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Norton's of Key Hill

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
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Wendy

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I have recently found my ancestor A.J. Norton had businesses on Key Hill. I wonder if someone could check for me. I am not sure of the date but took a stab at 1915:). Thank you.
 
Wendy Nortons was quite a large store ther are photographs of the store it was demolished to make way for Hockley flyover

Wendy here is a photograph of the shop there others
 
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There was more departments of Nortons on the opposite side of the road. They can be clearly seen on the photo,two light coloured buildings immediately next to the low wall of the Bulls Head yard and the darker one next to the first two.I worked at a small toolmaking firm which was housed in the darker building from 1970-74.
 
What great photos and how fantastic that m.humphries can remember they had further bulidings across the road. I wonder when they aquired the other buildings.

Wendy, how lovely that your ancestors worked in Key Hill - They must have seen a lot of funerals go past.

Polly :)
 
Oh my goodness what a brilliant lot you are! John you info and photo is great:). Mike you have confirmed what I suspected as this family did very well and prospered:). Sadly not my close family:cry:! Terry the photo's are brilliant I now know the building which is still there. It is now a sort of second hand white goods shop next to the old Gem building. A great big thank you to you all xx
 
Nortons go back to , though in earlier times it was smaller. In 1855- 1878 it was just no 28, and 1879- 1892 it was 28-29 Key Hill, as opposed to 28-34 later on. There seems to be no Norton there in 1852. In 1862 he is described as a hosier rather than a draper, so maybe that was his speciality at that time
mike
 
Hi Wendy
I remember Nortons's very well. My mother shopped there often for years after she left Hockley. It really was an old fashioned place in the way it operated-reminded me of Grace Brothers-in the kindest of ways. As a child I was fascinated by the pneumatic tubes that took a bill and cash away to be returned later with change. Apart from the large amount of clothing my mother made at home my early clothing was purchased there. Had I known you were related I would have sought a discount!!!! Is it too late now? One of my present neighbours lived up near Spring Hill-when I see him I'll ask what he can remember about the shops.
David
 
David sadly these are not close relatives my gt grandfathers sister Emma Yates married Arthur James Norton and I am now in touch with the family. I had no idea this was the family when I started searching. Your memories of Norton's are lovely and I will pass them on to my distant cousin. If I had known about the connection I would have asked for a discount too:D!

In now have some wonderful photo's of the family and where they lived very swish:rolleyes:!!
Here is a photo of Arthur James Norton.
 
Loved Nortons. Used to go there every Saturday in the 50s with my nan. We would have lunch in the restaurant, then mooch around. She would always buy something for me and my sister. We had a lot of our clothes from there. Happy days............
 
Wendy
He looks the part!! I have had another thought-the shop across the road was their furniture shop if I recollect correctly. In the same vein I think they may have had a shop in Perry Barr/Birchfield near the railway station-bit less sure about this part.
David
 
Terry, what lovely old pic's they are. I am immediately transported back to those day's just looking at them. How I loved the flat and the area around there, never missed a weekly visit. Going down under the 'Arches' with all the drip's dropping off off the old railway bridge and trying to miss them landing on me. It ain't the same now, when we go back I can't even make out where Key Hill was.
 
Thank you Mike. Is there a map showing where Key Hill is now? I will go and look next time I'm in Brum. Must show my husband the steam train's on your michaels gallery.
 
Heres a Google Earth image. Key Hill is the road where it says Ladybirds, the wooded area is Key Hill cemetery and to the left of the island is what remains of the Flat.

Terry
 
I just looked at a new A-Z and the part that shows Key Hill is in the spine of the book so it wont scan. If travelling along the A41 from town towards Hockley Flyover Key Hill is still on the left just before the Post Office and flyover. There is no access from the Icknield St.side as KH is blocked off just past where Hadley St. used to be. Its nice to see the old pics as my wifes mother was the licensee of both the Abbey Tavern ( Little Abbey ) in Key Hill and the Bulls Head on the corner.
 
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I think when Nortons closed in Hockley, they moved to the new shopping centre at Perry Barr - Lynton Square. From being up market at Hockley it was not so good at Perry Barr after the first few months. I don't know if they went bust, but it was a sad place compared to the nice and comfortable but slightly old fashioned one at Hockley. I do not remember the name of the company that took it over, but it was no better than Henry's was in Birmingham from what I remember.

Shortie
 
well wend this is good news..i have looked at a few pics of nortons in the past and now we find out they were your rellies:) nice to see that there was a pub opposite:D

lyn
 
Lyn I had no idea it's only through a contact on Ancestry but the family photo's are fantastic. Here are some photo's of Key Hill in 1984. I assume the boarded up on was Arthur's childhood home. Great photo's though:)
 
Thanks John you are so helpful as always a nice photo of Key Hill as it is now..........not good though eh!
 
Terry, thank you for the map of Key Hill. I read there is no access from Icknield St. I will have to go off walking next time I'm there and see what I can find.
 
Wendy, the boarded up house looks like The Bulls Head to me, could be wrong though. What do you think?

Terry
 
Shortie said:
I think when Nortons closed in Hockley, they moved to the new shopping centre at Perry Barr - Lynton Square. From being up market at Hockley it was not so good at Perry Barr after the first few months. I don't know if they went bust, but it was a sad place compared to the nice and comfortable but slightly old fashioned one at Hockley. I do not remember the name of the company that took it over, but it was no better than Henry's was in Birmingham from what I remember.

Shortie
Click to expand...
Shortie, Wendy
My memory was correct about Perry Barr (see my post above) after all. My parents purchased a fridge from there I seem to remember-reduced and in need of a clean. Was it on the site of "One Stop"?
David.
 
Yes, One Stop is about on the site of Lynton Square, although it was probably larger. I say probably because I have not been to One Stop, but I knew Lynton Square very well. Lovely shops there initially, then it went downhill, as these shopping centres seemed to do. It was a very classy square in terms of architecture at that time if I remember rightly.

Shortie
 
i used to work in the office block that was in the middle of one stop...im sure ive a pic of the shops in lynton square somewhere....cant be certain but i will have a look...

lyn
 
Is it possible to establish when Wendys relatives gave up the business? As Mike traced the Nortons back to 1855 in Key Hill and Wendy guessed her relative may of been there around 1915, I would have thought there was a good chance the business had changed hands by the time that you can all remember shopping there and when it moved to perry barr.
Most businesses were/are sold with the goodwill of the business and so the name may have stayed the same even though it wasn't a Norton running it.
Polly :)
 
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