The White Swan pub on Norton High Street, licensee Thomas Leishman Unwin. Date unknown.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The White Swan pub on Norton High Street, licensee Thomas Leishman Unwin. Date unknown.
Judging from the ‘Discoteque’ the picture is probably dated mid 1970’s
The disco opened in the back of the pub around 1966 – don’t know when it closed I left in 1967 to join the RAF
Along with the ‘Red Lion’ one of two 18th.C coaching-inns within the village of Norton. I believe this Inn served the N.Durham (A.1.) ‘route’ and the Red Lion served the coastal S/land (A.19) ‘route’ The inn’s stable-yard was accessed to the left of the front, where the Stockton Co-op’s ‘Branch No 8’ (see pics on this site) was then built at the turn of the 20thC. , premises which are now occupied by the ‘Canteen & Cocktails’ Bar / Restaurant.
I played drums in a small combo in the back room there in 1983. I was 16. The guy playing keyboards was called Rusty. I remember the owner at that time was called Ray (dark hair and mustache…). It all came to an end when I moved to Zambia. I can remember the occasional fight, and beer bottles flying due to a bunch of hard men from Blue Hall. I was always well protected and had lots of fun.