A photograph showing St. Mary’s RC Church on Norton Road. In the distance is ICI, the Transporter Bridge and Newport Bridge. Taken from the top of Hume House, Stockton c1995.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A photograph showing St. Mary’s RC Church on Norton Road. In the distance is ICI, the Transporter Bridge and Newport Bridge. Taken from the top of Hume House, Stockton c1995.
Surprisingly few changes to spot in this view, the main one being the removal of the gas holder on Portrack Lane. Otherwise at the time of the picture I guess St Mary’s school was still a school, the Cricketers Arms was still a pub and the offices on the other side of Maritime Road were still in use.
The green patch of grass to the right of the gas holder was where the Portrack Anglican church and the vicarage once stood, Portrack garage was also built on this spot. I recollect that the owner was from the Tyneside area. I would guess that with the road improvements that were made during the eighties Portrack Lane became completely bypassed.
The demolishing of the Anglican Church, which I think was called St James, began round about 1961. I had some words with the Religious studies master at Stockton Grammar, who was closely connected with the town church, about why it was necessary.
Somewhat aggressively he informed me that the church didn’t have much of a congregation, so it was an unwanted expense. I suppose if one was religious in Portrack, Tilery, or Bath Lane one would have been a Catholic, Methodist or Baptist.