This postcard received in 1972 shows Stockton High Street on Market Day.
Image courtesy of Alan Grange.
Postcard of Stockton High Street c1970s
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This postcard received in 1972 shows Stockton High Street on Market Day.
Image courtesy of Alan Grange.
Comments/memory-joggers welcome… Tallest High St building (in the photo) was Robinsons Department store which became Debenhams?.
Certainly, Stockton was a busy town. Visited recently to meet some friends and ‘Oh dear!’
Why is it the people, the decision makers, those with the authority get it so wrong.
In the numerous expensive meetings in the towns echelons did anyone stop and think, have a point of view that vandalising the historic town with some modern soon to be obselete buildings was a good thing ?.
The dated historic high street had everything going for it, historic towns are a magnet for visitors as opposed to the repetative style of so called modern towns.
Look at Thirsk, Northallerton and York, beautiful attractive, cosy, inviting centers, not short lived disasters like the Swallow Hotel that replaced the Empire, history has shown many times throughout the country that modern buildings have a very short shelf life and one seriously wonders if its the folly of a select few, a point in case is the vertical pier at Redcar.
JW
The Stockton Corporation bus is still in the green livery which was superseded by turquoise for the combined Teesside Municipal Transport. The turquoise was a compromise between Middlesbrough’s blue buses and Stockton’s green. The first bus to be painted turquoise was in October 1966, and by the time Teesside County Borough took over on 1st April 1968 nearly all the Middlesbrough and Stockton buses had been painted turquoise. So I would date that postcard as mid-1960s, pre-1968, and probably c1965.
Just as how I remember Stockton Market before I moved to Yorkshire
Even by 1970 Stockton High Street was a canny few years into the sad change, start if you like of its downfall, a good indicator of the short life of change and not for the better was the Swallow hotel. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but just imagine how attractive the High Street would have been if it had retained all the individual shops and picture houses that gave it that unique character.
J.
Well done for keeping the postcard and in such good condition.
Wonder when it was actually taken? I’d guess early to mid sixties. Woolworths moved to the Castlegate Centre in April 1972, and the pre-decimal yellow sign means it must be before 1971.
That is when stockton had a high street. Such a shame to see it now
Although this post card may have been received in 1972. That year was the year following decimalisation (1971). There is a advertisement showing the price of goods at 8 shillings and 6 pence on a wall. So the photograph must have been pre-decimalisation, otherwise the decimal equivalent would have been indicated. Unless of course the advertiser failed to update.
Omg that takes me back, I used to love Stockton Market. Nothing like it now. I moved to Norfolk in 1978.