Taken c1985 of Bridge Road Motors on the corner of Bridge Road and Wharf Street, Stockton. Now the Italian restaurant L’Allegria.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Taken c1985 of Bridge Road Motors on the corner of Bridge Road and Wharf Street, Stockton. Now the Italian restaurant L’Allegria.
I lived in Wharf Street till I was about 12 and that building was owned by the Evening Gazette and did printing work. I remember those heavy paper mock ups of each page, looked almost embossed
As for the building across on the other corner this was a Doctors and is where I went for my medical to join the Royal Naval Reserves which was based above the Yorkshire Bank in the High Street.
I got my first job here when I left school in 1978. I left school on the Thursday and went round Stockton looking for employment with three of my mates, by the end of the day we had all found a job. I got taken on at this shop where it sold camping equipment. There where tents set up on all the three floors. There where two woman working there at that time, I was taken on to do the heavy work like carrying gas bottles. I only worked there for about a month when the company went bust, I was in the sea cadets at the time when Jack peacock was the commanding officer, he got me a job at Radio Rentals on Bridge Road where I worked for sixteen years. This company has also gone.
I used to go to Tillstons Motorcycles and cycles which were at the corner near the Five Lamps at Thornaby. Then they moved to the John Coltons motor cycle shop near the Green bushes as far as i am aware.
This building can be seen in the background of this picture from c1920s
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/11/23/bridge-road-stockton-c1920s/
That picture is not clear enough to see what it was back then? but it has some nice brickwork below the gutter line.
On that picture you can also see the doctors surgery next door, when it was still part of a terrace.
http://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2006/10/09/private-doctors-surgery
Mid 1800’s – early 1900’s my ancestors lived on Wharf street and Quayside. Smith / Pybus / Bean. I understand this was a rough area with slum housing. Any confirmation and data would be most welcome. Thanks
Jan, one person’s slum is another person’s home, they may have been crowded together with often a family to a room a single tap or pump in the yard often one toilet for a group of lettings but it was a roof overhead and most of the men would have work of a kind on the Quay or in warehouses.
A lot of clearance was done to build Castle Moat Shipyard, Timber Yard, the Railway sidings and Stables all long gone.
My memories of Tower Street Wharf Street, Moat Street and Brougham Street were of well built houses with all the amenities of the time. The people were the normal fun loving Stockton crowd who looked after their own although I was invited into those houses and welcomed.
Years after the houses were cleared I met people who remembered living in those streets with happy memories of their time there.
Change Jan, is not always for the best communities were split up and rehoused often dispersed over wide area’s, a nice new house all mod cons but what happened to the communal spirit I ask.
Am I right in saying that Tillstones once had this shop as a motorcycle dealers?
I remember it being Chapmans bar and then Flannagans took over and across the road was Walkers pub.