A view of the Cattle Market on the corner of The Square and Thistle Green, Stockton c1930.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A view of the Cattle Market on the corner of The Square and Thistle Green, Stockton c1930.
Picture Stockton Archive 
Anyone remember a young lad surname Cummings being killed by an escaped animal from abbatoir in 1930s/40s
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The slaughter house was in Tennant Street but animals were taken back street way between were Gas Board Show-room on NORTON RD
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That’s right Derek, that is Laing Street that was between the Gas Show-room & Norton Road Congregational Church, as us Gashouse Lads used to visit the slaughter house regular, also Mark’s skin yard could be entered from Bishopton Lane.
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Mark`s skin yard used to where Argos is now. They had big walk in freezers. Beneath were pens for preslaughter live cattle.
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What is the name of the building on the right hand side of the photograph?
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I think it’s the Quayside Mission Mens Home Cliff.
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The Council buildings/Library now lies over this site.
It was common for kids who lived in the Bailey Street / Portrack area to stop off on the way back from town to go into the partially covered enclosed bull rings, to watch cattle being sold. There were a series of “steps”, underneath the awnings, on which one could sit, surrounding the central ring. This gave everyone a good view of the animals. .
I also recollect the line of animals being led across Church Road to some place, which I now realise must have been a slaughterhouse
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The animals where taken to the abbatoir on Norton road to be slaughtered and then to the shambles in the high street to be butchered. Occasionally some beasts would panic on the way, the bullocks could be dangerous and the sheep would scatter, sometimes running into our shop (Kings fish shop) opposite the abbotoir and having to be chased out with a broom.
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Marks slaughter house in Laing Street only did the ones that were bought & sent there, the Co-op also had one in California Street. The two sheds on the right had sheep & pigs in, the large sales ring on the right was for cattle & the one nearest the camera had calves in it.
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Working at Head Wrightsons we often saw a stray beast swimming the river onto the Thornaby side after escaping from the cattle market.
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I honestly had no idea that the Stockton Cattle market, built on the site of the 18thC gentrified ‘promenading’ park ,known as The Square, in the late 19thC, was so comprehensive. I can see no less than 3- covered parading, or ‘auctioneering’ rings shown here, as well as a huge area of livestock pens and sheds. It’s difficult to conceive that the ‘much Industrialised’ Stockton-on-Tees remained an important centre for agricultural purposes, well into the 20thC…
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