An interesting shot of my home town to share with your visitors. Anybody growing up in Billingham in the 1950s will remember this view, it is of the very first part of the new town centre built in the early 1950s. I date this to around about 1960/61, the Queensway is open to traffic and there are no buildings between the town centre and Pentland Avenue in the distance.
Kennedy Garden Flats were constructed around about 1962 and there is no sign of them, the Ford Anglia and Mini were introduced 1958/59ish. I think that the Westminster Bank was added to the row of shops as Broughs was the last shop when the block first opened in 1953.
The Queensway turned to the left at the end of the shopping parade and continued past phase two of the shops to meet the Causeway opposite to the gates of John Whitehead Park, Brown Brothers & Taylor was the shop on the corner.
My wife to be moved to Billingham in 1961 and remembers the town centre just as it is shown in the image.
Photo and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman
Great picture from past days in Billingham centre. Anyone growing up in the town during 50,s onwards would remember the shops shown and many others. Stotts butchers was next to the fish shop.
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Hi Dot. Thanks for your message. I knew there used to be a Stotts butchers in Billingham but could not find any reference to it, will keep looking for old photos. Good to know you remember it too. Yes, I now remember it was next to the fish shop. Patricia.
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Remember playing football there against Billingham North End
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Bought my first ever record (45) at Finleys.
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I moved to this part of Billingham (March House Avenue) in 1954. and emigrated to Australia in 1965. I was welcomed into my previous home on a visit a few years ago. I loved Billingham and remember it most fondly.
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I can’t make it out on the photo but both Woolworth’s, Dewhirst’s, Boot’s and the wet fish shop must be along there somewhere. I had a Saturday job in Woolies for a few months in 1962. I discovered that selling paint was even more boring than watching it dry and have never had such aching legs in my life! For 1/6 we got a good home-made dinner in the canteen on the first floor, though. On Easter Saturday we were all offered a bag of unsold Easter eggs and the day before Mothering Sunday a big bunch of unsold flowers to take home. 12/- for an 8-hour day for a 15-year-old.
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Bought my first fountain pen at Finlay’s in 1958 after moving from Billingham North to Henry Smith’s in Hartlepool. We weren’t allowed to use ball-point pens and there was none of the pen-and-ink we’d been used to.
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A bit later than the 1960s, does anyone remember a butchers shopping in the mid 1970s in Billingham town centre which I think was called Stotts, they sold warm cornish pasties. The shop was in an open shopping precinct. I attended Billingham & Stockton Technical College and remember popping over at lunchtime for the pasties.
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if you do facebook there is a couple of groups on there, one called `you know your from billingham if…. the other called billingham pictures. lots of photos and memories on them (without the watermark) of how billingham used to look
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Thanks Tony, will take a look on Facebook. Patricia
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Hello Patricia
I think my date is about right, the British Film Institute (bfi.org) have three digitised cine films of Billingham from 1963, 1964 and 1965, the 1964 film shows the ramp up to the higher levels being built as well as various other items being constructed.
The films can be found at these addresses
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-billingham-week-1963-1963-online
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-billingham-week-1964-1963-online
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-billingham-folklore-festival-1965-1965-online
Click on the “View For Free” icon to run them.
You are right about Stotts, they were in the block that ran from Burtons the Tailors to the Off Licence near to the end of Grampian Road.
The Post Office and Employment Office were opposite to Stotts.
If you look carefully to the right hand side of the photo you will see what appears to be a brick building partly hidden by the trees, this building had Burtons on the left corner, next door was Miles the stationers, then two other shops I can’t remember.
Bruce
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Great picture, I remember it well
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The fluorescent tube street lights are also very much of their time. IIRC Newport Road in Middlesbrough got them about then.
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