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Stockton Town v Northallerton Town
Who ate all the burgers? Northallerton Town!I look across at the decaying facade of an old Art Deco theatre. The Globe. High Street. Stockton-on-Tees. The boarded up section at street level, carries the logo Bring Back the Stars. At the right hand end, it states Sold Out. I think it has been. The project to restore The Globe to former glory with Heritage Lottery money looks like it hasn't got off the ground. The former heavyweight of the music industry on Teesside will have to wait a bit longer to see another Sold Out sign.
I wander further along the widest High Street in the UK. Marlborough in Wiltshire claims the 2nd widest, if you are interested. I have looked, but cannot find any specific reason for the wide expanse. I can recall being in Coolgardie, Western Australia and the explanation there was their main thoroughfare needed to allow a camel train to turn around. I have been to Stockton many times, but never seen a camel. If you have ever read my blog, Tales From The Bus Shelter........ do it now, before you forget......you might recall that my mum used to bring up here when we were kids as a "change" from shopping
in Middlesbrough. We would come through on had train to Thornaby and walk across the Tees .... not literally..... into town. I once saw the Queen in Stockton High Street in 1977 on her Silver Jubilee Tour. The Queen as in Her Royal Highness, not Mr Mercury, Mr May et al. There were a lot less folk around today. The Globe end of the High Street has a shopping precinct running directly behind - Wellington Square - and that seems to draw custom away. A tall brick chimney rises from the mass of buildings with the word Debenhams painted on it, in some sort of plea to visit. A group of musicians were getting warmed up to play in the centre of the pedestrian area. A small crowd even gathered. The High Street is watched over by giant, rust coloured metal structures, which lean over like floodlights. I wandered off down to the River Tees to look at the Infinity Bridge. A bridge of 2009 vintage. The old docks are of course long gone and the industrial area to the south is now a hive of modern employment. Call centre city. I can see Barclaycard from where I stand. The
High Street
......widest in the UK. Spot the camels turning........ University of Durham has a campus here. I wonder if those students applying were dreaming of 3 years in quaint old Durham town, or whether they ended up in the bend of Tees by mistake. The Infinity Bridge spanned across the flat calm river. A few boats bobbed in a mini marina. Stockton, before the Transporter opened, was the lowest crossing point and now there are bridges everywhere.
I walked back along Church Road admiring the pretty Georgian style buildings. Splash ... the indoor pool... didn't look busy. The concrete block of the Council Offices were a contrast to the redbrick I had just passed. I chanced on a sculpture of 3 greyhounds outside the Library. It is apparently called Racing Ahead and has just made a reappearance after being put in storage for the best part of 20 years during the town refurbishment programme. Greyhounds spotted. No camels yet. The concrete block of the new Council Offices is at odds with old Georgia Stockton a few yards away. Small arches lead off the High Street into a cluttered series of yards. The Green Dragon houses what is described as the oldest remaining Georgian theatre in England.
Stockton
Racing Ahead A small market is housed on one yard.
Whilst checking on the above fact, I have just read an article that describes the town as "Sin City". It goes on advise "where the streets are paved with s****". The comments are excessive and probably tongue in cheek. There is good and bad everywhere, although often the town is synonymous in the national media with what went wrong with modern society. A TV crew is less likely to look at the place as the birthplace of the railways (along with Darlo) and continue their hunt for the next location for Benefits Street. One point the "excessive" article did make was the amount of electric chariots on the streets, some it has to be said with a passion for driving without due care and attention. The old Town Hall is right in the centre of the High Street. I read a blue plaque on the wall, commemorating the foundation of the railways in 1825 and describing the route of the line as Stockton to Shildon...... not Darlington or as the reality of where the engine hit the tracks, near Newton Aycliffe. It goes on to say that a dinner
was held in this very building to mark the occasion. The only other reference to railways I could find was a mural to Locomotion No 1 at the side of a car park!
The Castlegate Shopping Centre is not an aesthetically pleasing building. It describes itself as the heart of Stockton. I was getting a few odd looks as I wandered along taking photos. I was spared a few more as photography is banned inside the Castlegate. I walked out on to the bank of the Tees across a pedestrian suspension bridge. A replica sailing vessel was tied up at the Quay. I could see only one other boat on what was once one of the busiest rivers in the country. The old Swallow Hotel is locked up and closed and The Mall - the UK nightclub of the year 1989 - is now part of Franks flooring empire. The Shambles lies just beyond the old Town Hall, but should not be confused with the medieval version in York.
The air was thick with smoke. It wasn't industrial smoke, but that from cigarettes. We hadn't got to Saturday lunchtime, but the pubs were busy.
What else are Bank Holidays for? The human contents of most establishments were outside enjoying a fag break. It seemed unlikely most would make the evening. I wandered round to Sound It Out Records - possibly the best shop in Stockton - in search of vinyl. It had been Record Store Day last Saturday, but for the first time there was nothing being released that prompted me to get out of bed at silly o'clock and get in a queue. I checked what remained of the RSD releases and retreated to the 2nd hand section. There was an in store performance by a local Teesside band in support of their new album later in the afternoon, but I had other plans. If only The Globe was still open, imagine the in store gigs today?
Stockton has indirectly been responsible for changing the TV habits of the nation. At one time it was all DIY programmes. Today, cooking and baking dominate. The creator of Masterchef, Franc Roddam, hails from the town. The programme is of course on a long line of credits including Quadrophenia. My personal favourite is Auf Weidersehn Pet, about a group of expat builders forced
by economic necessity to seek streets paved with gold in Dusseldorf. Mr Roddam might have left a long time before, but it is obvious where the inspiration came from. The other serious TV and movie man who lived in the town was Ridley Scott. He was behind one of the classic adverts of all time – the Hovis bike ad – but is internationally known for his films Alien and Blade Runner.
I had been talking with my uncle the previous day about The Globe. The reason it got mentioned was that I could recall my Dad saying he had gone to see Frank & Lymon & The Teenagers in Stockton. He probably went to see loads of other acts, but I hadn't paid any attention I wish I had. It is too late now. He had a 78 rpm single Why Do Fools Fall in Love, which we played as kids. I still have it among his record collection. Columbia Records. A green centre. I checked back through history and discovered with interest that The Teenagers played a whole week there in March 1957. It will never cease to amaze me what you can find on
the internet. My uncle casually mentioned - I went to see The Beatles there once. I saw them, he said. Never heard them. Your Auntie was in the row in front screaming her head off!! I tell you when it was. The night Kennedy got shot. I remember them announcing it on the bus. He knows where he was on the day President Kennedy was assassinated, as did John, Paul, George & Ringo.
As it says on the programme cover of which I have just found a digital copy, this was when the Beatles were billed as "exciting, dynamic and fabulous"! The night was 22 November 1963. The 18th date of the Beatles tour in support of their 2nd album - With The Beatles, which was released that very day. My uncle missed hearing a 10 track set. They only played Stockton one more time - October 1964. The stars of the day all played here - Buddy Holly, Rolling Stones, Gerry & The Pacemakers. Cliff Richard made his acting debut here. The Shadows wrote much of the music for Summer Holiday, whilst playing in a pantomime. A song Stars Fell on Stockton also made a B
side of one of their hits. In the late 1950s and 1960s, it seemed all major bands of the day gravitated towards Teesside on their national tours. It seems unthinkable now in a time when just the major cities feature on the venue lists. However at a time when the petrochemicals and steel industries were at their peak, the area was a bit of a boom town. Employment rates were high. Wages were high. It was enough to persuade half of Scotland to relocate for the better life and a final salary pension scheme. The disposable income of the youth was high enough to afford the 10 shilling concert tickets and to subsequently buy the records. The Globe with a capacity of over 2,300 packed them in.
I left Sound It Out Records and wandered back towards the car. I passed the high end of town centre Stockton restaurant cuisine, Borges. The Italian eatery has been in the same place for as long as I can remember. I also passed The ARC - the new concert venue on the corner of Dovecot Street. My day out in Stockton complete, I went to watch them play football. The
people that know me would not class this as a surprise next move. The Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup Final was kicking off at 3 pm in Billingham. Stockton Town versus Northallerton Town. The neutral venue of Billingham Town's Bedford Terrace was buzzing with excitement. Well, perhaps I exaggerate. Stockton, fresh from their Northern League Division 2 title, we're looking for the "Double" and were hot favourites. Northallerton were looking to retain the Cup they won last year. A healthy crowd of partisan support for both teams was supplemented by followers of other North East clubs and those like me, with limited other options to watch a match this afternoon. The weather had turned a bit chilly. Rain was in the air. A Tow Law Town fan wandered past in his tee shirt. Any temperature above 8 degrees is tee shirt weather, when you hail from Tow Law. Bedford Terrace features another of those classic stands that you only get at this level of football. A bus shelter. It could have been Tales from the Bus Shelter 2. This model - fashioned in wood - a temporary structure used during renovation works in Stockton High Street came with a sign that
Stockton Town v Northallerton Town
Who ate all the chips? Stockton Town! said so and a genuine timetable. It wasn't vandalised either. The game was a week too far for both clubs. They looked tired and leggy. Northallerton had the better of the game encouraged by their enthusiastic followers, but Stockton are a big, strong, physical unit that doesn't roll over. It ended 0 - 0. I was quite pleased, as I don’t think I could have stood anymore of the irritating Northallerton fan with his vuvuleza! We were straight on to penalties. At least, it was dramatic. Northallerton retained their trophy. 7 - 6 on penalties. As far as I am aware, it did not make Sky Sports Breaking News. In years to come, I wonder if they will ask "Where were you the day Northallerton Town retained the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup?"
Appendix 1 Northern League Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup Final Northallerton Town 0 Stockton Town 0* *Northallerton Town Won 7-6 on Penalties Date: Saturday 29th April 2017 @ 1500 Hours Neutral Venue: Bedford Terrace, Billingham Attendance: Est 300 Goals: None
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Rainyb
Lorraine Brecht
A good power washing would help??