Tweddell and Sons - Stokesley

Tweddell and Sons Printing and Publishing Shop Stokesley (the small shop next to the Hovis shop.).

Paul Tweddell tells us (here http://georgemarkhamtweddell.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/outline-of-life-of-george-markham.html) that -

"On returning from Bury, where the couple ran an Industrial (Ragged) school in 1861, George, as soon as he could set up a new printing and publishing company, the family moved into premises in Commercial Street in the nearby, rapidly expanding town of Middlesbrough. Fortuitously then, in 1863, a younger sister of GMT’s father, Frederica Haviside (née Markham), died leaving him a generous annuity, which gave him the opportunity to move the business into a better location at 87 Linthorpe Road. Between 1864 and 1876 the company of  Tweddell & Sons reached its apogee and expanded with a branch opened in Stokesley before 1870. He put his second son and apprentice, Horatio John Tweddell (1848-1918), in charge of the long-established printing press his father had bought. This was situated on the north side of the High Street in Stokesley but is now demolished. You can see it in this photo on the left of the Hovis Shop, a small premises. Close up on the original you can just make out the words on the shop Tweddell and Sons according to Paul Tweddell.

This period saw the publication of a series of impressive literature works. The first was a combined magazine and directory for his new town, Tweddell’s Middlesbrough Miscellany of Literature and Advertisements (1870-71), a useful facility for the townspeople. Around the same time he started to publish a series of booklets called The North of England Tractates, in order to print:
“a collection of small Treatises . . . relating to the North of England; offering them to the general Public at the lowest Prices which will clear the necessary expenses of Publication.”

This series became one of the most important places in which regional writers could put their works before the public, including Tweddell’s own in particular. The series reached No. 36 by the time it ended in 1890. No. 1 commenced with a poem by Appleton in pride of place, followed by one by GMT, a grateful obituary to Frederica Haviside (née Markham) as ‘Cleveland Sonnet No. X’ (p. 37). Soon, too, was begun A People’s History of Cleveland and its Vicinage, taking a new, radical stance, but ceased after only four completed instalments of the 16 planned. His notes, set out by location and historical aspects, exist in Teesside Archives. GMT’s second major book, mentioned earlier, was Bards and Authors of Cleveland and South Durham(1872), but only the first volume of the three intended appeared. The lack of its two unpublished volumes or their notes is still regretted as a lost source for further literary research." 

Below shows a different view at a different time, presumably- some of the surrounding buildings have changed!

In this postcard Tweddell and Sons is not visible but would have been on the right of the shop front directly above head of the lady with the pram. If this photo was taken after 1915, the shop would have been demolished.

This is a much clearer piture of the positioning of  where Tweddell and Sons would have been between the tall doors and the first shop window (black) - the small building. The photo came from Old Stokesley (1975 Stokesley Society pamphlet).

The tall door building and the little shop were demolished c 1915. You can see where it was on Google Streetview - it would have been next to (on the right of) the China Wok shop - formerly the shop with the Hovis sign.

This is a photo of Stikesley High Street in the 1890's when George markham tweddell was in his 70's. You can just see the Tweddell and Sons shop on the leftwith the guy standing outside the door.