A 1970’s shot of the Swallow hotel at Christmas, Stockton.
Photograph and details courtesy of Peter Jordison.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A 1970’s shot of the Swallow hotel at Christmas, Stockton.
Photograph and details courtesy of Peter Jordison.
Had my wedding reception here 40 years ago this August, I remember the red carpet being rolled out for our arrival and a terrific wedding reception. I also remember leaving the multi storey car park in my Cortina full of balloons and the terrible racket from the tin cans tied to the bumper and the pennies hidden in the hubcaps, not to mention the balloons and ribbons on the outside of the car and the usual messages painted on the windows. Great day.
I worked as a trainee chef in 1977-1981 then left to work at Gleneagles hotel and came back until 1984. I loved it,I met my husband there, Harry Brown. My brother was head chef there and I worked with my sister-in-law and Mum who were waitresses. I also had my wedding there in the Portcullis Resturant. I loved my time there. I worked with Denise Ladyman, Karen Brown, Tracy Walker, Owen Dixon, Paul Dennis, Mike Jones, Victor Lake, Martin Allen, David Gun, Jonny Shields, Ian Revel, Martin Quinn, Eleano Addis …sorry if I left anyone out, Thelma and Tina Rouse and Brenda were on wash up.
I’m still in Catering at Winchester college .
I spent my wedding night at the Swallow Hotel on October 9th, 1976, and we moved to live in Canada in 1980. Did not know that the hotel was closed, sorry to hear that. Anne Martin (nee Littlefair)
Hello Anne, are you by any chance Bobby’s sister from Rosworth ?
I spent my wedding night in this hotel, ahead of going on honeymoon. Unfortunately my abiding memory of the night was trying to stop feeling sick at the smell of the already uncorked bottle of a very heady, sweet, white wine on the bedside that someone had kindly sent us! We had already had too much to drink at our post reception evening do at the old Queens Hotel to enjoy it !
Does anyone remember “The Electric Onion”, the disco that was built in the basement of this development in the early 70’s? I’m not sure if it had anything to do with The Swallow, or was completely independent?
Yes I remember the Electric Onion very well. Living in Thornaby it was one of the places I frequented in Stockton along with Incognito & Titos, the Fiesta in Norton, the Kirklevington Country Club at Kirklevington & the Excel Bowl in Middlesbrough. I met my wife to-be in the ‘Kirk’ & prior to that, a lovely Michelle Hamersley in the Excel Bowl. I often would get into the Excel Bowl early doors with my mates Peter Newby & Stuart Wilkinson also from Thornaby & the resident group Whisky Mac would be setting up their show. We used to get the keyboard player to play the tunes America & Rondo as done by Keith Emerson & the Nice. In those days you could go to a different club every night of the week, which I did on a regular basis. I once did that for 7 nights running & ended up sleeping for 24 hours solid ! Anyone who knows me I would love to hear from them – please ask Picture Stockton for my email and they will pass it on.
I remember the Electric Onion very well. Myself and a friend used to visit occasionally at lunchtime (from school that is) I don’t know how we got served in our uniforms but we did. Britvic orange and a basket of chips we used to have. Thought we were so grown up.
It will be good to see the Swallow Hotel put back into use, albeit for student accommodation.
It was a shame when the hotel closed due to the parent company suffering financial difficulties. It meant that Stockton lost the only hotel in the town centre.
I do make occasional visits back to Stockton, having been brought up in the town, but have to stay outside the town.
I have often wondered what on earth possessed the ‘powers that be’ to agree to the demolition of the High Street and replace it with the current monstrosity.
Certainly one needs to move forward but it could have been done more sympathetically given the nature of the buildings that existed in the High Street.
I don’t think I stayed at the Swallow more than two or three times, one of the last being on the day in 1992 when there was a run on the £, and interest rates went to 15%. I was in Stockton on behalf of British Gas.
I have never been keen on dinners in hotels. They are expensive for what is on offer, so I went looking for a decent place to eat. I think I had to make do with a takeaway. On a later occasion a colleague and myself wandered around looking for something acceptable. We ended up having a curry in a non-descript sort of place. I don’t think my mate was too impressed.
This visit was in connection with getting a casting done of a turbocharger casing, at a place just off Portrack Lane. I think that outfit was called Stockton Castings. They did a superb job
A recent visit suggests that eating out is much improved, but obviously we were not staying at the Swallow.
When treating a hard working wife Fred you do not count the cost and you can get bad meals anywhere, a Sergeants Mess night out at one of the top places in Frencham Ponds Hampshire ended up with us asking for our money back.
The meals in the Swallow were top class and the ambience wonderful to a lady not having to cook the meal. Have had some wonderful meals in local Hotels though the New Year’s at the Swallow stay with me.
Stockton Castings were indeed superb, they could cast anything and ICI asked for some weird and wonderful castings at times, they did have their own Casting bay under Mr Fiddes but the large castings went out to places like Stockton Castings.
Stockton at one time was equal to anywhere for Engineering know how and brilliant engineers and as I read the industrial news not all is lost.
I recall with fond memories, around the mid seventies, spending many an enjoyable evening with my then, boyfriend (now husband) in the Swallow listening to the resident pianist; I think this would be in the cocktail bar – it was just up the winding staircase and across to the left.
We would, depending on how boyfriend had fared with the horseracing that day, then saunter along to the Elysee restaurant on Bridge Road which seemed to be open “til all hours. One of the most popular meals being eaten at the time was Chicken Maryland which didn’t really gel very well with the dulcet tones of Demis Roussos ringing out throughout the restaurant. I’m sure they must have sold Greek dishes also but that dish is one I remember as being typical of the seventies.
I worked in the cocktail bar when it first opened in the early 70’s & remember the pianist very well. Guiseppe was the bar manager & made some lovely cocktails, I still have the price list, the average price being about 56p! Haha you wouldn’t get a glass of lemonade for that these days.
Glad to hear that someone appreciated my dad’s playing! The Swallow was still there last week although looking very forlorn but the Elysee has become a Peking restaurant. I used to really enjoy their steak Diane in the 1970’s & had it as a weekly treat back then. Stockton High Street has been cleaned up now but it has completely lost its character as a result.
Was your father the Brian Reed who played at the Newtown club? If so my father George was the drummer there with him for a number of years. I always remember my dad saying Brian was the best sight reader he ever played with. I also remember getting my haircut by your dad at his place at the side of Browns bridge.
I remember great themed party nights around Christmas time in the Swallow with a group of friends in the 70’s and calling for drinks and grills in the restaurant at other times. I also remember well the awful multi storey car park with many colours of scraped cars on the very large concrete pillars.
A place of very happy memories, we booked in every New Years Eve with all the family and friends, we took up the full length of a long table in the dining room. Time to settle in have a walk around festive Stockton then get ready for the party.
We had got a bit too old to fight our way into the local hostelries, taking our own chairs then the party at our house and the clean up after, plus we had room to dance, impossible with a full house flooding out onto the field next to us.
The meal was always wonderful the table decorations spectacular with the Chef showing off his skill at ice and butter sculpture, well fed and usually getting pretty happy as we say in Stockton it was off to the Dance upstairs. A live band games and mad dances my children joined in, all sitting on the floor rowing and singing was a bit much for my wife and I to manage, I do not know if it was age or the good wine we quaffed by the bottle.
Stagger off to our rooms to sleep it off, late up for a very good breakfast then a gentle ride home to watch all the favourite TV shows, it was worth every penny and the staff were the best.
Yes it is a sad loss, things move on and it became another empty property on the High Street. I am happy to see it could now become after a make over Student flats, it will bring back to life a building due to be demolished, help the town shops come back to life and with the shows Stockton Council bring to the town several times a year liven the place up again.
I have visited many towns with fountains, usually the centre attraction with seating for people to sit in the sun (when we get it) talk and picnic. Our children and their children move on, the things we liked vanish as they put down their mark on life and the town, progress can hurt if you are stuck in a rut or you can progress with it, I hope I did the latter.
A sad day and the end of an era for Stockton when ‘The Swallow’ closed. The ‘Swallow’ was the product of the ’60’s motorway age and the ‘executive on expenses’ system, particularly in relation to bourgeoning local industry. At one time it was the only place where impressive function suites, a fabulous restaurant /cocktail bar and luxury coffee-shop could be found in the town-centre.
However, as financial belts began to tighten and tele-communications improved vastly, the need for both ‘overnight’ executive accommodation, or large company functions gradually declined. Other contributory factors to this situation, were the opening of several ‘character’ luxury hotels in the local suburban areas, plus the rise of the ‘budget’ motel.
‘The Talbot’ at No 9. High St (now closed) was at one time a mere ‘Inn’ with stabling which was later demolished and the site similarly developed with dining-facilities into a luxury hotel for railway-travellers / representatives and executives, arriving in Stockton via the railway Station on Bishopton Rd.
Another example of the poor planning of the Centre of Stockton when you have to pull down a Hotel less than fifty years from being built… Were the same people involved that built the other monstrosity in the High Street The Castle Gate Centre involved.. I have just heard from a friend in Stockton that the new High Street development will have a feature Water Fountain in Dovecote St. In all of my travels over the years I have never seen a water fountain that has not become grubby and derelict with a deposit for Weekend rubbish being thrown in. I hope this one in Stockton does not end up in the same state