Pinpointing a dolls' hospital that displayed wigs and limbs

"It was No 23, and shared premises with a watch-repairer," says Margaret Robinson, of Carmel Road, Darlington. "It had a high bay window where all the replacement parts were displayed."

Janet Heathwaite takes up the story. "You went up some steps and in the bay window were dolls' bodies," she says. "In those days, dolls were made of plastic with a hollow body. Limbs were attached by a hook and an elastic band. There was no rooted hair, but wigs were stuck on the dolls' heads

"Every year, just before Christmas, my mother would take my dolls to have new wigs fitted.

"So, on Christmas morning, there would be my dolls in their new wigs - all different colours, of course."

Margaret Dobinson says the dolls' hospital closed about a year after she opened her bridal shop - Dobinson's of Darlington - next door in 1970.

All of which means that the dolls' hospital was one door down from the archway which leads through into Beaumont Street. The building - still with steps and a bay window - is now The Gallery, and is opposite Northumberland Street.

Street directories suggest that the dolls shop in Grange Road was started soon after the end of the First World War by toy dealer William Ruddock.

As the 1920s arrive, he is replaced by Lilian Ruddock ("toy repairer") and Charles Ruddock ("watchmaker etc") - presumably they are William's children.

Over the decades, Lilian fades out, but Charles continues repairing watches - and presumably tinkering with dolls - at No 23 until the late 1960s. A Christopher Zealand appears to take his business on into the early 1970s, but then there is an abrupt change, and a women's underwear and hosiery shop takes over.

Finally, Malcolm Middleton throws in an interesting red herring. "Incidentally," he says, "there was another dolls' hospital in Salisbury Terrace in the front room of a house. I believe the man who ran it, also did watch and clock repairs."

SNOWPLOUGHS have been occupying us recently. Last week, we looked at the extraordinary 1955 British Transport film entitled Snowdrift at Bleath Gill. It recorded the successful rescue of freight engine from the wilds of Stainmore up in the Pennines.

The film has ensured that this rescue was the snowplough's finest hour - although the filmcrew arrived on the scene a little late as the engine had been stuck for several days.

Indeed, Ray Wade, 75, of Middleton St George believes he was up at Bleath Gill on day one of the drama when there was more than a single engine stuck.

Ray was a fitter at Bank Top and was sent out with paraffin and rags to light fires around the engines so that their frozen cylinders and pipes would thaw and they could get moving again.

"The snow was getting in the top of your wellies and your feet were freezing at the bottom," he says. "It wasn't a very pleasant experience really.

"We got three engines out and brought them back into Darlington to the Green Street sheds at about half-past three the following afternoon.

"I remember looking over Deepdale Viaduct (near Barnard Castle) and it was swaying about. We should have put three carriages inbetween each engine to spread the load, but it was too late, we were over."

Ernie Hodgson of Darlington recalls the winter of 1946-47, when snowdrifts lasted into April.

A jet engine was attached to a railway wagon and shunted up to the huge drifts covering the line across the Pennines. There it was turned on and it was expected to blow the snow away.

"As fast is it blew it off the line in front, it was also blowing snow in behind them," says Ernie.

The jet engine seems never to have seen on a railway line again.

l Any memories or information about anything connected with today's column - from tanks to dolls, from aircrashes to snowploughs - please write to Echo Memories, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington DL1 1NF.

Published: ??/??/2004

Echo Memories, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington DL1 1NF, e-mail chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk or telephone (01325) 505062.