A photograph looking north, shows a view of Dodshon’s drinking fountain, complete with troughs around the sides for horses. The Town Hall is visible over the top of the Shambles and the west side of the High Street at the corner of Ramsgate (number 106 Robinson’s which was rebuilt in 1912). We believe this photograph may have been taken sometime between 1875 (the date on Dodshons fountain) and 1912 (when Robinson’s was rebuilt as Stewart’s).
This appears to be a photograph taken close to the suggested earliest date above, as the Georgian buildings in the background do not seem to have been largely ‘ Victorianised’ as to their facades. The time on the Town Hall clock at 6:20, the lack of pedestrians and the scattered market stall-trestles seems to indicate that the photographer was ‘up early’ that day in order to capture this picture.. I wonder, Is the Robinson Clothiers shop shown, the original premises of Matthias Robinson who opened the large department store of the same name, in the latter years of the 19th Century? I believe this gentleman lived at Hartburn.
The Shop pictured showing the Robinson’s sign is not Robinson’s department store founded by Matthias Robinson, that shop is further north along the High Street opposite Church Road. Matthias Robinson opened his first store in Stockton in 1896 but unfortunately this store burnt to the ground in December 1899. He rebuilt his store on the same site and it opened in May 1901, the same building that still stands today. In 1962 the Robinson empire was bought by the Debenhams group, and ten years later the Robinson name disappeared altogether. Matthias Robinson did indeed live in Hartburn in a property called Landieu, next to Elmwood (Community Centre) Landieu was later named Norton House, it was demolished in the 1970’s and a small housing estate was built on the land.