A photograph taken a year ago this month of a lovely Norton Green and duck pond.
Photograph and details courtesy of Alex Moody.

I took these in Stockton in about 1976, the hardware shop was run by J.T. Hodgson who is in the main photo. He was an amateur artist who painted detailed work with Valspar paint a very unusual medium! Unfortunately I recorded no other information and I’d be interested to know more. The shop was ready to be demolished as part of a redevelopment.
Photographs and details courtesy of Derek Smith.
I made my first post-restoration visit to The Globe this evening for “An Evening with photographer Ian Wright” the well known Northern Echo and Evening Dispatch photographer whose photos of up and coming popular beat combos in the early 1960’s put the then Globe Theatre on the musical map!
Hosted by, I think, Pam Royle and also featuring Ray Laidlaw the Lindisfarne drummer, and last group to play the Globe before it became a cinema and then bingo hall. The evening was an excellent trip back in time with of course some brilliant black and white photographs from the man himself .
Having been on several ‘hard hat tours’ of the Globe during its extended restoration, nearly typed expensive there, I was impressed by what I saw from the circle seats and the stunning art-deco paint schemes and attention to detail in the finish of the building and this evening was a free event too so too good to miss ! With thanks to Sophie Owens of SBC for details of the gig which did appear to be well supported especially by people who could say “I was there!”.
Photographs and details courtesy of David Thompson.
The recent post about the William IV Hotel prompted me to dig out this glass we found in the family home whilst emptying it. “An original glass” from the said Hotel before it was demolished.
Image and details courtesy of Dorothy Butler (nee Wright).
Thornaby Town Council held their first post-Covid Battle Of Britain Memorial Service at the Airmans Statue on Thornaby Road on Sunday, 12 September.
The service was led by Padre Robert Desics from St Marks the Evangelist and St Peter ad Vincula Churches and was attended by both the Town Mayor Councillor Steve Walmsley and his wife Councillor Sylvia Walmsley , Leader of the Thornaby Independents Association. Master Aircrewman Ian McCabe from RAF Leeming and himself a former Stockton air cadet represented the Stockton & Thornaby Branch of the Royal Air Forces Association and the Standards were carried by Roy Smith and Ian Hindmarsh.
Following the service the congregation moved to Thornaby Cemetery were local schoolchildren placed Remembrance Crosses on the graves of the fallen within the War Graves Plot.
Photographs and details courtesy of David Thompson.
I’m trying to find any details on this old song ‘Polly Flockton’. It mentions South Stockton and Norton. I believe the song dates from around 1870. Does anyone know the tune and who wrote it?
Images and details courtesy of Dave Wiley.
UPDATE 2021: I have found the musical score for the song, it turns out that this was written by a German American composer E. Mack…
Following on from the earlier contributions, my Dad – George Mills – was instrumental in getting the scheme going in 1961, 62(?). Al Hart and Ray Teigh, already mentioned are names I remember from then, and Keith Robertson was also involved. Early courses were run from Stubb House, Ireshopeburn, near Winston, and I came up a couple of times to visit. As a 12 year old speccy grammar school swot (Grangefield) I was very impressed by the tough lads on the courses, with their exotic (to me!) hair styles – quiffs and DA’s, and all the stuff they were doing which was very much based on Dad’s long connection with Synthonia Scouts. The photo is a presentation piece made by Apprentices, given to Dad when we moved away from Billingham, down to ICI Severnside, in 1965. Dad died at the end of last year, would have been 100 next week!
Photograph and details courtesy of Rob Mills.
Preston Park Museum has a Toy Stories exhibition coming soon!
Just to help bring to life the toys in the collection do you have memories of playing with the following toys; Meccano, Star Wars toys actions figures or games, Sindy, Scalextric, Gerry Anderson toys (thunder birds, Cap Scarlet and Stingray)?
If so please share a memory of playing with these and what they meant to you! Was it Scalextric that got you into cars? Did Meccano inspire you to become a DIY enthusiast? Or was it just a time when you happily played and enjoyed them? These memories could be seen in the interpretation of what is on display so please share if you would potentially be happy to see them.
We can’t guarantee everything will go in but we will do everything we can to share as many as possible!
Two silver trophies awarded in the 1940s to boys attending and competing at The Eagle Boys Club in Stockton. This club met at Woodlands, a large house on Yarm Lane next to Leybourne Terrace. The club was run by Frank Showell, when he was not teaching at the nearby Oxbridge Lane School. Mr Showell is described elsewhere on Picture Stockton as being “a wonderful teacher and a great motivator”. The names of the club members are engraved on the plaques, they include – Dennis Noble, A. Todd, R. Wiley and W Palfreeman. Has anybody any memories about this club?
Photograph and details courtesy of Cliff Thornton.
Thanks to Richie Bateman for allowing use of this photo.
Richie is not sure about any of the people in this photo apart from himself, he is on the far left. Between Richie and his sister they believe that the girl second from left is Mary Thompson and the fourth to be their brother John.
They think it would have been taken in the late 1950s but can’t imagine who by as they didn’t know of anybody who owned a camera.
Their only certainty is that it was taken in Ruislip Close in Roseworth.
This is how I remember my childhood, sometime in the late 1950s the kids in our close built what started out to be an Igloo and finished up looking like a Tepee, we rolled large snowballs into a circle and added more on top until we had an Igloo shape, we then threw piles of snow on top to give it height, two things I remember about that edifice were Herbie Ollett trying to run over the top and falling and breaking his leg, and the fact that the heap of snow was still evident long after the thaw.
If anybody recognises any of the people in the photo, please let me know and I will send the information to Richie.
Photo and details courtesy of Richie Bateman / Bruce Coleman