Picture: This is Mr Tom Jones – or Auction Mart Tom, as he was known – who in 1951 retired at the age of 69 after 32 years as official tester and milker at Leyburn auction mart. When Tom of Preston under Scar, arrived at the mart only four cows arrived to be sold, but his record, with two assistants, is milking 175 cows on a market day. He was not retiring from farming and would continue to carry his favourite stool and pail.

From this newspaper 150 years ago

Harrowgate Hill Estate – Such is the name that has been given by the society which was started a few months ago for the mutual purchase and allotment of land, to the estate which the Messrs Thompson sold them on the North Road, Darlington.

A large and elaborate plan of the ground has been prepared by Mr R B Dixon, which is to be mounted, and will hereafter be recognised as the authorised plan. The land has been divided by Mr Dixon, with the assistance of Mr Harrison, the secretary of the society, into 223 lots, the least of which contains 245 yards, the largest upwards of 1,000. These lots vary in price per yard, according to situation.

The lowest price is 1s 6d; intermediate sites are charged intermediate prices. There are two mains streets 40ft wide – Thompson Street, the boundary of the estate on the south side, and Lowson Street, which runs through the middle of the property.

Thompson Street will be drained, and put into a proper state, by the Messrs Thompson; the other streets will be done by the society, but the prices named per yard cover the cost of the work. Other streets, 30ft wide, are Backhouse Street, Crosby Street and Wooler Street. The entire extent of frontage into all these streets is between two and half and three miles; on to the North Road alone, there is a frontage of 350 yards. The smallest frontage of any one single lot is 25ft; the largest 200ft. Every lot has a back road 10ft wide, independent of the streets named. The fronts of the houses are to be built in a line, 15ft back. The society comes into possession in January next, when every member then enrolled will enter into the full enjoyment of his property.

From this newspaper 100 years ago

A demonstration of the local branches of the National Union of Railwaymen was held at Chestnut Grove, Darlington, on a Sunday afternoon.

The branches marched in procession, one from North Road and the other from the Eastbourne district, joining forces in the Market Place, and from here, headed by a couple of banners and two bands, they proceeded to the meeting place.

Mr George Beeton, who presided, remarked that to obtain anything like their demands the men would have to show a united front. “There must be no attack here or attack there,” he said. “The attack, when it comes, must be united, and it must be directed.

Our demands are neither outrageous not extravagant. You must organise your forces, you must consolidate your ranks, you must protect every avenue that is open to attack; you must not leave a single place unguarded.”

Mr Race of Darlington, moved “that this mass meeting of Darlington railwaymen re-affirms its determination to press forward its demands for the ‘Darlington programme’, now before the North Eastern Railway Company, for an eight hours day, and also 2s a week advance for all men under 30s a week, and assures its representatives that they will render them every support to bring the same to a successful conclusion.” Mr James Walker, Darlington, who seconded, declared that in his opinion, “no reform would be obtained without a fight”.

From this newspaper 50 years ago

People will be able to shop undisturbed by traffic in Darlington town centre if the report drawn up by a London firm of consultants is accepted by the Town Council. The consultants also recommended resiting the new civic building between Leadyard, Feethams and the Skerne – at present planned as a shopping area. The consultants, Goddard and Smith, presented the report to a special meeting of the Development Committee which decided to defer further consideration until some aspects have been checked with the consultants.

The report advocates the setting aside of two main areas where traffic will be excluded, a pedestrian precinct around the Market Place and the eastern end of Duke Street, no through traffic in the central area, with buses only between Blackwellgate and Crown Street, traffic being diverted round the proposed ring road, parking spaces for a total of 1,275 cars near East Street and between Houndgate and Beaumont Street – and later perhaps a multi-storey car park, and a new covered market.

The motorised shopper will prefer to drive to a neighbourhood town providing parking facilities rather than support his own shopping centre, if this has inadequate parking facilities. It must be remembered that when the motorised shopper parks his car he becomes a pedestrian, and will therefore be attracted to shopping centres providing traffic-free shopping areas.

Considering the role to be played by the system of roads – following the construction of the Inner Ring Road – the report continues: All through traffic should be excluded from the town centre, and any traffic having business in the central area should be diverted around the ring road until it reaches the secondary road leading to its destination and should return by way of a similar route to the inner ring road.