Picturesque views of St. Mary’s Church and Norton Green, autumn 2016.
Photographs courtesy of John Loraine.
Norton Green c2016
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
Had great times there in the 70s and 80s such a great place to be.
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I think Norton Green is one of the most picturesque scenes around, from spring to autumn. Hope it does not change.
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Look under the lytch gate for the mouse!
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We cannot do that Mervyn, the gates went missing quite a few years ago. They were taken off and stored for safety’s sake and now nobody knows where they are. I have tried to find out many times but failed. There is a mouse on the frame work still there though for how long we cannot say. The Church grounds and infrastructure is maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers, I believe the Stockton parks cut the grass once a year.
I did visit my late wife’s plot and found a sea of snowdrops it was lovely to see but those volunteers are nearly as old as me, they do a great job.
Frank.
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These are very good images and typical quality of today’s photography. It reminds us that we should continue taking this type of photograph, recording what is around us today, as this is Picture Stockton of the future. Over the last year I have been leading a project to record all the railway infrastructure and services operating in Cumbria and surrounding areas, and also evidence of former lines, for the Cumbrian Railways Association. It is an ongoing project and the images are being added to our Photo Archive for the benefit of future researchers and historians. So whatever your particular interest keep recording it, because what happened yesterday is now history.
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Hello David, I have a calendar and a painting on the wall virtually the same pictures as on here by Stephen Hornsey, he takes photo’s of all the local parts of our area of interest and top quality says he who only takes the odd snapshot.
Some things never seem to change others vanish. In our time you could not enter or leave Stockton without crossing over or under a railway. It probably needs your knowledge of Stockton’s rail systems to put it on paper for future reference, when we go it is gone.
Keep well, Philip.
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Hello Phil (Frank),
The development of Stockton’s railways has been covered in several railway history books but as far as I know there has not been a dedicated volume. As we approach the 200th Anniversary of the S&D, I hope someone has it in mind. The recent biography of Thomas Hackworth was very informative about the development of his works, which eventually became Blair’s/Hills and is very instructive about the early years. I enjoy and admire your knowledgeable and informative contributions to Picture Stockton, please keep them coming Phil and keep well.
David.
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Wonder if anyone remembers my brother David Black killed here in 1963 ran over by a blue north Ormsby bus 14th November.
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Hasn’t changed much in the last 70 years. I used to visit my Aunt and Uncle when they lived in Cottersloe Road, and later Station Road. Happy memories!
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Just as I remember walking to Norton Board School each day in the late 1940s
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Beautiful photographs – let’s hope the same images can be taken in next generation.
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We are a Norton Family, and it looks much as I saw it as a child. My Grandmother was from when the pond then a clay base filled by rain water was the local wash house, no running water when she was young that came in the late 1880’s although there was a village pump next to the pond still working when I was a boy as did many of those in the yards off the High Street and in our yard in Mill Lane, Dad drank that water saying it was better than the tap water, he may well have been right as the single cold water tap in each house or in some cases a single stand pipe in a yard came through lead pipes.
By the time I was born we also had flush toilets still down the yard in the old earth Privy.
The green was much as it is today apart from the pavements not being there, a gravel path alongside the road was the walkway until sometime in 1950. The Pond was cleaned out and concreted in the late 1950’s early 60’s then refurbished again with the larger fountain.
The Blacksmith’s shop was a working Blacksmith. that changed the door facing the pond was bricked up and moved to the backside, then closed.The old Elm Tree I saw cut down because of Elm disease 90’s? that had an iron seat around it we all played on as kids then did our courting on later.
Red House School took over many of the large houses on the green but did not alter them much. The slaughter house behind Toulsons shop now Blackwells was turned into a Kitchen, I saw some fun in there on killing days when the cattle escaped, panic stations.
Everything changes although Norton Green and the High Street would still be recognisable to my Dad and Grandmother, certainly is to me in my 88th year, I often go and sit there on warm days remembering the hard cricket games we played, the roller skating, Ice skating on the pond and Billingham bottoms, the voices of the boys and girls so many of them now gone, I think the Green in its present form will see me out without too much change. Happy place happy memories, for me my children grand children and even now my great grandchildren.
Frank.
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Frank I don’t ever remember the paths being gravelled and I was born in 1937. Also, I seem to remember getting beech nuts from below the the tree you say was an Elm tree.
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Bob I walked to Norton board from Mill Lane acros the Green on a gravel or at times muddy path. The only paved path was the pond side up to the Church. My wife complained about having to push the pram with our first born on the road though traffic was light.
I was held up on the road when the tree came down and asked why they were removing a good tree, Dutch Elm disease was the reply.
Frank
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Every bit of detail you give us here is valuable historical information, Mr. Mee. Can’t thank you enough. 🙂👍🏻
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