Take a virtual tour of what was the site of Head Wrightson, in the company of Albert Roxborough. Using photographs and other material from the Heritage Lottery funded Head Wrightson Photo Archive Project, we can see what life was like at the company which was one of the industrial giants of Teesside engineering.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
Bradwell Nuclear Power Station is in Essex, not Kent !!
Dungeness A Nuclear Power Station is in Kent and j believe HW supplied Boilers to both stations.
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Nice work Albert, brings back lots of memories from my time there 1969 – 1980, but I must correct you on one thing:-
Bradwell Nuclear Power Station is in Essex, not Kent.
Dungeness A Nuclear Power Station is in Kent.
I’m pretty sure HW supplied Boilers to them both.
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Fred Lund- worked at H.W- about late 50’s to 60’s.
Prior to that family lived at ‘Queen’s Head’ hotel, Clarence Street, Haverton Hill.
Any recollections?
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Nice to have the memories. A very pleasant way to spend the afternoon listening to times gone by
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Enjoyed that, knew a few people pictured and was there for Harold Macmillans visit, I nicked off school and was spotted by a teacher when the news was broadcast!
A couple of points, the Rickeby Hotel on the corner of Britannia Street and Bridge St was missed and it was Britannia Street not Row.
Not familiar with the Trafalgar Hotel.
The Commercial Hotel (The Top House)was my Dad’s local and I was in the Bradford Vaults the night it shut.
I was there for the boiler launch, there was one that families were invited.
I can still see Mt Rickeby and his alsatian Zeta, as the “works” were our playground he was our nemesis.
I can still remember playing in the waste from Cork Insulation and Asbestos, it was fairly soft and deep, it went right to my crotch one time and I was in short pants!
The part on the firecrew was interesting, Harold Waton told me of the night the Victoria Bridge was bombed and the gas main set alight, he was fighting the fire and said the lads felt naked in the glare.
Various members of our family worked at HW, erstwhile brother in law Bob Fairlie was Sir John’s chauffeur and would bring pheasant back from the shoot.
Brother in law Jimmy Huggins was a burner in the Bridge Yard, and I did a stint as a fettler in the foundry.
Sister Sheila Huggins helped organise dances in the canteen, and on one occasion the front room of 28 Britannia St was filled with balloons.
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Hi Anthony,
Thanks for comments. Your mention of the Rickaby has got me thinking . Will do more research on that. Trafalgar hotel was in census returns but will revisit. Glad you enjoyed it
Albert
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Fascinating. I worked there on summer jobs whilst at Uni in `73, 74, 75…. I was murdered for my long hair!! I was on maintenance, cleaning, painting and helping in the steel foundry. Some real characters there in the maintenance shed!! I was sent over to the BRS depot for bacon butties for 11 o clock snack. The week after the holidays, the foundry came back to life and the noise, smoke, smells were amazing
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Many Thanks for allowing those not subscribing to FaceBook and other media, to view a very nostalgic period in time of Head’s.
J.
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I remember the BRS depot near to the river.
Hope you enjoyed the presentation.
Albert
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Hi Josie,
I am not a fan of Facebook but somehow with the libraries help we got it there.
Hope you enjoyed it and perhaps brought back some memories.
Albert
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Albert you know Josie’s father Walter Laing who worked with us.
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Congratulations to Albert Roxborough for bringing together such an excellent archive. Thoroughly enjoyable!
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