st.1917, Menin Road Ypres. · W.Munroe. Pte.Durham Light Infantry. Died March 21 st. 1916, Place unknown. (it’s possible that Thomas Munroe and William Munroe may have been brothers)
I’ve been searching for information regarding Bill Cowley who I believe was an army boxing champion/the peddler. The last my father saw of his uncle was at the navigation pub in Middlesbrough serving ale. I was given information recently regarding Bill that he was the landlord of the erimus hotel. Could it be that Bill Pedd and Bill Cowley were the same person?
My paternal grandfather was William (Billy) Cowley aka Ped
I understand that Ped was his boxing name
He had over 200 Professional Fights and was never knocked out
He had an exhibition fight with the champion of the world – Jack Johnson
He won a champion featherweight fight when he was 28 years old. He weighed 8 st 12 lbs and was 5 ft 1 ”
I understand as a child he suffered polio and was in leg irons, but he was determined to get out of them and it would appear that he did and went on to follow his sporting dream.
My grandparents, Bill and Ethel Maude Cowley were landlords of the Erimus Hotel.
My father, William Joseph Cowley, grew up there and my parents lived there after they were married. Mam was Lucy Grout.
My sister Elizabeth and I grew up visiting this fairy tale place regularly, with stables and paddocks at the back.
During the war pigs were kept and a set number were always taken by the government for the troups.
The many rooms, huge staircase and of course the cellar were just magical and the christmas tree in the great hallway was a sight to behold!
The Queen was at the Racecourse at one time and she passed right by the row of houses and the hotel.
We could almost touch her.
My grandparents did indeed move to the Navigation Inn in North Ormsby, where my grandfather died around 1967, but my grandmother continued on to be the oldest woman licencee in the UK at that time.
It would be great if anyone has photos of my grandfather in his boxing days
Reading your comments has brought back some great Memoirs. Thanks . PS Still trying to put a face to your name
This is a fine and elaborate hotel building with an impressive portico, that you would expect to find in a town-centre, rather than in the middle of nowhere, adjacent to 2no. rows of terrace-housing, standing on a marsh, or flood plain. Does Bob Wilson know why The Erimus ‘estate’ was so remotely developed? Or, was it ultimately intended to be a much larger development? Just where did the residents of the terraces work? Particularly as the houses seem to pre-date, by several years, the elaborate railway-siding network that eventually developed to the rear of the development. Whilst I’m sure the hotel may have enjoyed some buoyant trade from the Racecourse on meet-days, I struggle to understand who would wish to invest money at this level where the returns would be almost minimal. A fact, born out by the ‘estate’ and hotel being demolished and swept away, after only 80 years…
Our houses where demolished to make way for new railway lines
The original plan was to build an iron works of some size close by, these houses were built to attract workers and to retain them. During this period iron was made by puddling, but reports from the USA suggested this method was outdated. The Bessemer steel process from Germany was far superior but a lot more expensive to install, one imagines the substantial extra investment required frightened off the original promoters and planners. Human nature being what it is they settled for owning the 100 or so new houses built, and become landlords, a far safer occupation.
My great aunt Charlotte used to work in the Erimus Hotel when she was 16. They lived in the Erimus estate from about 1894 – 1911. She is noted on 1911 census as a ‘day girl’ but what she did – I can only guess – at 16 years old – more likely something menial.
The Erimus settlement, had just one bus stop for the famous -O-bus, and two small streets of houses. If you were walking from Thornaby to the Erimus you walked down Mandale Bank (correct name Harewood Terrace) and at the bottom of the hill there was a number of allotments. The allotments on the left hand side of the road contained three very small ponds, each not much bigger than a bath of water, and all three containing black crested newts and brown smooth newts. On the other side of the road the allotments were overrun with bindweed, behind these allotments was the racecourse stables and the golf course. On racedays I was paid tips only for sweeping out the stables after racing ended, which allowed the horse trainers who were supposed to do this small job to dash off home n their horseboxes to their Malton or Newmarket bases, average earnings a £1.00 for 3 hours work. Close to the stables there was a small stream containing stickleback fish, which ran from the racecourse stables to Thornaby Cricket Club, following the Pleasure Gardens ditch bottom. .
On Sunday mornings, summers only 1949?, they used to hold whippet and greyhound races on the land just to the right of the Erimus pub shown, the mechanical hare was an old bike turned upside down with string wound around the bike wheel rim, you turned the pedals to wind the rabbit skin hare in, each race was approx 80 yards because the field was not much wider than this. I was once given the job of winding the hare in – but made a mess of it, because I was winding the pedals too slow and, the dogs caught it after 50 yards, or so. The Erimus got flooded around about 1949, and some pals and I, built a raft and sailed around it. Some time afterwards the Erimus was demolished to make way for the British Rail Power Motive Sidings.
An small but interesting observation is: German Military Intelligence could not have been that good because if they had destroyed the railway bridge crossing the River Tees at Thornaby, then they would have cut-off the essential supplies of steel leaving the Dorman and Long steelworks in vast quantities, and caused enormous damage to our war effort.
Reading your comments has brought back some great Memoirs. Thanks . PS Still trying to put a face to your name