Billingham Snaps

Billingham Snaps 17 year old amateur photographer capturing Billingham through photos, videos and real local stories.

Started as a small project to preserve the brutalist aesthetic in Billingham Town Centre before demolition… but now so much more!

Our town still awaiting its redevelopment… I started this social media account on Instagram in September 2024 with the b...
26/07/2026

Our town still awaiting its redevelopment…

I started this social media account on Instagram in September 2024 with the belief that we would see our town centre’s regeneration project starting in “early 2025”. As we all know, this did not happen.

As a result, I’ve documented what I believe to be almost everything in our town centre. However, I wanted to ask YOU if there is anything you would like to see shown on this page that I might have missed?

Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments or send me a DM! 💭

The place we call home 🏡Billingham Town Centre started off as an urban development in 1952, commissioned by Billingham D...
01/07/2026

The place we call home 🏡

Billingham Town Centre started off as an urban development in 1952, commissioned by Billingham District Council, that lasted until 1975.

It was one piece of the jigsaw for the mass urban sprawl of post-war Britain, which was began by the first Labour Party majority government under Attlee.

What can you remember of the parts of our town centre we will say goodbye to? 💭

Our town centre’s original Rosebery Library and Clinic on Queensway Road. Opened in the early 1950s as part of the first...
30/06/2026

Our town centre’s original Rosebery Library and Clinic on Queensway Road.

Opened in the early 1950s as part of the first development of Billingham Town Centre, the building was distinctively designed with a slanted roof on one side and a traditional box shape on the other side.

Many people vividly remember the original building for its nostalgic “nice old library smell” with a cosy, inviting layout. It was legendary for hosting weekly community events, such as ‘Storytime’.

After over six decades of serving our town, it officially closed its doors on 15th November 2014 and two months later it was replaced by a £2.7 million modern community hub further into the town centre.

Unfortunately, the building has been left abandoned for over a decade since it was sold off to the town centre owners.

Today, proposals remain in place for Stockton Borough Council to take back control of the town centre, including the old library, and for a major redevelopment to take place. Part of this involves demolishing Rosebery Library.

What can you remember about it? 💭

Just one example of the amazing ways a camera can change your perspective of any building, even one in Billingham. And y...
29/06/2026

Just one example of the amazing ways a camera can change your perspective of any building, even one in Billingham. And yes, this is a real photo!

In this instance, one of our town centre’s office blocks, has had what’s called a ‘zoom burst’ used on it.

To replicate this with your own camera, take the photo using a slow shutter speed whilst zooming in or out.

A slightly different post from me today, but a quick visit to Stockton’s new riverside park from me. 👇The total cost of ...
25/06/2026

A slightly different post from me today, but a quick visit to Stockton’s new riverside park from me. 👇

The total cost of this major regeneration project was £41.5 million, including acquisition costs, demolition of Castlegate Centre and the park itself. It took four years to complete.

For those curious about my own personal opinion, this is a massive leap in the right direction for Stockton in my view. On a weekend, I would think it would be a lot busier than my photos here seem. As it stands, it’s far from perfect and needs far more incentives to go to the Riverside than just the river itself.

It is clear that the planners took inspiration from regeneration projects like in the Quayside in Newcastle by opening up their high footfall areas up to the river.

Credit is due to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council for recognising what was needed and getting this job done so well! Now let’s crack on and get something done for our own town as well! 🙌

Despite the criticism from some people, I actually think this could mark a new chapter in Stockton High Street through a...
16/06/2026

Despite the criticism from some people, I actually think this could mark a new chapter in Stockton High Street through a connection to the river, which let’s not forget is something that most successful riverside towns/cities have.

Fingers crossed, Stockton benefits in the long-term from this! 🤞

An iconic sight if you live in Billingham to say the least! In the bottom left of the image is the brilliant Billingham ...
16/06/2026

An iconic sight if you live in Billingham to say the least!

In the bottom left of the image is the brilliant Billingham Boxing Academy with the former council office Kingsway House above. Sat behind is the widely recognised round tower block Dawson House, which was opened in 1975 marking the ending point for the original town centre development.

More to come this summer from me 👊

The former ICI cooling towers, nicknamed Pinky and Perky, in the Haverton Hill industrial estate. You know you’re nearly...
10/06/2026

The former ICI cooling towers, nicknamed Pinky and Perky, in the Haverton Hill industrial estate.

You know you’re nearly home when you see them and the ICI Tower on the flyover! 🙌

The original Billingham House building was a locally iconic office block built in 1959 on Belasis Avenue that famously s...
31/05/2026

The original Billingham House building was a locally iconic office block built in 1959 on Belasis Avenue that famously served as the headquarters of the ICI.

Once the largest office building in Teesside, it was vacated in 1995 after the fall of the ICI, left to fall derelict by new owners, and then demolished in 2012 by Stockton Borough Council.

Following the demolition, Fujifilm acquired the site and constructed two modern office buildings for its rapidly expanding local workforce. As a nod to the sites history, they named one building ‘New Billingham House’.

Today, Fujifilm now operate as one of the largest employers in the local area and have recently just opened a new £400 million factory opposite New Billingham House on the former Billingham Synthonia FC site.

Some shots of the inside of Billingham Town Centre’s empty inside area, the West Precinct building. A major part of a ma...
30/05/2026

Some shots of the inside of Billingham Town Centre’s empty inside area, the West Precinct building.

A major part of a master plan set out by Fred Dawson and Billingham Urban District Council, it was designed by Elder Lester and Partners and constructed in the late 1960s.

In October 1967, Queen Elizabeth II walked through the building past the newly opened (and now iconic) Boyes store towards the Forum.

The twin offices above the shopping units, called Kingsway and Queensway House, have been home to many government and private organisations across their lifespan. The car park of the offices is nicknamed K2 after the now demolished circular night club, previously known as La Ronde, which was directly connected to the West Precinct.

Nearly 60 years later, the building, alongside the whole town centre itself, is widely recognised within brutalist photography worldwide and amongst north east culture.

The distinctive architecture within our town centre is truly one of a kind with many people loving the concrete design and strongly believing it should be preserved and looked after.

What do you think? Should we keep our town’s unique architecture for local heritage over demolition?

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