Possibly the Housewifes Lane area of Stockton…
The following is an extract from Heavisides Almanack, 1902.
‘In the passing of years, many changes have taken place in the old town. I recall in my youth that the lamplighter used to arm with a ladder and small lantern, nimbly ascend the lamp-post, open a small door, apply his lantern light, slide down the sides of the ladder, and in a half-run continue his course from one lamp to another, round the whole town’.
Photograph taken from the Heavisides Collection.
The picture is of Hodgsons Yard now the Flea Market Yard behind no 9 Finkle Street, the lamp post was moved closer to the building (side of no 9 in the 1990s) the houses are not there but the privy still is, the half whitewashed building is the side of no 9 Finkle Street
Hi David, its great to have a comment that locates this photo.
There’s almost an identical view, taken much later, here:
https://picturestocktonarchive.com/2004/05/23/hodgsons-yard-2/
which also has a great comment from an ex-resident.
In this view you can see where the front wall of the properties were:
https://picturestocktonarchive.com/2014/06/27/hodgsons-yard-3/
So when visiting the flea market, the areas that you have to step up to from the cobbled yard are where these properties were.
If you look in the privy it still has it’s original wooden Lotus cistern although the toilet below it is from the 1970s. My grt grt grandparents Thomas and Ellen Earl lived at No9 in the 1840s & 50s they had it as a fruit shop
I love this photograph, it reminds me of one I am trying to chase. It shows children playing in the streets similar to this one but the children are in the centre of the picture and shows girls wearing lovely white pinnies with big frills. I have only seen this once before and it is of my Mother and her sister, my aunt. I have searched spent hours looking on any website I think could help, till 2 and 3 in the morning, for a couple of years. Wondered if you have any suggestions. It would be taken about 1912ish, in the same area as this picture. They lived in Cherry Lane. Any help would be wonderful, many thanks.
The picture is of Hodgsons Yard now the Flea Market Yard behind 9 Finkle Street
Yes Frank the folks deserved much better, my grandad, his mate Pat Sullivan all lived in Housewife lane and other area’s Thistlegreen, Cherry Lane & Snowdons Yard, they both joined the Kings Own Scottish Borderes 1912, these lads worked on ship building as riveters apprentice’s, then 1914 off to France, my grandad Robert was sent to join the 2nd battalion KOSB 4 weeks after
the BEF landed in France, in the December of 1914 he ended up back at Berwick upon Teed depot on hospital rolls, just found out why, he had been wounded by a German dum-dum bullet, after he recovered he was sent to join 1st batt. KOSB in Gallipoli, there until campaign called off, then back into France for the Somme offensive, my grandad Robert was badly wounded 1st July 1916, his mate Pat Sullivan was killed weeks later on the Somme.
When my grandad married Beatrice Warhurst Kirk 1917 they lived in Snowdons Yard, my father Robert Casey was born there, as you know when the area was demolished lots of the folks from Housewife Lane, Snowdons yard and Thistlegreen were moved into Swainby Rd & Danby Rd, I know from my recent research how many of these folks remained friends and how their off springs also became life long friends. These early folks had a very very hard life and yet managed to stay
cheery remained life long friendships, good decent folks, not sure we will see those kind again.
All the very best to all.
Derek.
ps Frank keep posting comments on the old area’s of Stockton, its amazing how much we can learn, I love my ancestry and some times folks connected to mine get mentioned and it sets me off again.
I write only what I know about people who passed through my life at various stages and do not always mention names not wishing to cause embarrassment, hear say and folk law are not history so trying to keep it within limits serves the Board better.
So many names, Charley Garbut lived in Starkey Street a good friend when I was at Browns S.I. he was called up wounded and invalided out of the army during the last stages of the war. He married the girl next door and they went on to live a good life on Hardwick, we met periodically. Darky Stirling Pianist and Bouncer at the Black Lion lived in Bath Place when we all got in there playing dominoes, she knew I played piano and tried to get me fixed up with her Sister Jean, I was not ready, she still took me under her wing and few dare cross Darky. Steve Small from Tarren Street also at Browns married Joan and lived on Roseworth. Died way too young. Peter Bailey lived in Northcote Street was at Richard Hind with me and died age 16. I remember a lad taking me home on Thistle Green and was amazed on seeing the bow of a vessel on the stocks towering over the house, mind the falling rivets when hanging the washing out.
So many from the Gas House area Noel Kiddle and Edie whom he married, then from Portrack where I did some courting and had good friends people took what they had, no point in wishing for more during the war.
We danced, we sang and partied got a few drinks, probably sorted out grudges down the Black Lion yard until Darky came and smashed a few heads together. We lived for the day and I still do. Great people wonderful times but go back? no we move on. Few lived beyond 65 back then many did not even reach that and now a few of us old so and so’s write about it, memories tend to blank the bad bits though I am glad to have lived through those times and known those people.
Frank when I write on here I sometimes like to get others involved by using their names and others. Trying to get others involved in the subject. Through this I have met people who use PS and have started a friendship. Like meeting you up at Tescos. I probably wouldn’t know you if it wasn’t for the PS site.
Frank I didn’t come across as I meant in my posting, I meant to say life was so hard for folks in those days, the old saying ” I havn’t got much but its clean ” comes to mind when you look at the ladies.
I agree more pride taken in those days, I also remember our front step being scrubbed and sand stoned, our bath hung in the yard, all hot water you!!! boiled, out-side toliet, all clothing washed in the was tub outside if the sun was shinning, as for over crowding when my late father left the sea and married mam we had to live with dad’s sister in Napier St, I think I was about 5-6 before mam & dad got a flat in Swainby Rd {had a brother 18 month younger than me} and I also remember the gas lighter man coming around our road to light the street lights, same street lights we used for swings, many a bumped head in those days for kids.
Going to the gas house for a bag of cinders, some times in convoys of old prams, I remember some years ago an old scouser talking about how hard times were and he finished by saying
“The good old days” well you can keep em!!!!
We’ve all come along way since those days and I for one hope those hard days never come back.
All the best to all.
Derek
In my long lost youth the lamp lighter still had a ladder for changing the mantle but had a long pole he lit the lamp with. I often watched him light the lamp outside our house in Mill Lane Norton but it all came to an end with the wartime blackout. The lights went back on in 1945 and were gradually turned over to electric lighting in the 1950’s. Our house had gas lighting and I remember the electric going in, one light to each room and one power outlet which was a two pin affair for Dads pride and joy Cosser radio, we never missed the six o clock news, Henry Halls Dance Band or ITMA. We much preferred the gas lamp as my Sister and I sat on the fender reading beside a lovely fire back to the oven and the warm glow of a three mantle gas lamp above.
Derek those ladies in the Street houses of Stockton may have had nothing but they had pride, window sills and door steps were scrubbed and sanded, the area in front of the house and back yard scrubbed clean, windows washed until they shone and woe betide the odd lady who did not keep up with the others.
Some of them lived in back to back houses no yard communal toilets, over crowding was rife, money short, food a luxury to many, yet when I helped my friend Dennis Goldsbrough and his Dad deliver coal often into a cubby hole in the room they would ask us to tip it carefully and keep the dust down then be in with dusters behind us. The people in those yards had a very hard life though they did try to have some respect in keeping as clean as possible. I lift my hat to them.
Frank I think you can remember the lamp lighter. He just lived across the Green from you in those cottages which lead down to Hillside Road. Jack Simpson was his name. He had a son probably your age or slightly older, I think his name was Lance.
Yes Bob went to school with Lance Simpson, he had an older brother I often met up with them years later as Lance still lived in the village. Never put the two together as I hardly ever saw Mr Simpson except for him lighting the lamps and there was the six year gap during the war. I believe in the end those gas lamps went on to clock work automatic timers before being made redundant by the electric lamps.
Derek, I did not think you were deriding the people in the picture knowing you were from those parts, they all deserved better yet there was a lot of upset when the council started demolishing those streets and moving people to better housing.
Going to Richard Hind on the school bus from Norton Green about the last pickup was Danby Road and a girl got on there who made a bee-line to me and crushed in beside me, any one in the seat next to me got thrown out by the ear, she told me she was going to marry me. Years later I met her in the Dance Halls, the wish to marry me had gone, I was rather glad as I could not see a carefree life in the army with a wife in my kitbag. Those people lived a tough often short life, worldly goods may have been in short supply though they would have given you their last crust of bread and gone hungry, I am glad I met so many of them, they got on with life and boy could they party when the time came.
My early Casey ancestors lived in this area, it looks lovely but!!! I’ll bet it wasn’t.
All the best.
Derek