Stan Laurel’s cousin, Huntley Jefferson Wood … came and unveiled the plaque
Linda beside Stan Laurel’s statue © Hazel Plater
My connection with North Shields started way back in 1954 which is nearly 71 years ago when I was born at Preston Hospital, which is no longer there now. I’ve always lived in this area but headed back to Whitley Bay, met my husband Stuart who has connections with the fish quay because he swept the stairs as a student and has many, many fond memories of meeting all of the guys on the fish quay who kept him in good order. I worked in a local bank and ended up being the manager of the branch in North Shields. I had a strong connection with the community and met a lot of the people who either lived there or worked there.
At that time, we were hoping to move into a bigger property and couldn’t afford Whitley Bay and North Shields seemed the prime place to look, and a wonderful new development was being built by Gordon Durham on what is known as Dockwray Square. We did a thousand income and expenditures to see if we could afford it and we saw a smallish house at the back and then Stuart got a pay rise and we thought, we’ll try and get a bigger one.
We really enjoyed the social scene and felt that living there would just be the icing on the cake. Gordon Durham were brilliant, you could design your rooms which wouldn’t happen now, but it took rather a long time to build so we lived with our in-laws for 6 months and then moved in in the late 80s.
Unveiling the Stan Laurel blue plaque
It was great and during that time, and I genuinely can’t remember how it came about, we were approached and told that the site that we were on was where Stan Laurel had lived for about 4 years from the age of 7 and it was agreed that a blue plaque would be assembled. It was a great day, lots of people there and the Sons of the Desert from Ulverston are a fanatical group who love Stan Laurel all came and Stan Laurel’s cousin, Huntley Jefferson Wood which I believe is a family name, came and unveiled the plaque and a good day was had by all.
I moved branches so we moved out of Shields, but we still enjoy the area. It has got a lovely environment and atmosphere from people who are the salt of the earth fisherman, to now what is sort of, nice cafe scene and hopefully that will continue and develop over the years.
I have a dog, and I walk the dog around the fish quay. The folk are honest and is just how we like it to be. I like the Low Lights and then looking onto Collingwood’s Monument as you go along the prom from the fish quay into Tynemouth and that’s probably an area that I’ll always walk around and always love. And Dockwray Square now has Stan Laurel’s statue in is fabulous, it is a shining light on the area, it’s something to be proud of.
The fishing industry has waned over a number of years and that isn’t the driving force anymore. I would like to think that it would continue to develop its social scene through cafes and make a living out of visitors and indeed people who like the area who perhaps can’t afford Whitley Bay or Tynemouth would find accommodation in North Shields to keep it thriving and be a continuation of the success of Tynemouth and Whitley Bay.
The image above shows left to right Gordon, Olga and Stan Jefferson performing “The Rivals of Dockwray Square” in the back lane. With thanks to ‘The Beau Chumps tent of Sunderland, members of the worldwide Laurel and Hardy appreciation society, the Sons of the Desert’ for providing it.
Linda was interviewed as part of the North Shields Voices Project.