Hi Tim, although you posted in October 2008 i have only just come across this site and the information regarding the grand houses of Sutton Road
My Great Grandfather Charles Britton and his family, my grandfather William Stanley Britton being one of them, lived at "Melrose House"
Charles Britton was a Cycle Pump manufacturer, his son william stanley took over the business in 1932. Charles Britton is the greast grandfather of Fern Britton[tv fame etc] William Stanley married Vera Eastwood, her grandparents Messrs Eastwood & Moore owned the Midland Vinegar Company..HP Sauce etc. The Eastwoods,Brittons and Moores all lived on the Sutton Road more or less side by side, The Brittons at Melrose, The Moores at York Lodge. If you can help with any photographs etc for a book i am in the process of writing it would be most appreciated. Yours Nigel Britton.
I always wondered where the name Old Bell on Old Bell Road came from and this interesting article finaly explains it,This article gives some interesting history of the area around Sutton Road and its changes just before the Kingshurst Estate was to be developed in 1956. VIv.
View attachment 155512
Source: British Newspaper Archive
This dating is in line with my thinking. The house is typical of those built shortly after WW1, and it is not shown on the 1912 OS survey. So 1914 - 1919 seems reasonable.Returning to the building in post #1 again. The blurb accompanying the house development says it was built by Josiah Mason in the 1900s. Impossible. Josiah died in 1881. The house definitively looks to be the early part of the 1900s or at least not as far back as pre-1880s. Maybe the ref to Josiah Mason meant the estate of JM ?
Having said that, there’s nothing to say it wasn’t a girls’ school for a while. We know the Lyndhurst School moved to newly built premises in Holly Lane around 1914, and the style of the house seems to me to fit with that. The school was there until at least 1918.
I wondered, given the house looks like a domestic premises whether one of the named teachers (eg Jordan and/or Coombs) owned it in 1914 ? They were both at Orchard Road in 1913. Viv.
I believe that Lyndhurst Estate was built on land owned by the Walter Stanley Trust.I think that's the case Viv. Well done Janice! tpos posted on the Sutton Road thread with a lot of information. I believe the houses along Sutton Road were built several years before the Holly Lane property.
Sutton Road Erdington
Edit. There’s now a specific thread about the Sutton Road large houses and their residents here https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/sutton-road-erdington-houses-and-their-residents.53246/ This thread deals with Sutton Road in general. Does anyone have any old photos of the...birminghamhistory.co.uk
Much of the land around here was owned by Josiah Mason so I expect he owned the Lyndhurst estate land too. We paid our ground rent to the Josiah Mason's trust before we bought the freehold and we live the opposite side of the Lyndhurst Estate to Holly Lane.
Just realised the last name "Anton Dorcinic". The lady running Lyndhurst Guest House (Eunice Barrasford) became Mrs Dorcinic.The houses on what is now the Lyndhurst Estate were large merchants' houses built in the 1850s on 99 year leases, typically in the white stucco Victorian neo-classical style. Come the 1950s, the leases expired and the houses fell into disrepair and demolition. After the War, my grandparents owned 'Newstead' the property between 'Norlands' and St Agnes Convent, but sold up smartly when they were tipped off about plans for the Lyndhurst Estate. There is one remaining 1850s property on Chester Road just before the railway bridge.
'Norlands' was ultimately converted into 2 flats and occupied by Alfred Bliss and Anton Dorcinic prior to demolition.
I believe that Lyndhurst Estate was built on land owned by the Walter Stanley
l understand that these posts on the Lyndhurst Estate houses are to be moved to a pre-existing thread. Meanwhile, I've now looked at that thread, and the first post details the occupiers prior to demolition, which must have come from the same source that my info came from. However, whilst I have extracted #70 as Norlands, that pre-existing post has Norlands at #78, which agrees with yourself. As my grandparents' house opposite Norlands was #75, I'm going to have to concede that my #70 address is probably incorrect and #78 was indeed both 'Norlands' and 'Lyndhurst'.1921 directory still has Misses Jordan and Coombs at 32 entry as the 1915 entry from Mike.
You would think that 'Normanhurst' would be a unique name for a house, but there was another 'Normanhurst' just down the road on the corner of Boldmere Road and Station Road.Hello Canonvela,
I have just sent the 1953 list of names of all the occupants to you in a private reply,
96:Normanhurst had 20 occupants!
there was some suggestion that this was used to house nurses,
Would be interesting if anybody has photographs of some of the'missing'houses
Kind regards
Tim O'Sullivan
This “Normanhurst” at, I think, 40 (?) Sutton Road, was a Home for the frail - it opened in 1958. VIv.You would think that 'Normanhurst' would be a unique name for a house, but there was another 'Normanhurst' just down the road on the corner of Boldmere Road and Station Road.
You would think that 'Normanhurst' would be a unique name for a house, but there was another 'Normanhurst' just down the road on the corner of Boldmere Road and Station Road.
This archive post is interesting , number 40 Sutton Road is now part of the Abbey Catholic School but in 1958 was named Normanhurst, possibly re-named after number 96 , also called Normanhurst,after it was demolished.This “Normanhurst” at, I think, 40 (?) Sutton Road, was a Home for the frail - it opened in 1958. VIv.View attachment 155587
Source; British Newspaper Archive
The last 'Normanhurst' on Sutton Road, as far as I know is the one on the map and photo recently posted by PJMBurns,This archive post is interesting , number 40 Sutton Road is now part of the Abbey Catholic School but in 1958 was named Normanhurst, possibly re-named after number 96 , also called Normanhurst,after it was demolished.