Stokesley local history files of interest

Above is a video showing a Stokesley Farmer moving his complete farm south by train

The Collapse of Stone Hall, 1975

The Collapse of Stone Hall

Stone Hall — A Troubled History Until I975, on the site now occupied by Stone Hall Close and adjacent ﬂats, stood Stone Hall, the oldest and most prominent building on the High Street

Previously owned by the Hebdon Brothers, it was purchased by Stokesley Rural District Council, who, in 1968, demolished the adjoining cottage and shop to build bungalows in Stone Close, selling on the Hall to a Middlesbrough solicitor for £1250. He applied to have it demolished but following opposition from the Civic Society and others, the Minister for Environment refused the application.

However the building was in a dilapidated and dangerous condition with an estimated £20,000 needed to renovate it. The problem appeared to be solved when a donation from an anonymous donor enabled the North East Civic Trust to purchase the property and start

renovations. (Did anybody discover the identity of the donor?) Work started in 1972 with scaffolding erected. The facia was made safe and the roof repaired to make it waterproof. In 1975 whilst undergoing further work, workmen noticed movement in the structure and promptly cordoned off the building. Two days later a corner collapsed into the street below. The cost of underpinning was prohibitive, leaving no alternative but demolition.

The story of Jan Bezemer,

Stokesley Market Gardener

Jan Bezemer was born in Zwijndrecht, Holland in 1906, he was one of nine children. He went to school and also worked for his father who was a market gardener with his own land. In 1936 he received a letter from the British Ministry of Agriculture stating that they were looking for 2 Dutchmen to help set up small holdings in County Durham, near Houghall, and show mainly ex-miners how to grow food and be self-sufficient. After much deliberation (he had just bought some land with his brother and was setting up his own nursery) he decided to take on the role for 12 months.

When the war broke out he joined the Dutch Resistance Army before being demobilised in Jan 1946, he had married in Stockton on Tees in 1942 and was living in Hutton Rudby. After looking across the whole country, from Cornwall to the West coast of Scotland for a suitable piece of land, one day whilst visiting Stokesley he happened to chance upon some land on Station Road and although it was not for sale he spoke with the land registry, found the owner and had purchased it by the end of the day. The land was incredibly heavy and possibly not the best for growing vegetables, so it took a huge amount of manual work to make it suitable. Grandpa was often seen working alone in all weathers, and cycling to and from Stokesley twice a day. The land on the west side of Station road was purchased in 1948 and planning permission was given to build a house.

The railway tracks were used in a coal mine in County Durham and through contacts/friends made from the small holdings, they were brought down and set up in the centre of each glasshouse and into the sheds, later barns, in one continuous length. This meant the bogies could be loaded with produce and either manually, or with the help of a pony, manoeuvred to be loaded onto the lorry before heading to the market in Middlesbrough. I understand that the wheels on the bogies were also from the mine trolleys, as they fitted the track perfectly. At one time the track crossed Station Road, when the land on the west side was in production and each time the road was resurfaced the track was given consideration.

Today the tracks are still in use, however the old, wooden bogies have been replaced with lighter metal versions and the boxes are made of plastic which can be washed and sterilised, rather than wooden ones. Although the older glasshouses that Jan Bezemer erected are no longer in use, due to them being unsuitable for modern day tomato production, the tracks are still in situ but no longer cross Station Road.

With many thanks to Caroline Thornton (Jan’s granddaughter), Jan Bezemer & Sons Ltd.

The Changing Scene of Brewing and Pubs in Stokesley

It is interesting to compare the situation today with that in Stokesley only 70 years ago.

· No lager but mild and bitter beer on offer.

· No off-licence or supermarkets offering a full range of wines and spirits. The only source of alcohol, other than the pubs, was at West’s the Chemist, who bought spirits in bulk and rebottled them.

· Whilst a few households brewed their own wine from parsnips, brambles etc, imported wines as we now know them, were only for the well off. Most people in the town had never even sampled them. Most households would, at best, have a bottle of cheap sherry or port at Christmas.

· A bottle of whiskey, at today’s prices, would have cost over £40.

· The better off did have well stocked cellars as can be seen from the inventory of the sale following the death of Mr Lowther Carrick, solicitor, in 1941. The wine racks in his cellar could have accommodated over 1200 bottles of vintage wines.

The Brewers

The first commercial brewery was on the site now occupied by Red House in Bridge Road. The barley was also malted locally on North Road where Weavers Court now stands. Whilst the malting house has long disappeared, the remains of the malting floor could clearly be seen prior to it being built. Interestingly, up until 1873, the malting house, brewery and the Black Swan, at that time the town’s leading hostelry, where all owned by John Wilstrop, a leading figure in the town.

In 1873 the brewery passed from the Wilstrops to the Wiggins family, a number of whose descendants still live locally. The Wiggins’ relocated to Brewery Terrace in 1877 in somewhat controversial circumstances, occupying what was previously the Methodist chapel.

When converting from Chapel to a brewery the outside shell was virtually unaltered although the inside was gutted. The adjacent house remains very much as it was when originally built as the Minister’s residence.

In 1903 the Fryer family bought the brewery. John Fryer was the last owner when it finally closed in 1979. Subsequently it became a chicken factory and later an antique dealers premise. It became so dilapidated that restoration was impossible and in 1988 it was demolished.

Brewing was revived in Stokesley in 1999 with the opening of the Captain Cook Brewery located behind the White Swan.

The Pubs of Stokesley

Prior to the 19^th century, beer was 100% home brewed, with some houses opening their parlours for retail sales. About 150 years ago, following the introduction of the Licensing Laws, the last of the ‘beer houses’ had disappeared to be replaced by proper public houses as we now know them.

However from a peak of 19 pubs, which incidentally catered for a population less than half of what it is today, the numbers have steadily declined. By 1900, 7 had disappeared a by 1940, a further 4 had gone. With the subsequent closure of the Three Tuns and the Angel Inn, we are left with 6 current pubs in the town.

Reflecting back, it is interesting to compare that only 60 years ago, whilst residents could get fed, the local options were restricted to a bag of plain crisps and maybe a bag of peanuts. There were no pool tables or quiz and karaoke nights. It was ‘time please’ at 10 pm prompt. Although attitudes were changing, the pub was still very much a mans’ domain. There were certainly no facilities for children. On the other hand, who would have thought that you would have had to go outside the pub to smoke a cigarette?

renesinfo Tim.xlsx

Above is an active Excel table inserted for test purposes

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