When wharfingers ruled the dockside in Stockton

The docks closed in 1965 and our 1968 picture shows the five great cranes standing redundant as the area awaited redevelopment.

Stockton quayside in May 1968, awaiting redevelopment

That redevelopment came in the early 1970s when, bizarrely, the town turned its back on the river, which had been its life force. Instead, it ran a four lane highway along the river’s bank and blocked off any views of it from the broad high street by building the Castlegate Centre.

The Castlegate, designed by notorious architect John Poulson, opened in 1972, but now is being razed to the ground as Stockton starts to create a £36m “waterfront urban park” with a “land bridge” over the road as it reacquaints itself with the river.

Michael Burns, of Bishop Auckland, locates our 1968 picture for us perfectly by pointing out that in the gloom to the left of the last crane you can still a triangular roof, which has survived the redevelopment. It belongs to 11, Finkle Street (above), which is now a splendid-looking end property, visible from the A1305 Riverside dual carriageway. It is dated 1877, and has the name of its first owner, “D&Co”, on its front – we’d love to know more about it.

Cranes on Stockton quayside awaiting removal in the 1960s. Picture courtesy of Richard Barber

“I recall being taken to this end of Finkle Street as a child to watch ships being loaded and unloaded by the dockside cranes in your picture,” says David Mackintosh, of Norton-on-Tees. “I also recall the train that used to serve the quayside, using the original route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

“Behind the cranes are warehouses, one of which was used by Fyffes to store bananas.”

The first port on the Tees was at Worsall, but as ships got larger, Yarm became the main port. Ships continued to grow so that by the 17th Century, Stockton had supplanted Yarm as the main port, exporting agricultural produce and lead from the mines in the dales. Two cuts in the river – at Mandale in 1810 and Portrack in 1830 – ironed out lengthy kinks so ships could reach Stockton from the sea faster and easier.

“I have a handbill from 1816,” says David, “which advertises that the Merchants' Shipping Company vessels would leave Hays' Wharf in London every Saturday and sail to J Wilkinson & Co's Wharf, Stockton, wind and weather permitting, carrying goods and passengers for places including Darlington, West Auckland, Sedburgh, Thirsk, Askrigg, Barnard Castle, Hawes, Shap, among others.

“It is fascinating as the handbill predates the S&DR and illustrates the many places that could be served from Stockton to Yorkshire, Durham, Westmoreland and Cumberland.”

The ship on the handbill is the Cumberland, and it says all inquiries should be addressed to R Bulmer, the “Master of Wharfingers” – a wharfinger being the owner of a wharf.

From 1825, the Stockton & Darlington Railway terminated on the quayside (above) – which is reason enough to give a second plug to today’s marquee on Stockton’s High Street which celebrates the railway’s 197th anniversary.

A 1964 picture by the late Ray Goad showing the point at which the Stockton & Darlington Railway terminated at Stockton quayside before it was lost to the dual carriageway development

The cranes in our picture stand on Corporation Quay, which was created in 1876 but closed in late 1965.

“The docks at Stockton last had scrap metal waste being shipped out from them,” says Richard Barber, who kindly provides a couple more pictures of those last days of shipping from his collection.

Stockton quayside on a picture taken by Darlington photographer Jimmy Blumer in 1968