The House Of Wax was an early 3D film, it was made in 1953, the Globe has 4 showings in one day and it appears that it was being shown for quite some time as the “Final Week” notice indicates.

I remember my parents going to see a 3D film in the early 1950s, it was probably at Billingham Picture House and much later than the initial release, my Father was unimpressed and my Mother thought it was “All Right”, damned by faint praise, as the saying goes. The main thing I remember was wearing the red/green spectacles the following day at school and having them confiscated.

3D cinema was never a success, it was unrealistic and unconvincing and very expensive to make, I have seen a number of I-Max films over the years and they are quite good but I don’t think they improve the cinema going experience, they can be quite novel for a short time but they do pall.

Photograph and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.

Looking towards the Hartlepool to Newcastle Railway Line from Pond House, Billingham. The bus body was a changing room for Billingham Football Club c1951.

Photograph and details courtesy of Ivan Harrington.

Photographs of the Riverside Inn and the Parish Church gardens, Stockton. Taken on 23rd June 2019.

Photographs and details courtesy of Brendan Gardiner.

In this photograph the film being shown was released in 1966, this may be a pointer to the year the shot was taken. It looks as if there is an empty plot beyond the cinema, this may be the time between the pub being demolished and the insurance office being built, another pointer to the year.

In the 1960s I was a regular and frequent cinema goer, I also went to many pop shows in both the Odeon and the Globe, in earlier times I also visited the other cinemas in Stockton.

The Empire, The Hippodrome, The Essoldo and even the Turner, these are the names I knew them by, I believe that some had changed their names over the years, The Hippodrome was always at Christmas to see the pantomime on an ICI trip.

Billingham Picture House was our main venue for the Saturday morning matinee throughout the 1950s.

Photograph and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.

Thought I’d send a recent picture of the old doctor’s surgery on Bridge Road, before it’s gone! It’s always surprised me how this building has survived while those around it have come and gone. It even survived having the rest of the adjoining terrace demolished.

https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/07/17/bridge-road-stockton-c1865/

https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2002/11/23/bridge-road-stockton-c1920s/

https://picturestocktonarchive.wordpress.com/2004/05/01/streets-of-stockton-34/

https://picturestocktonarchive.com/2006/10/09/private-doctors-surgery/

https://picturestocktonarchive.com/2002/03/07/stockton-high-street-from-yarm-road-c1984/

Sadly, its time is up, and being considered of little importance, this and the surrounding buildings are now fenced off awaiting demolition.

Shame the developers couldn’t be stretched to a bit of “facadism” (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-50396337)

Also going is… the SoTBC training centre next door (previously the site of Thirlwell photographers, Martins garage, Archon 2000)… https://picturestocktonarchive.com/2013/12/17/martins-showroom-bridge-road-c1985/

No.27 (formerly Bridge Street Motors, Chaplin’s bar, L’Allegria restaurant.) https://picturestocktonarchive.com/2002/07/17/bridge-road-stockton-c1865/

No.33 (Riverside House) won’t be missed 😊

Photograph and details courtesy of Jonathan May.

I found this photograph in my late brothers effects, written on the back are the words ‘St Johns Crossing, Stockton-on-Tees in 1968’, I am not familiar with Stockton as I lived and worked mainly in Middlesbrough and didn’t visit Stockton very often, also I have lived abroad since the late 1970s, I do remember the flour mill but not the rest of the area shown in this picture.

Photograph and details courtesy of Jerry Clarke.

My first introduction to Norton was in 1956, my school, Billingham North Junior, walked all the 10 and 11 year pupils to Junction Road to see the Queen during her visit in 1956.
I was so taken with the Green and Duck Pond area I became a frequent visitor.

A couple of years later I bought my first camera, a Houghton-Butcher box camera, my first port of call was to Norton to photograph the Green and High Street, it was then I discovered Norton’s hidden gem, the Almshouses.

Unfortunately I made a complete mess of using the camera and the images were not very good, I still have the negatives but after 60 years they have faded to nothing. Recently I was sent some scans of postcards of the Stockton area and amongst them were a couple of Norton’s Almshouses, I was more than pleased as I have never re-visited them since that first day.

Image and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.