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Piercebridge

Piercebridge photos (2 available)

Old photo of Piercebridge

Piercebridge maps (2 available)

Old map of Piercebridge

Piercebridge books (1 available)

Piercebridge memories

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You can also read memories of nearby places in County Durham below.

County Durham memories

Gainford - the post office and Miss Browns

Gainford, the Corner Shop c1955

Reading the memories prompts me to contribute to the nostalgia - My grandfather "Bob Allan" was the Postmaster and his parents before him. My aunt took over from him in the late 1960s and in all the business was in the family for three generations.

The family have as is evident been involved in the village for many tens of years, and for example the daffodils on the banks between between the green and the houses were planted by my grandfather and continue to bloom to this day. We are still represented in the village by one of his daughters who lives overlooking the green.

Claude Cree, a name to conjure with, not only did I attend the village ...read more here
A memory of Gainford contributed by robert allan

Gainford Primary school

Gainford, the Corner Shop c1955

I was sorry to leave the village, some of my best memories of my childhood relate to Gainford and its residents.
I lived in what was known locally as 'knobs row' or High Row, no.13.
One of my best friends was a boy whose surname was Absolom, and he lived in the row of houses next to this shop.
I went to the primary school when  the headmaster was Claude Cree, this would be from 1965 till 1969 when we moved to Scotland.
I remember the shop well, I spent a lot of my pocket money on childhood knick knacks!
Some of my other friends were made when I went on to Barny 'secondary modern'. They kept me on the bus ...read more here
A memory of Gainford contributed by Penny Airlie

visiting this shop

Gainford, the Corner Shop c1955

I started Gainford School in 1954 & remember Miss Browns little shop crammed full with habberdashery, stockings (nylons) hankies, knitting-wool, etc., everything you could possibly want - an oasis in this small village. She was kind to us children, softly-spoken & had her hair tied up in a bun. We used to run up the steps on the left of the picture where the railings are to the Post Office the postmaster was Mr. Allen.
A memory of Gainford contributed by faith spence

May Brown

Gainford, the Corner Shop c1955

My Great Aunt May Brown ran this shop for many years in Gainford. She was housekeeper to the local Catholic priests prior to this.


A memory of Gainford contributed by Kathryn Waites

Extracts From Piercebridge & County Durham books

Piercebridge, West View c1955

Situated six miles west of Darlington, Piercebridge is unusual in that the village was built within the ramparts of a Roman fort that once guarded the bridge over the Tees carrying the road between York and Hadrian’s Wall. On the right is the village police house; its high pointed wooden porch looks more like Welsh architecture than that of the north-east of England.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".

Stockton-On-Tees, High Street 1951

Stockton was granted its market charter by Bishop Bek in 1310, but until the 1840s it consisted of little more than the High Street, a few side streets, and a quayside railhead for Stockton & Darlington Railway. On the right can be seen the parish church, which dates from 1712. Other 18th-century buildings were the Town House (1735) and the Customs House (1730).
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".

Billingham, Shopping Centre c1967

Billingham owes its development to the Great War, when a small chemical works opened nearby for the production of synthetic ammonia for use in explosives. Between the wars the population of Billingham rocketed as the works was expanded for the production of methanol, chemical fertilisers, and petrochemicals. The town centre was redeveloped from the late 1950s by Elder Lester & Partners; the Forum opened in 1967.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".

Greatham, High Street c1955

In the 1950s Greatham consisted of little more than the High Street. In 1272 the Prior of Finchale founded a charity and a hospital here for ‘decayed priests’; the local vicar was usually appointed Master. Today the aged and needy do not necessarily have to have been clerics or their widows in order to benefit.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".

Seaton Carew, the Green 1914

The Green was, and still is, one of the more picturesque parts of Seaton Carew; the houses were mostly built in the early 19th century. In the corner, with the steep bargeboarded gables, stands Sylvern House, dating from 1864.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".