ONE hundred years ago, Cockerton lost its independence and was absorbed into the borough of Darlington – much to the villagers’ annoyance.
They liked their independence and the freedom to run their own affairs – for many years afterwards, they continued to elect their own mayor.
Even though he had no powers, at least it showed that they could.
NEW BUILD: The new Travellers Rest, on the right, still stands at the centre of Cockerton. The old Travellers Rest, on the left, was cleared in 1925 – when this picture was taken – so that a dangerous corner on the road to Bishop Auckland could be widened
PICTURE PERFECT: This could be a stunning view of the Edwardian entrance to Cockerton over the humpback bridge. It has everything, from the gaslight to the straw boater to the coffee cart to the penny farthing tricycle. Except that it is terribly faded
ON THE GREEN: Piggfords, here we think in the early 1960s, was an old-fashioned grocery store in Cockerton. The left portion of the shop, on the corner with Forcett Street, was demolished shortly after the picture was taken; the right portion is now an Indian restaurant
To celebrate the centenary, we’ve delved into The Northern Echo’s photo archive to find some pictures of old Cockerton.
They start with today’s splendid front cover, from about 1900, which shows a humped bridge over the Cocker Beck next to an ancient ford.
The beck marked the boundary between Darlington and Cockerton, so the photographer is standing at the top of Woodland Road in Darlington looking over the beck into the township of Cockerton.
The humped bridge was demolished soon after the photograph was taken so that electric trams could reach the village.
Today the entrance to Cockerton is flat and wide – it is impossible to guess that a narrow humpback bridge ever existed; in fact, it is hard even to know that you are crossing a watery boundary which to a true Cockertonian is every bit as important as the Tees is to a true Yorkshireman.
OLD SCHOOL: The village school, on the extreme right of this June 1951 picture, stood in the centre of Cockerton green until 1961. The fountain in the distance came from Stanwick Hall, which featured here last week, and was presented to Cockerton on August 1, 1924
UNFAIR BEHAVIOUR: The annual fair caused great controversy – villagers wanted rid of it because it made so much mess, but when its removal in 1964 was seriously considered they said "that's a shame – it is an ancient tradition"
ALL GONE: These elderly houses on the north side of the green were replaced soon after this picture was taken in 1960 by a characterless shopping precinct. Nowadays, you’d pay a fortune for such characterful residences
AT THE WHEEL: We guess Mr Piggford is practising mirror signal manoeuvre in this 1958 picture taken in West Auckland Road. Our car enthusiasts will surely be able to tell us what sort of van he is driving
MAKING A SPLASH: The west end of Cockerton green in September 1963 – of course, we're most interested in the advert on the left
REMODELLED: The supermarket which replaced much of Piggfords. This picture is dated May 1, 1962
If any of today’s pictures trigger any memories, thoughts or pieces of information, please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk
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