This postcard of Stockton High Street appears to have been taken in the early 1960s as there is a Ford Anglia from the mid 1950s and a different Ford Anglia manufactured from 1959.
The Stockton Corporation bus is in the original dark green livery and are the old back loader types. The United bus looks like an early front loader with doors which were just appearing in the early 1960s, they still had conductors with hand cranked ticket machines at that time and the driver was in his own cab separate from the rest of the bus.
The market shot shows how far the stalls stretched in those days, I well remember travelling from Billingham to Stockton in the 1950s to visit the market with a school friend, we were pre teens and loved the sights and sounds and had a particular liking for the old black paraffin lights with the acorn shaped glass bowl, they threw out a terrific amount of light and a fair amount of heat as well. As today the floral displays were excellent something Stockton has to be proud of. When I was young my mother used to take me to Broughs Grocery shop, which was on Yarm Lane opposite the Maison De Dance, they had a display of glass lidded metal boxes containing biscuits the very end box had all the broken biscuits in it and you could buy a bag full for a penny, this postcard reminded me of those days.
Image and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman
My late mother’s maiden name was Maureen Whitfield and she was in pantomimes all over the place (Hippodrome in Nelson Terrace and toured with Eva Walkers girls). I have photos of her with her friend Olive alongside Marty Wilde in panto costume. She had an end of season party at our house for the cast which Marty attended. My sister told me next morning that she’d gone downstairs and sat on his knee . Happy Days.
Hi there, my mam went to Eva walkers dance school . I also have a pic of her with Marty WIlde and lots of pictures of the dances. My mothers maiden name was Yvonne Fallows . If anyone would like any photos I can forward them. I loved to listen to mam tell me all about her dancing days xx
Hello I am currently completing a life story for a lovey lady, she danced for ENSA and attended Eva Walkers dance school. Please can I have a copy I am really grateful
My sister went to the Eva Walker dance school when it was held in The Maison de Dance in Yarm Lane Stockton. She was one of Eva’s Walkers chorus line tap dancers in pantomime at The Hippodrome in Dovecot Street between 1961 to 1963.She also travelled to the towns of Buxton and Leek with the dance troop to perform in pantomimes. Does anyone have any photo’s or remember the dance troop from this time I would love to hear from you.
I loved the market, and I have memories that go way back, from when I used to go to the market with my Nanna every Saturday from about 1958, to going with friends in about 1967. I have lived in Hong Kong, Germany and now in the US, and I haven’t seen a market to equal it.
I used to go to the Maison de Dance for tap dancing lessons with Eva Walker. I thought it was on Dovecot Street…
The Eva Walker Dancers; My mother was good friends with Eva, and used to take me to her pub in Trafalgar Street, Thornaby, where we would have tea with her and a sit near her always blazing coal fire for a warm. And at Christmas when we went to the Empire Theatre in Middlesbrough for the pantomine, the program stated in the cast notes: ‘The Eva Walker Dancers’ supplied by Eva Walker, Thornaby. These girls were often used as Cinderellas and Snow White attendants, or in the crowd scenes. For some reason I was overly impressed by this – and my mother even more so.
My Dear Daughter Pauline you did go to Eva Walkers Dance Class it was up Dovecot Street and into Prince Regent Street. You went into the Fire Station back yard and up stairs to Eva Walkers Studio. You followed in your Mothers footsteps or should that be Tap dancing steps. I have the photo’s to prove it. The Maison de Danse where I met your Mother was on Yarm Lane and the junior dance competitions may have been held there from time to time, how do I know, well I did take you a couple of times.
As to the Market, you will see the former shadow of itself when you come home in a couple of weeks. When you build large covered markets with free parking in out of town areas then something has to give. No customers adds up to no Market.
The market gardens that covered half of Norton and quite a lot of Stocktons grounds are now housing estates although driving up Darlington back lane and Yarm back lane you can still buy home grown vegetables, farm shops seem to be taking over from Market Stalls.
Eva Walker’s dance class DID move eventually to the Maison de Danse in Yarm Lane.
I used to work as a Saturday girl in Broughs… Some Saturdays I helped the van driver to deliver people’s groceries… I too remember the “broken biscuit ” tin.
Do you remember Gladys Fulton and Beryl Storey they started work there about 1956 ? I am looking for photographs of Broughs there doesn’t seem to be any – can you help ?
What an excellent market it was. The Market Manager had a long list of new market traders’ that applied to him for a stall. The stall letting system was: you came to the market first as a casual trader, which meant turning up without the certainty of getting a stall that day and, you’d be given the stall of someone who hadn’t turned up, or ‘if they liked you they’d try and squeeze you in somehow. This informal market trader’s apprenticeship would last 6 months, and it allowed the Market Manager a chance to assess you has a person, to assess the quality of the goods you sold, and to evaluate you has an prospective Stockton market stallholder. Stockton market had quite high standards and if you did not pass the silent checks carried out on you by the market staff then it’s unlikely, meaning well nigh impossible, you’d be given a permanent stall.
It’s not commonly known but the other market men would have to like you as well and to approve of you standing in the market alongside them. The last thing they want is someone who is not fair minded and obliging when dealing with customers. The stallholder’s collective representative was ‘the biscuit man’, who stood over the road from Dodd’s and Brown, and if adverse word got back to him about someone he’d soon let the Market Manager know. I seem to recall the biscuit man mentioned was called Harry Winston from Leeds, but as this was some 60 years ago this might not be correct. The whole of Stockton must have bought biscuits from him at some time, and of course he always had a dolly mixture of broken biscuit varieties on offer containing the public’s favourites.
A very nice card. Stockton High Street and Market as I knew it before leaving my home town in August 1957. As Bruce comments the paraffin lamps were part of the scene with not only the light and heat but also the smell. They were delivered to the stalls by a man with a specially fitted handcart. Pre war my mother would take me to the market and I loved it in the weeks running up to Christmas when many special items, especially of sweets and boxed chocolates were piled high. Spolit for choice. A great market with the added facility of the Shambles with its butchers many of whom were farmers. Shopped at Mr Stott’s, a gentleman as well as an excellent butcher. No rubbish meat there. Most of it from his own farm.
My mother also grocery shopped at Brough’s and as a pupil at Holy Trinity whose gate was over the road from Brough’s I sometimes had special things to get after school.