• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

The Norton Inn Erdington

Good morning to you G ;
yes indeed how sad the human race as changed from those early days we used to know
i also used to play darts around the pubs and never knew or should i say came across any trouble whilst playing around these varios
areas of aston and winson green; yes there was quite afew characters knocking around the pubs in any part of brum
if it was abit of a dispute and a row ever occured the gaffer would shout and say take it out side , and you would go out side
and shout at each other then come back in but never no violence but these days have gone
as you kno i grew up in aston on the lichfield rd and i was very familar with summer lane and the hockley area
and i knew the pubs [ the old pubs of yester years ] with the old jo anna playing out and people sittin out side on stools and people
mixing and singing ; we al knew the characters of yester years down the lane
as i was growing up in my junior years of life around the years of en years old my dad was running the golden cross pub
and in hose days the old teddy boys would have occasionioal would have fights but my old manwould stopp them fighting ;
he would walk around the pub collecting theglasses and occasionaly he would glimpse see some one ging to throw a glass
he would take it off him and eject him out of the pubsome time he hadto knock one or two out cold and call steel house lane
for the black maria van and take them to the lock ups and they would say thanks bill sometimes there would be one or two of them together
my mom would tell us of the story next day ; but there was never any murder or such violents as there is today ;
many years ago i ran a pub when a guy got his arm chopped off for being to flash on those pool tables from chelmsley wood
by a gang ; and another one in the mercatt pub behind the market place digbethone of my old punters whom frequented the pub had a snooker que pushed into his eye and he died ; yes as you know of the old summer lane and old gathers of yester years sais out out of the pubyou went out and thy never came back but now days they comeback mob handed and armed up to the teeth for revenge
i myself have barred hundreds of hooglingans from various pubs i have ran all over the country but never experience the troble like the norton;
with such cases of murder ; it had happenend twice in a numer of years along with smashing up the pub as well during those years
there was another murder of a guy at the chester arms years ago over druggs
we used to say in the game the pub is only as good as the gaffer ; but sadly its not the case in this day and age ;
take care G ; GIVE MY REGARDS TO MARIA ; BEST WISHES ALAN;
 
And Good Morning to you, Alan!

I enjoyed reading your post about the old days of quaffing. It's true, though, I hardly saw anything naughty in the pubs around Summer Lane back in the sixties - yes, there'd be the occasional argument, or a drunk who required escorting off the premises, but the gaffers were up to it, and as your rightly say the good gaffers stopped trouble almost before it started. As time went on, probably the fear of being charged with assault prevented pub gaffers from stopping trouble in the old-fashioned, time-honoured way. The gaffer at The Birmingham Arms in Digbeth, where we went for jazz, kept a cricket-bat behind the bar and I saw him use it once! My uncle, who kept The Britannia on Lichfield Rd, after which The Antelope in Sparkhill, always had a very large alsatian to keep the peace. His last dog, Laddie, was a pussy-cat behind the bar, but when Uncle gave him the word woe betide anyone who decided to take him on! When I was a youngster my dad said he saw that dog clear the bar at The Antelope. Awesome!

Sad to say, I rarely use pubs these days - they don't have the atmosphere of the old-time boozers. In fact, my missus says I've become an old-time boozer myself!

Look after yourself,

G
 
The Norton had a problem in that it was one of those 'Pubs which was at the boundary of several 'difficult' areas. Castle Vale, Bromford, Pype Hayes, Erdington, etc., and, as such became a front line for gangs from these areas. Another was the Navigation.......... This 'Pub saw several serious attacks on Ambulance Crews who were treating victims of gang violence, by the rival gang members. Similar problems existed on the Nechells/Aston Boundaries. I only went into the Norton a few times, but didn't see any problems. Likewise, I drank regularly in back street, Digbeth/Deritend pubs, and only once saw a fight, but that was dealt with by the Regulars, (a Buffalo Lodge).
 
do you remember the Norton? (Now a Lidl)

My Mother used to be a barmaid there from 1979(ish) then she was in charge of the Lounge serving the food front of house.

Colin was the manager when I started glass collecting for a bit of weekend pocket money....I was there right up until about 1987 i think? Mainly in the Lounge of a busy weekend!

:) Simon.
 
Corner of Kingsbury Rd and Tyburn Rd? I know it was one of the pubs that was used by us Hardy Spicer employees. Along with the Digby, the Bagot and the Tyburn Arms
 
Last edited:
Cheers Frothblower, its good that you remember Ada, she was as you describe her but a lovely women. Her mother and my mother, her sister were very similar but Ada had the edge. Who else did you know round there, did you know Adas husband Fred?
 
Cheers Frothblower, its good that you remember Ada, she was as you describe her but a lovely women. Her mother and my mother, her sister were very similar but Ada had the edge. Who else did you know round there, did you know Adas husband Fred?

I've looked at the dates again Alan. Not sure if she was the same Ada I knew? I frequented the Norton early 70s onwards
 
Probably was, you never forgot Ada, very loud. She stopped working behind the bar in her later years but was allways in there for a drink, that would have been in the 70,s. I think she passed away late 70,s early 80,s.
 
Here you are Frothy, a nice image of The Norton in its Heyday.

Phil

ErdingtonKingsburyRdTheNorton.jpg
Is this picture still available for viewing? My grandparents ran the pub and my Mother and her brothers lived there, as well.
 
Hi and welcome to Birmingham History Forum. Member Phil is no longer with us so the Photo Bucket account would have now expired. I am sure some of the other members will have a photo. For the time being, here is one taken prior to demolition.

The Norton.jpg
 
Hi and welcome to Birmingham History Forum. Member Phil is no longer with us so the Photo Bucket account would have now expired. I am sure some of the other members will have a photo. For the time being, here is one taken prior to demolition.

View attachment 156769
I'm very sorry about Phil. I just lost my Mom in February....trying to find pieces of her life at The Norton. Thank you for your kind help ♥
 
My partners Grandad used to run the pub in the 1930s. Her dad was evacuated to Wales with his sister. Their last name was Gardener. He remembers everyone coming in to the pub after a shift from the HP factory
 
Back
Top