Photographs showing the demolition of the swimming baths at the former Hardwick Secondary Modern School in July 2013.
Photographs and information courtesy of Peter Jordison.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Photographs showing the demolition of the swimming baths at the former Hardwick Secondary Modern School in July 2013.
Photographs and information courtesy of Peter Jordison.
I used to see Mr Angus walking along Junction Road up until a few months ago.
Does ANYONE have any pictures of the old Sheraton Comprehensive School? I was there between 1974 – 1978. I learned to swim in that pool too !
I lived in the house that was in the Cemetery gates on Durham Road (now demolished), does anyone have a picture of it when it was still standing?
It is for my “family tree” . Any help would be appreciated.
There is a photo on this site of the house that was in Durham Road cemetery, Brian Philipson family lived there in the fifties and he went to Newham Grange School.
Where on earth did you unearth those pictures Peter ?
I took them myself just a few weeks ago Gary
These photographs bring back mixed memories. I was on the school swimming team for most of my time at Hardwick/Sheraton. I seem to remember the pool being twenty-two yards long. There were training sessions between 16:00 and 18:00 every school day. Those training came from various schools in the area, not just Hardwick. Although there were good swimmers at other schools, Hardwick was the team to beat in the early to mid 70’s. However, it is only now that I realize that there was only a boys team. Someone please correct me, if I’m wrong. One thing I disliked about the pool, at times, was the amount of chlorine in the water. Sometimes it was beyond irritating.
Steve, would I be right in saying that Tony Robertson, Howard Leighton and Steve Dunning were also on the swimming team?
The girls medley team for Teesside Starfish which was a mixed team comprising ‘best’ swimmers from all public schools did exist in the 1970’s. All the teams for Teesside Starfish were made up from all public schools, there was no actual Hardwick team. Only the traing went on there in the pool, + the Youth club used it too. Territorial Army ‘death’ canoeing etc. Teesside Starfish competed with Stockton team who also had kids from public schools. Tony Robinson and his sister swam for Teesside Starfish. Kids from Hardwick where chosen for the team via our once a week swim lessons. A political favourite of the era.
Tom Pettit was a great fella, he used to scare us a little when we first started the school but his bark was a lot worse than his bite. He must have been in his 60’s when he played 5 a side with us in the early 1970’s, in later years i used to bump into him in the Horse & Jockey, i believe he lived into his 90’s
Just reading in the Gazette, Tom died a few days ago aged 99
Sorry to hear about Tom Pettit’s death. he was great teaching the kids how to swim.
I took my lads there in the after school lessons. Recommended by his brother who was a civil worker at the old Stockton Police Office
He was actually 99 what an innings rip Tom
When the pool was constructed it was part of Hardwick secondary modern school, both girls and boys school as they were seperate then. It only later became Sheraton comprehensive school when the name was changed.
If I remember rightly there were separate entrances for the boys and girls. Changing rooms being at each end of the sports hall? You are correct Alan the baths were built to be shared between the Boys and Girls Hardwick Secondary Schools, later to become Sheraton Comprehensive School.
You’re right Derek, boys and girls changing rooms at opposite ends of the sports hall (is that being demolished as well?) The red door in the corner in the first picture was the entrance to the boys changing rooms from the pool, via the showers
Can’t believe they left the chairs and pool cover (big roll near the red door (which was the boiler room)) in there while they demolished it! Interesting that the pool structure looks like it was of precast concrete construction
Does anyone know what has happened to the rest of the Secondary Modern school buildings? Are they still there?
Long gone. The upper school was demolished to make way for Abbeywood (?) school, the lower school now has houses on it. Probably demolished around end of the 80’s/ early 90’s (I left Sheraton in 83, before it merged with The Grange, I seem to remember it ran as a two site school after the merger for a time)
This was not Hardwick Secondary School swimming baths, it belonged to Sheraton Comprehensive School. The ‘upper’ school was knocked down and rebuilt and became Abbey Hill. The ‘lower’ school was demolished and made way for a new housing estate development called Holburn Park.
We used to take the children from Harrow Gate Junior School to these baths for swimming lessons. I believe that many other schools in the area used the pool. A great asset to the area for many years.
Would that be the same Tom Pettit that ran Eastbourne youth club in the 60’s and 70’s?
I would say that my lads were taught at the school swimming pool in mid 70’s, maybe 1976. Not able to say what his christian name was.
Tom Pettit….a real character! He ran the school swimming team (for at least a couple of years when I was there when it was Sheraton Comprehensive) until he retired. Would never call you by your first name, only your surname (familiarity breeds contempt, he would say). Shame to see it go, spent many hours training in there
If I remember rightly I took my 2 boys there for swimming lessons. The trainer was a chap called Petit. (Can be spelled other ways maybe) He had a brother who was a civil worker at the Stockton Police Station.
Tom Pettit used to run the Eastbourne Youth Club which excelled in many sports,but his gymnastics team was second to none as two of our contributors Alan Callender & Tony Jackson should know they were in the team,a number of the team turned professional with the Seven Velanties and appeared at the London Palladium. Tom was an ex-army sergeant major.
Sad to see it go, as I recall playing on the building site and in the big hole that became the pool in the mid sixties. I used the pool during school swimming sessons and outside of school time on an evening. No wave machines just a plain pool but we kept amused by diving for a penny or other such objects.
I almost drowned in that pool! Tom Pettit saved me.
I remember when they were constructing the baths. The builders dug the hole for the pool and it took months for them to start the building construction. In that time the hole filled with water and we use to swim in it. I remember one day diving in and finding a dead dog in the pool. I soon left!!!! At School I used tha pool a lot as I swam for Stockton, had good times in there. I remember Mr Gordon Angus the swimming coach and Tom Pettit the pool manager.