A drawing in Biro of 74 76 Paradise House on Church Road. The sketch is dated 88, but I can’t work out the signature though I have seen it on prints of local scenes in the past possibly a local artist?.
Image and details courtesy of Terry Westwood.
Sports certificates for ‘First Prize’ issued to my late father-in-law Albert Hindmarsh, June 21, 1940 and June 20, 1941 during the 30th and 31st Annual Sports Day at Stockton Secondary School.
Images courtesy of Norman Hill.
A view Billingham Town Centre. Date unknown.
This postcard shows a gathering at Norton War Memorial.
Courtesy of Dorothy Barclay.
I’m sure there are many people in the Stockton and Billingham area who went on holiday with Bee-Line in years gone by. This invoice going back to 1967 was for myself, my parents, my grandparents and my uncle – our destination was Bangor in Northern Ireland.
So what did we get for the huge sum of £22 and one shilling each ?.
We left Billingham Green at 9.20pm on the Friday evening and drove through the night to Stranraer to catch the ferry to Larne. There was no direct route in those days and we went via Newcastle, Carlisle and a seemingly endless night time drive through Southern Scotland.
Our ferry was delayed as a lady, thankfully not from our coach party, slipped off the gangplank and had to be fished out of the harbour. On arrival in Northern Ireland I was quite taken aback to see that all the policemen in the Province seemed to be armed and this was two years before the troubles started.
When we arrived at our hotel, The Savoy in Bangor, we were one of seven coach trips there. Every day we had a full trip out going to places like the Glens of Antrim, Giants Causeway, the Mountains of Mourne and even a quick trip by boat into the Irish Republic. Luckily no customs officers were to be seen as this wasn’t strictly above board. If any of the ladies had purchased a watch south of the border, much cheaper than at home apparently, they were advised to conceal them about their person.
The hotel provided us with breakfast and evening meals and we had lunch at pre arranged stops. All included in the price. If that wasn’t enough the hotel laid on entertainment every night as well just to make sure we had our monies worth. As an added attraction there was a singing competition between the 7 coaches which was held on our final night of the holiday. My mum Doreen conducted our bus to the tune of John Browns Body and we gave it our best shot. And it has to be said, modestly, that we won.
A fantastic value holiday and we saw some lovely places. There was some real fun people on our coach and Timmy from South Bank still sticks in my mind.
Image and details courtesy of Martin Birtle.
Well, there’s another year gone….
Picture Stockton is indebted to those who donate photographs, those who add their stories and comments and also the site visitors who just enjoy the site for what it is. This is what makes Picture Stockton a success. I hope that you have had as much pleasure from visiting the site as I have from running it.
I’d like to sincerely thank you all for your kind words and good wishes and to wish all of our friends old and new a very Happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.
I will be taking a few days off now but please keep your comments and picture contributions coming (for picture contributions please email: pictures@stockton.gov.uk).
Best Wishes, Laura.
Picture Stockton will be back on Thursday 3 January 2019.
Head Wrightson reproduced an aerial photograph which, early in the war, accompanied instructions to the Luftwaffe that their target should be Head Wrightson. Head Wrightson published this image in their magazine (Head Wrightson & Co., Ltd and Subsidiaries, World War II: 1939 – 1945) with the hope that the pin-pointed attention directed to us by our enemies will, in a different manner, be directed to us by our friends.
Image courtesy of Robert Greenwell.
This is in response to a query about a racecourse near to Holme House, the poster advertises Stockton Races at Tibbersley in Billingham, there is a Tibbersley Avenue close to the ICI West gate and not too far from Billingham Beck so there is a possibility that the racecourse was situated somewhere near to this area, my old maps don’t show the extent of Tibberley Farm but it may have reached to where Fleet Road (A19) ran, between Billingham Bottoms and where Newport Bridge was later built, or even as far as Lustrum Beck, I believe this is as close to Holme House as Stockton Racecourse got.
Image and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.
Was this medal given to commemorate the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary on June 22 1911? The back of the medal has ‘Councillor M. Robinson, JP Mayor of Stockton-on-Tees’.
Photographs courtesy of Val Waites.
This invitation was given to my Father – he was asked to attend a dinner on 23rd March 1968 where the Freedom of the Borough was conferred on four persons who had either made an impression on or had connections with Stockton-on-Tees.
The dinner was commemorate the dissolution of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council upon the commencement of Teesside on the 1st April 1968.
Image and details courtesy of Alastair Smith.
Billingham Synthonia Football Club played on the Central Avenue ground for 60 years until the end of the 2016/17 season, they then moved to play at the Norton ground. As you can see the Central Avenue ground has suffered badly in the last year. A sad sight for Northern League football fans like myself.
Photograph and details courtesy of Martin Birtle.
The Ashmore, Benson & Pease Co., 1914 – 1918 memorial plaque from the Bowesfield Works. It reads:
“Lest We Forget”
To the enduring memory of comrades from these works, who gave their lives, in the Great War. 1914 – 1918
Appleby J, Evis P.C, Owen A, Branson F.A, Foster C.E, Ramsey J, Brown E, Jackson E, Rowntree J.N, Clasper T.S, King J, Scott G.S, Craggs C.E., Martin W.H, Doughty H, O’Brien P.
Also nearby is the foundation/commemoration stone for South Works. It reads:
1873 – 1951
The Power Gas Corporation Ltd. Ashmore Benson & Pease Company
This stone commemorates the establishment of the South Works and was and was unveiled on the 14th July 1951 by Wilfred Beswick and Alfred Lonsdale
Both are in dubious condition and can be found in the car park of Jacobs office on Bowesfield.
Photographs and details courtesy of Alec Moody.
Two photographs of the Stockton Rural District Council boundary marker situated near No. 200 Darlington Lane.
Photographs and details courtesy Michael Thompson.
Recent pictures of an old boundary marker for Stockton-on-Tees/Stockton Rural District Councils. The text on the faces reads: “Stockton on Tees”, “Stockton R.D.C.”, and around the curved top “County of Durham”. This one is located on Bishopton Road West in front of No. 239. It looks to be slightly buried as there is another near 200, Darlington Lane that seems a bit taller.
This map reportedly shows the 1964 boundaries of SoT (yellow) & SRD (green) councils, with the approx. position of this marker pointed out by the arrow.
Are there any others hiding out there?
Images and details courtesy of Jonathan May.
These papers were found by Norman Kidd among his deceased fathers belongings.
The first is a letter from Mr A.T.S. Zeally, the Chairman of ICI at that time, celebrating 25 years production of Ammoia at ICI Billingham. The second are rare papers from 1942 stating what ICI did during the war. The photograph is of the Synthetic & Ammonia Nitrates Ltd Supply Departments Outing to Ullswater on June 24th 1928.
An Angling Ticket for 1906 which was issued by the Duncombe Park Estate Office, Helmsley, North Yorkshire to a Mr. J. Bowron of Yarm Lane, Stockton. The ticket, on card, is signed on behalf of the Duncombe Park Estate by a John J. Bowman and says that it is valid until 14th May. Printed on each side, ‘Fishing on Sundays Strictly Prohibited’.
Images and details courtesy of David Dobbyn.
