An image of an unknown lady. I believe she is possibly a street seller, maybe bread, in Stockton High Street. The fancy building in the top right is now the HSBC Bank, 136 High Street. When the image was taken it would have been the London Joint Stock Bank and would later become Midland Bank. The building next to the bank is still identifiable, the upper window shape and the arched brickwork above is still visible in the building today. Interestingly Milburns, 134 High Street, was a druggists and was on the High Street between 1906 and 1912, so gives a fairly narrow date. Note the ‘ghosts’ in the background, people who have moved while the shutter was open.
Image and details courtesy of Alex Moody and a family friend who lives in Canada.
Marley Close, Stockton-on-Tees was a Former Intelligence HQ for the Royal Navy? This building has been described as the first radio station the Royal Navy had which was capable of intelligence gathering at the outbreak of World War One. It was based in Stockton and eventually became part of a network of sites feeding information to the military. The “Y Station” has been described as the first line of defence against Zeppelin raids.
A local historian described how staff slept in bunks on site. Radio masts were dotted around the building, which was powered by large batteries. The house was purchased from the Navy in the 1920s and has been a private home since then.
The “Y” service stations was a network of British intelligence collection sites established during the World War 1 and used again during the Second World War. The sites were operated by a range of agencies including the Army, Navy and RAF plus the Foreign Office (MI6 and MI5), the General Post Office an receiving stations ashore and afloat. There were more than 600 receiving sets in use at Y-stations during the Second World War.[2] The “Y” stations tended to be of two types, for intercepting of the signals and for identifying where they were coming from. Sometimes both functions were operated at the same site, with the direction finding hut being a few hundred metres from the main interception building. The sites collected radio traffic which was then either analysed locally or if encrypted, passed for processing initially to the Admiralty Room 40 in London and during World War II to the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire.
Photograph and details courtesy of Bob Wilson (Wiki primary source).
The picture includes Mr Rosser on the right, and Alderman CW. Allison seated. Ken Smith, my friendly rival in science subjects, who got the chemistry prize, is next to Rosser. I got the one for Physics. Two others, I recognise, are Frank Kirkwood, third from the left, whose face is partly obscured, and John Calder, next to him, who is even more obscured. Frank was a good mate. Along with him and Derek Graham, who also received a prize at this ceremony, I had many, many happy and thoughtful conversations with them at lunchtime in walks through Ropner Park.
The photograph shows the block of buildings to the left of Ramsgate (to the right in the image). The roof line on the right is Stewarts Clothing, Tees House, which is on the corner of Ramsgate. Manorgrove is now a Bet Fred bookies shop and the pub is now the George Pub and Grill. Of interest, the Manorgrove building was once two shop’s 104 & 105 High Street and if you look carefully at the building, just above the M on the sign is a round mark. It is a plaque that states, ‘John Walker’s Birthplace. 29th May 1781’. I think the photograph is mid to late 1980’s as Mr Trims occupied the upstairs shop from 1981, although the frontage looks a little worse for wear in this image. Also I believe on of the parked cars is a Mini Metro.
A 1934 advertisement/postcard showing the smart premises of Isaac Robson & Co Ltd, 24 & 26 Bridge Road (corner of Villiers Street.), Stockton. With Holy Trinity Spire in the background. The same site can be seen on ‘Bridge Road, Stockton c1970s’ . I wonder if the the business was still in the family in the 1970’s, as it is then called “Sankey Robsons”?
I had noticed some recent comments on Picture Stockton about Grangefield Grammar School, with one comment being made by Geoff Crossley. Both Geoff and I were in the Railway Society at the school.
The first photograph was taken at Carlisle in October 1959 with Geoff and James Lightfoot in front of a diesel loco (class 40 for the enthusiasts). The other photograph is of the Society Group at Mirfield in West Yorkshire with a steam loco behind (Jubilee to the enthusiasts) taken in December 1964. The only ones I can put names to are Andy Elliot at the front and Chris Wilson on the back row 2nd from left. Can anyone fill in some of the missing names?
A postcard showing The Stoney Bank, Egglescliffe that leads from St John’s Church to Yarm Road, just outside Yarm. The open landscape differs a lot from when this postcard was produced to how it looks now lined with shrubs and trees.
Thank you to Dave, the Pot & Glass Pub landlord for allowing me to copy his postcard. Image and details courtesy of Peter Southgate.
I believe my father-in-law, Edgar Dixon, is the second pupil from the right on the second row from the back. He was born August 1913. The photograph is not dated unfortunately, though it might date from the c1920s.
We have no date for this unknow gathering at the Five Lamps, but the Union Flag and could point to a possible Royal Visit or something similar… Any ideas?
