WITH nothing better to do with our time, we fell to looking in the packet of pictures marked "Darlington Parking" in The Northern Echo's photo-library.

It is a packet which has previously not come to our attention but it contained a wonderland of dereliction from the days when it cost just 2½p to park for two hours in the town centre.

In the days before the ring-road ripped through Darlington, vast swathes of land looked like bomb sites as they waited for road-builders.

If any of the pictures bring back thoughts or memories, or if you can help with any of the questions or spot any of the cars, please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk.

The Northern Echo: CHURCH CLOCK: An amazing picture, full of detail, taken from the roof of Darlington Covered Market in January 1967. These were the days when you could park on the Market Place – although just beneath the photographer, a beady-eyed ticket inspector, cap

CHURCH CLOCK: An amazing picture, full of detail, taken from the roof of Darlington Covered Market in January 1967.

These were the days when you could park on the Market Place – although just beneath the photographer, a beady-eyed ticket inspector, cap on head, satchel over shoulder, is doing his rounds.

There’s a chip van outside the entrance to St Cuthbert’s churchyard and behind it, Leadyard runs down to the Skerne.

To the right of it, the ancient mansion of Feethams has been cleared, leaving only a couple of blasted old trees, as has Luck’s Square, which was down near the river.

A boring rig has moved onto the site. It is the first clue that a new town hall is about to be built.

Over the river, the first terrace of houses you can see is in Backhouse Street, which was demolished soon after for the ring road.

The Northern Echo: MILL VIEW: This must be taken from the top of Peases Mill, on March 12, 1971. Immediately below is "the Bowl park", as it was behind the East Street ten-pin bowling rink which was hugely, but briefly, popular in the late 1960s. It has recently b

MILL VIEW: This must be taken from the top of Peases Mill, on March 12, 1971.

Immediately below is "the Bowl park", as it was behind the East Street ten-pin bowling rink which was hugely, but briefly, popular in the late 1960s. It has recently been vacated by JD Sports.

Over East Street is another scratty car park where Wilko's, with a multi-storey car park on its roof, would be built, and then you have Russell Street.

The impressive white building on the left, beneath St George's Church steeple, was the home of the Conservative and Unionist Club until it was demolished in the early 1990s, although it was built in 1865 as Darlington's first hospital.

To the right is a run of buildings connected to the Lily Laundry which had its large works behind.

What, then, is that unusual chimney somewhere behind the Lily Laundry?

It goes up straight, narrows but then has a curious top bit on it?

The Northern Echo: ROUGH PARKING: We think this is at the rear of today's town hall, taken in September 1963, looking towards Bank Top station clocktower. The shabby, four-storey industrial building is the remains of Backhouses' textiles mill. Doesn't the New Co

ROUGH PARKING: We think this is at the rear of today's town hall, taken in September 1963, looking towards Bank Top station clocktower.

The shabby, four-storey industrial building is the remains of Backhouses' textiles mill.

Doesn't the New Connexion Methodist Church in Victoria Road, just visible between the trees, have a fancy top?

There's a large lorry in the car park marked "Cornell's household stores" – can anyone tell us about Cornell's?

And directly in front of the photographer are two cars: on the left is a Mini (6588 HN) which any fool can identify, but what is the black car (MSG 351) beside it? Email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk

The Northern Echo: COLOUR SNAP: Just for variety, a colour picture of Commercial Street, taken in May 1993. Two things to note: firstly, the ugly brown-brick building in the centre is a vibrant nightclub called Zhivago's; secondly, in those days, red was the most popula

COLOUR SNAP: Just for variety, a colour picture of Commercial Street, taken in May 1993. Two things to note: firstly, the ugly brown-brick building in the centre is a vibrant nightclub called Zhivago's; secondly, in those days, red was the most popular colour of cars and, as a consequence, the car park looks quite vivid. Today, it is full of boring greys and silvers.

The Northern Echo: IN THE SHADOW: Brunswick Street, looking east towards Borough Road nursery school and one of the three cooling towers of the Haughton Road power station. This picture was taken on April 16, 1963, to illustrate how everybody was ignoring the "no parki

IN THE SHADOW: Brunswick Street, looking east towards Borough Road nursery school and one of the three cooling towers of the Haughton Road power station.

This picture was taken on April 16, 1963, to illustrate how everybody was ignoring the "no parking" sign on the bottom left.

There are four clearly identifiable cars facing the photographer.

On the right is a two-tone vehicle ONG 397; moving left come two smaller cars, and then there is a stately two-toner with a lengthy bonnet.

If you can identify these vehicles, please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk

The Northern Echo: BOWLING ALONG: Land behind Darlington library, once occupied by Peases Mill, on May 5, 1965. The ten-pin bowling rink was built soon after the picture was taken. On the left is the East Street office of the Board of Guardians, designed by the town's m

BOWLING ALONG: Land behind Darlington library, once occupied by Peases Mill, on May 5, 1965.

The ten-pin bowling rink was built soon after the picture was taken. On the left is the East Street office of the Board of Guardians, designed by the town's most famous architect, GG Hoskins, in 1897, Later, it became the register office and was demolished in the mid 1970s so Wilko's supermarket could be built.

The Northern Echo: POWER STATION: Brunswick Street looking east towards the power station on an undated mid 1960s picture. John Neasham has acquired the land on the right where he would build his large Ford dealership. His garage came down about ten years ago, and once agai

POWER STATION: Brunswick Street looking east towards the power station on an undated mid 1960s picture.

John Neasham has acquired the land on the right where he would build his large Ford dealership.

His garage came down about ten years ago, and once again this corner of Darlington is a scratty car park, awaiting a new use.

We've always assumed that Brunswick Street was named after Princess Caroline of Brunswick who married the Prince of Wales on April 8, 1795.

The prince despised her, and when he became king, he had her physically turned away from his cornation in Westminster Abbey and she died a couple of months later on August 7, 1821.

The Northern Echo: CAR GRAVEYARD: Cars parked and dumped at the top of Beaumont Street at the rear of Grange Road in January 1972. The headquarters of Age UK was built on the left of this picture, and the old brewery building on the left is now a club, Inside Out, but what

CAR GRAVEYARD: Cars parked and dumped at the top of Beaumont Street at the rear of Grange Road in January 1972. The headquarters of Age UK was built on the left of this picture, and the old brewery building on the left is now a club, Inside Out, but what is the building with the distinctive thing on its roof at the bottom, on the corner with Feethams?