This postcard of the Parish Church and Cenotaph I think to have been taken sometime in the 1930s or possibly slightly later. There are no obvious signs of the tramway in the picture, but of course they may be out of shot, the trams closed in 1931.

The dress lengths are generally a good indicator of dates but mens clothing doesn’t change too much with time. The buildings along Church Row/Church Road are clearly visible. The fruit and potato merchant is also reasonably clear. I think the advertising hoarding has Bachelors Peas on it.

The thing that most interests me is the “K1” telephone box in front of the fruiterers. These were of concrete construction and were first introduced in 1927, they were later replaced by the “K2” kiosk in the 1930s. The “K1” was pre-cast and bolted together on site, there are many photos of this model of kiosk but this is the only one I have seen with “Public Telephone” on it. Generally the word “Telephone” is all that is on the kiosk.

The “K2” was the first of the well known red phone boxes that have been a feature of British life for many years, they had small Georgian style windows, the “K6” was the last of the series with the one large and two small window panes, the one everybody knows. I should think this would have been one of the earliest public telephones in Stockton, if not the first.

The shot of the Church and Cenotaph as well as the interested bystanders makes this a very nice piece of social history.

Image and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.