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
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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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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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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