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Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 3:50 pm
by shipbroker
The above company operated in Middlesbrough for most of the 20th Century.....certainly up to mid-late 60's....at one time they had offices in Dock Street but finished in Queens Square...The staff in the late 50s/early 60's were Mr Chester Jr and Mr Tyreman...some limited information is avaialble via the 'web' but a couple of us are seeking any new infomation on their business /contracts etc...

So if you have anything that may help our seach we would be deighted to hear from you.

geoff

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:29 pm
by northeast
Geoff, I presume this is the same company that owned ships under the name of Albert Chester, Middlesbrough.
They had a longish list of vessels mainly pre-WW2, here are some from a quick search via Miramar

LANDPORT built 1914 from 1918
TEESBOROUGH 1912 lost 1916
see http://www.gooleships.co.uk/goolesb/teesborough.htm
SPORTSMAN 1914 owned 1917-1919 then as SOUTHPORT 1937-1940
SOUTHWICK 1917 from 1930
GORSELANDS 1918 from 1934-1941
OARSMAN 1920
BROOMLANDS 1920 from 1930
GLENSIDE 1921
MOORLANDS 1921 from 1930
ACKLAM 1922

I would be surprised if not covered in Tees Packet as some time, Ron may know.

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:43 pm
by magoonigal
Beat me to it George and you found more than me!

Address I have for Albert Chester was:-

C/O Richard R Chester Limited, 7 Queen's Terrace, Middlesbrough.

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:17 pm
by shipbroker
Brilliant stuff thanks...

geoff

Their address in Queens Square was 2 doors down from the old TCC HQ, opposite the,then, offices of Bulmers and also Lennards...and just over the road from the old Tees Towing offices....

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:14 pm
by teesships
Well, George sent me back to search in the annuls of TEES PACKET and in a couple of early issues I found quite a bit about R.R. Chester Ltd. It started in issue no. 15 for March 1966 with the following from Charlie Jordan, who had retired as Collector of Dues for TCC in Queens Square about a year before I started there in 1964.
rrchesterxtp15.jpg
This resulted in our local shipping expert James Layton with the assistance of Ray Counter, the then editor of TEES PACKET, preparing a history and fleet list published in issue no. 17 for July 1966. Of course, back in those days, production of the journal was by Gestetner stencil (remember them?) and on foolscap paper (some earlier issues had been quarto ... that will send our younger members digging into search engines!!). Modern scanners are, conversely, geared only to A4 size paper, so the foolscap pages have had to be scanned in two bits! But, here goes:
rrchesterxtp17x1.jpg
rrchesterxtp17x2.jpg
rrchesterxtp17x3.jpg
rrchesterxtp17x4.jpg
rrchesterxtp17x5.jpg
rrchesterxtp17x6.jpg
If required click with the plus (+) sign on some of the images to enlarge them further.
I suspect the late Jim Layton also covered a couple of their ships in more detail in his long-running series SHIPS OF THE TEES, so I will have a look for any of them, probably tomorrow.
For now, hope all this is of interest and helpful.
Ron

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:16 am
by shipbroker
Brilliant.................of course Jim Layton was a long time friend and we used his knowledge frequently and it is surprising how often the sort of material he collected is being asked for...............His name came up 'round the table' at the Shipbrokers Dinner at Gisborough Hall on Friday night....

This research I am doing is with John Knight, of Cockfield Knight, whose 'old' offices in Dock Street ( former Impex House of ICI Shipping) were built by the Chesters in their days as shipowner....

Thanks again

geoff

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:13 pm
by HSA31
img870.jpg
An advert from the Tees Conservancy Commission handbook 1954

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 3:51 pm
by shipbroker
Nice touch, might make it front page of brief!!

rgds
geoff

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 3:47 pm
by HSA31
A bit more might - be useful !!
img872.jpg

Re: Richard R Chester, Shipowners & Agents.Middlesbrough

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 4:57 pm
by shipbroker
Thanks it is all very useful....

geoff

p.s. Just realised that I have been calling Bridge Street Dock Street.............considering the number of pints supped in The Bridge I should be ashamed!