Postcard of Stockton High Street c1960s

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t12930This postcard of Stockton High Street appears to have been taken in the early 1960s as there is a Ford Anglia from the mid 1950s and a different Ford Anglia manufactured from 1959.
The Stockton Corporation bus is in the original dark green livery and are the old back loader types. The United bus looks like an early front loader with doors which were just appearing in the early 1960s, they still had conductors with hand cranked ticket machines at that time and the driver was in his own cab separate from the rest of the bus.
The market shot shows how far the stalls stretched in those days, I well remember travelling from Billingham to Stockton in the 1950s to visit the market with a school friend, we were pre teens and loved the sights and sounds and had a particular liking for the old black paraffin lights with the acorn shaped glass bowl, they threw out a terrific amount of light and a fair amount of heat as well. As today the floral displays were excellent something Stockton has to be proud of. When I was young my mother used to take me to Broughs Grocery shop, which was on Yarm Lane opposite the Maison De Dance, they had a display of glass lidded metal boxes containing biscuits the very end box had all the broken biscuits in it and you could buy a bag full for a penny, this postcard reminded me of those days.

Image and details courtesy of Bruce Coleman

Stockton High Street

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t10774An early photograph of Stockton High Street, which we believe to be c1900. Some of the buildings you might recognise as they are still part of the High Street today. ‘Blackett’s Buildings’ completed in 1824 was taken by a North Shields firm of general dealers and later taken over by a Stockton firm called ‘Carters’. Until the turn of the century many of the staff lived on the premises. Holmes General Dealers and the Arabian Cafe were established c1898 and Hodgson and Downs, a wine and spirit merchants c1876. The people gathered in the High Street seem to be selling/buying furniture…

Stockton Cycling Club c1895

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t12923These men were all members of the Stockton Cycling Club. It is interesting that the Castle and Anchor symbol is used in the image, I presume this was the town crest at some time or the symbol of the club when it first became a club (1878), maybe the people who visit this site will know…

Images courtesy of Bruce Coleman

 

 

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St Johns School c1953

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t12928A photograph c1953 of St Johns School, Stockton. My cousin, Judith Egan is on the front row, second from the left and John Sudlow is on the middle row, fifth from the left. I recognise the teacher, Mrs Wright as she taught me a couple of years later. Can anyone name the other children in the photograph?

Photograph and details courtesy of Glenn Hutchinson.

William Sullivan of Housewife Lane, Stockton

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t12914This is a photograph containing my Great Grandad, William Sullivan, (born approx 1875), Identified by my dad as the gentleman bottom right of the picture. Although looking at the photograph, I think the man top right looks more like our family line…  William Sullivan fathered children with Mary Allison; they were never married (quite a scandal in those days), therefore all the children bore Mary’s surname of Allison.  I am not sure why they didn’t marry.  I have no idea who the other men on the photograph are.
William Sullivan lived in Housewife Lane, Stockton as a child, his father was called Patrick Sullivan who I believe may be an Irish descendent. The family eventually moved to Swainby Road not sure where this photograph was taken but will be in the Stockton or Norton area. My Dad told me stories of how they never had money but always had food on the table from doing any type of work that they could put their hand to.  For example, In the 1930’s (the great depression), when my Dad was a lad, no one had money, people threw themselves off Newport Bridge in despair  my Grandad (Thomas Allison) and his friends would swim to the lifeless bodies and push them to the banks of the Tees on the Middlesbrough side because they got paid more money than Stockton would pay.  Don’t know how true this is, I’d be interested to know. I think this photograph demonstrates the closeness of these families, no money but still smiling.

Photograph and information courtesy of Gail Watson.