An accidental discovery

On the 150th anniversary of the invention of the friction match a statue which was intended to honour one of the towns greatest sons, John Walker was erected in 1977 where it has stood for nearly 40 years in Stockton-on-Tees.

In 1990 an error was discovered that the bust didn't actually honour the John Walker of Stockton but another John Walker, a London actor and elocutionist who never visited the town. The borough council kept quiet about this until recently when the bust was to be moved to a more prominent position.

The borough council have now planned to create a more fitting memorial by erecting a plaque at the Castlegate shopping centre, which covers the site of his town centre house.