This view is probably the rear of Stockton High Street, but which area or buildings we don’t know. Maybe someone has some suggestions…
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This view is probably the rear of Stockton High Street, but which area or buildings we don’t know. Maybe someone has some suggestions…
This is the area at the rear of the William the Fourth Hotel. See…
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/stockton-high-street-c1957-7/
In front of us, at one time, would of been Clarence Court. See…
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2005/04/11/clarence-court/
We are looking at the back of the buildings that faced onto William the Fourth Yard.
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/04/01/william-the-fourth-yard-2/
and
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/05/21/william-the-fourth-yard/
The derelict building without a roof can be seen here..
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/04/22/rear-of-stockton-high-street-7/
Chris, I do not think that this is as far down the High Street as the Royal Hotel. The gable end is not that of the Empire, as it had a hipped gable at the rear.
You can locate this derelict land in the photo
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2006/02/01/the-quayside/
It lies in the centre of the image, with the long shed, running alongside a roofed building, with a derelict shell at the right hand end. You can just make out the gable end in the distance.
Cliff, even as I typed my posting, I felt the photograph was a tad further up but must have gone ‘blank’ on the William IVth hotel and could not recall such another large gable end. Well done
This area can also be clearly seen, on the left, here:
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2006/02/01/the-quayside/
My guess is, that these buildings were to the rear of the Royal Hotel at the south-end of the High St, close to where Castlegate sloped down to the quay-side. The huge gable-end (bkgrd:about a third of the way from the left) would be that of the Empire Theatre (formerly the Castle Theatre).
The ‘louvred roof vents’ to the low buildings in the foreground may indicate former stabling facilities, dating from either when S’ton was a busy coaching-town, or prior to the widespread use of motor vehicles for transport purposes. This photograph does partly show, the vast expanse of derelict buildings that lay between the High St and the Tees by the 1950’s and which then prompted S’ton BC to sweep them away for the erection of the Castlegate Shopping Centre in the late 60’s early 70’s.
True a lot of the buildings were derelict, but by today’s technology and attitude, some of them were not beyond repair. I can only think that at the time there was probably not the money, or quite rightly the will or patience for such a salvage. Today it leaves us with a mix of properties from different eras, we just need to make sure we protect what is worth keeping from any era.
This is the area at the rear of William IV pub.
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/stockton-high-street-c1957-7/
In front of us would of been Clarence Court.
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2005/04/11/clarence-court/
You can see this area in this photo (on the left)
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2006/02/01/the-quayside/
We are looking at the back of the buildings that face onto William the Fourth Yard, which you can see here
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/04/01/william-the-fourth-yard-2/
and here
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/05/21/william-the-fourth-yard/
The other side of the derelict and roofless building can be seen here
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/11/26/rear-of-stockton-high-street-5/
and after a bit more demolition
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/04/22/rear-of-stockton-high-street-7/