The old alleyway under the North Shore Branch. Strikes Mission was just to the right on Norton Road.
Photograph and details courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The old alleyway under the North Shore Branch. Strikes Mission was just to the right on Norton Road.
Photograph and details courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Hi, does your wife remember me? I am Joan Ozelton, I had many happy hours at the mission when it was at Tilery. I was in the pioneers. I see Bill and Amanda from time to time in Stockton as they have coffee with my uncle. The mission was a very happy place to be…
Hi David, the top foundry was an oblong building, much lower than the pavment you walked on as you went past under the railway bridge. All the moulders who worked in this building during the 60s were Hungarian lads, the foreman was a tall bloke called Eric, the real engineering moulding
was done at the bottom of railway st, the owner was John Dowing.
Moulders who worked in this foundry in my time were Denis Jones, George Brett, Billy Wood, Franky Wyn, Tommy Metcalf, Joe Hanley, and the gentle giant Jimmy Irish, core makers Billy Wheelehouse, Cyril Nesbit, Albert Cartwrighte, Gunner Thompson mixed the various sands for both core makers and moulders, his brother Knocker Thompson worked the furnace with Gordon Wood fed the furnace, Joe Burnell, Billy Golidge { driver } and many other lads who worked there in my time in the 60s, not mentioned a single man who wasn’t great to work with and who could make going to work great!!!!!!
Derek
The authorised entrance to Stockton locomotive shed (51E), was a door on the left just under the bridge and it is still there, and still painted in BR blue. This was a part of the official walking route that was shown in the Shed Directory 1947.
I walked under the rail bridge every day going to work in Downings iron foundry, the foundry wall in this picture was mainly flat moulding and all Hungerian lads { great lads } bottom foundry was where the real iron mouldings were made, great place to work, great blokes to work with, served my time as iron moulder and loved every minute working there.
All the best.
Derek
Derek, can you remember what the inside of the building looked like? When the North Shore branch crossed Norton Road on a level crossing, the line was obviously at a lower level, and I was once told that there were sidings with coal drops where the foundry building was later built. I once looked inside there after it became a garage workshop, and there were some hefty timbers in there. I will try and find the pictures I took, also the sketch of the sidings, which was taken from, I think, the 1857 map.
Walked under to and from Stockton Dance Halls many times saving the bus fare for fish and chips at the Avenue or Regal as we knew it fish shop on the way home.
That is the corner of Railway Street leading to the Coal yards and the Foundry, three of my late Wife’s Aunts lived in that street.
Directly ahead is Hills formerly Blairs Engine Works, in my time a Joinery and Door making factory and where the palings are was the wooden building of the Christ Church Mission, I believe there is a picture of that building on the site.
The picture is heading north towards Norton with the main road dipping down under the main bridge towards Tilery.
We were always a crowd as we collected on Norton Green boys and girls then walked into town together, wet weather bus there and walk back as going to the dance the girls did not want their painted on stockings complete with black seam running in the rain, we had to make do with what we had, silk stockings were not available hence the paint and carefully drawn seams which if they got wet ran, not a pretty sight.
Strikes Mission was on the right inside the wood fencing & the building on the left was Downings Foundry, under the bridge to the right was a gents toilet which all us Gashouse Lads used on the way back after playing football on Tilery Rec. Just under the bridge on the left was a wooden door which was an entrance to the railway, after that was a workshop which later became Flanges.
The workshop that became Flanges Ltd. was formerley Damm & Harker,a blacksmth establishment. My father George Harker, and his German colleague started this business on this premises in the early 1960’s
Fred Damm was a German POW who lived in Johnson Grove, Norton, he originally worked in the blacksmiths at the duck pond.
The old open air gents toilets were the same as the ones just before you went under the Moor bridge from Dovecote Street.
A memory Lane photo from the days I attended Strikes mission, was it the ‘Pioneers’ and also visiting a school friend John Meadows who lived just around the corner.
I married my wife Wendy Strike in Christ Church mission almost 50 years ago great day and still having a great life with her now and Frank every time you make a posting you bring back such great memories remember the painted stockings usually done with gravy browning I believe