This was a summertime outing organised by the Portrack Methodist Chapel taken around 1957. The Chapel stood on the corner of Portrack Lane and Barrett Street, Stockton. It was not a rich organisation and we could not go very far. I believe this photograph was taken at West Hartlepool, about a half hour on a Corporation Bus.
Some of the people can be recognised… The very tall man and his wife at the back was Mr Helplestone, who lived in Hill Street East. The boy standing below him was David Dunn. The middle aged lady third from the left was the mainstay of the church, unfortunately I don’t remember her name. The girl in the row below the lady is Valerie Smith. Her sister Linda, with spectacles, is seated on the other side of the young boy. Peter McGlade is the little boy on the extreme left of the bottom row.
Many of these people and children disappeared from Portrack to housing estates in the west of Stockton, when the streets on the north side of Portrack Lane were demolished. A few hung on and moved to the council estate on the old chicken farm.
Photograph and details courtesy of Fred Starr.
If I’m not mistaken, I think that the tanned chap on the far left of the back row is my great-grandfather, Johnny McGlade. I am the grandson of his son, Mick. If anyone has any information on this, I would be very grateful.
After the Methodist Chapel was knocked down, when Barrett Street was demolished, the remaining congregation joined in with the Baptists who had their own chapel in St Annes Terrace. This too has now disappeared.
I think that the mainstay of the church was Miss Hipkiss. The girl third from left on the front row is Christine Mcglade
I appreciate this is well after the initial conversation took place however do you have any further info on the McGlade family as I believe I may be related to them. Thanks!
Ken Howells will probably remember the annual event at the Harvest Festival when a large stepped platform was set up at the back of the Chapel.
The children were taught new sets of songs to sing with the usual hymns over a period of about five weeks. In general these songs were pretty awful, but what was striking was that a significant number of the adults who ran the Chapel were able to read music.
For the parents, the Harvest Festival celebration was a big event in which their children had to recite a newly learned poem. This was quite an undertaking for most of us. Singing a hymn would be even worse
I think the lady to the right of the back row, for many years, worked as receptionist for Dr Hopkins-Husson. She dealt with all the patient’s files in the Barrett Street surgery also the one on Norton Road. Her first name was Nancy and she was very well known by all of Dr Husson’s patients.
Sang a solo hymn at Methodist Chapel in the 1940’s forgot the words & just stood there and the music went on without me
Still got a sixpence from my Granny who lived in 13 Lambert Street