This picture was taken from the second floor window of 37 Yarm Road, Stockton-on-Tees in the winter of 1964. It shows a section of Yarm Road covered with snow in front of the Church of the Nazarene. From August 1954 to July 1965, I stayed in the room behind the window of 37 Yarm Road which was hired as the company hostel for overseas employees of The Power-Gas Corporation Limited in Stockton. I worked as an engineer-trainee in Power-Gas under a sponsorship offered by the Education Department of Hong Kong government.

At the time when I took this picture, I felt quite excited as it was my first time to see snow in my life since I came from a place with no snow all year around. Power-Gas company was very generous to let me taking a part-time day-release advanced course at Constantine College of Technology for me to complete the academic requirements for admission to the corporate membership of The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (I.Mech.E.). During the academic year at Constantine, I worked very hard studying all the relevant textbooks and notebooks in my hostel room after finishing my daily work in Power-Gas office. I passed all the internal examinations at Constantine college and the external I.Mech.E. examinations with flying colour by the end of June 1965.

Photograph and details courtesy of Kwok Wong.

Two images of Finkle Street, the Newhouse image is dated c1954 and the other is approximately the late 1960’s. There are three arched windows clearly visible on the corner building on both images and Ronald Cowan architects can be seen on the left of the Newhouse image, which confirms the images were taken from approximately the same location. There is a dummy facade clearly visible on the top of the corner building but it doesn’t appear on any of the other Finkle Street shots I have seen, possibly erected by Newhouse’s.

However the Newhouse image is causing me a puzzle. In Stockton Reference Library is a copy of “Occupational History of the High Street – Book 1.” The corner shop is 48 High Street and the entry for that address and time period states:

1910 – 58:  R Medd & Co, drapers and furriers.

1958 – 68:  Charles Clinkard, shoes.

In 1968 the building was vacated in preparation for demolition prior to the construction of the Castle Centre.

There is no mention of J Newhouse Ltd. for that address.

Can anyone help clear up this mystery? Also can anyone identify the make of vehicle just visible at the end of the street?

Photographs and details courtesy of Alex Moody.

A view of the top part of Anderson Street, Thornaby c1974.

Photograph and details courtesy of Derek Smith.

Melbourne Street in Stockton, c1985

This is a postcard of the parade of shops in Surrey Road on the Albany Estate in Norton. The picture is a perfectly good historical image, I have taken many photos of this type over the years, what intrigued me was why would anybody make a postcard of such an image, Norton has many places of interest and there are quite a number of postcards showing The Green, The Alms Houses, The Jubilee Cross and High Street as well as the Church, why Surrey Road?.

The shops themselves are a typical example of many other such shops on very many housing developments, particularly from the late 1940s onward, where I was brought up on the Junction Estate in Billingham we had a row of four shops very similar to these.

Image and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman.

A back view showing the terraced houses and alley way in the Parkfield area of Stockton.

Looking towards Bridge Street from the High Street, Yarm c1970.

I believe this photograph was taken during the 1950s/1960s and shows The Green at Wolviston.

Photograph and details courtesy of Roger Clayton.