A view of Timpsons Shoes, Collingwoods and Smiths Cleaners on Stockton High Street c1977.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A view of Timpsons Shoes, Collingwoods and Smiths Cleaners on Stockton High Street c1977.
How things can change in a relative short time. In 1960 Timpson’s wanted to rebuildtheir shop. Planning permission was applied for but Collingwoods objected. Their objection was based on the fact that their safe was against the dividing wall and they felt that it would be vulnerable whilst the building work went on. Timpson’s plan was to demolish their shop and rebuild.
I was working at Timpsons at that time and in anticipation of doing the work they opened two smaller branches in the town, one in the Victoria building and the other next door to the now defunct Odeon cinema.
To quote Douglas Adams “It hangs in the air just like a brick doesn’t”
Well…. isn’t that just an architectural gem!
… and Van Allen, I remember waiting in our car parked on the central strip waiting to pick my Mum up from work there, funny the things you remember.
A Hillman Minx (1971), a green Morris Marina (1972) (yes it was green I looked it up 🙂 ), with an Austin Maxi behind it, and a Ford Anglia (1966).
That building was awful then and it still is now