Thanks Frank P Mee for your comments about my earlier query regarding the wall and Norton House. This bit of wall in my relative”s garden in Finchley Road could very well be a bit of Norton House wall and it”s nice to think that this is a piece of “Old Norton”. My belated thanks also to Bob Harbron for your information about the wall. In particular, thanks to you Bob Harbron, I have been able to trace part of my family tree back a few generations when you mentioned that there was a Police Station at No.28 High Street, Norton in the late 1890″s. I finally managed to track down my Great Grandfather at this address in the 1901 Census – many thanks for this! Greatly appreciated!
The comment about Norton House made me remember a query about the wall. I saw the house pulled down and the rubble was a playground to adventurous lads, although forbidden. The wall did go round the Friends Meeting House and down what was then a cart track to Beaconsfield Street before the road was built. It also had gates to the cart track to keep cattle off the Green. Behind the wall was a large orchard and Dad had Kendrews permission to pick the fruit which mainly went to our pigs. That is the same wall and as far as I know repaired but never replaced over all these years.
The building to the right which was known as Hawes Shop had a lightening conductor high on the chimney. From this conductor was a wide, thick copper band that went down nearly to the ground. Probably at the first row of bricks it then travelled parallel to the ground along the wall. Because of the heat transmitted through the copper band it was then used as a damp proof course. An idea used generally in building work in the early days.
It is interesting that the shop with the clock has a “For Sale” notice attached to it. Compare this photograph with picture ref. t8075 on this website taken two years later when the National Westminster Bank had bought the property. It seems a pity that the attractive light coloured brickwork was covered with render. The other shop in this photograph is the newsagent then owned by Mr and Mrs Patterson, they ran this business for many years.
Re the old walls in the Finchley road area When Sir John Wrightson purchased land for NORTON-HALL, in late 1880s he had a section of 1760-70 NORTON HOUSE boundary-wall in the purchase , this he re-erected as his boundaries for his large garden of lakes, wood-land and “follies”
Miss Ivey Smithson taught me elocution at her house in Bishopton Lane Stockton in 1938, so it was of interest to read your comments. I had forgotten about her until I read your interesting piece which was unknown to me. Thank you. Nellie Muschamp who was a teacher in Stockton lived near Miss Smithson in Bishopton Lane. Nellie was a well travelled and read lady, born in Weardale of the Muschamps of Brotherlea. She had been invited and attended a Garden Pary at Buckingham Palace before the second world war. The dear lady attempted to teach me extramural maths to help me on at Holy Trinity with schooling. I was never much good at maths and still hopeless today. However I did become a Senior Instructor in Prosthetic Dentistry at Leeds in 1956. Perhaps more to the point I enjoyed my job. Nellie Muschamp was a character, and a relation of the Barons of Wooler. They were of Norman stock and granted the Barony of Wooler for assisting William the Conqueror in 1066. Because of this connection Nellie preferred to be addressed as Madame de Muschamp with a French accent. I have to say her knowledge, after nearly 30 years of my research, bears out her claims to her roots. Do any of her ex-pupils remember her? I would be most interested to hear any comments.
A police station and accommodation for 4 unmarried officers was in place in the late 1890s under a Sergeant Alexander Brown at No 28 High street Norton The building had a Charge-Room, Two cells, a Duty room and a mortuary in the rear yard. The Officer accommodation was in the attic, they dined in the building. This Police office was demolished in the early 1980s, to make a road entrance to “Safeway’s” Car Park next to Pickersgill the plumbers. One of the white-wash walls of the police yard still visible from the road. One of the earliest officers was a Sergeant Ward, who on retirement became a Norton Board “School Bobby” in the early 1900s and the scourge of truants and mischief-makers. Comment: – “We’d scatter if we knew the “school bobby” was about”
Bob Harbron – re: The Pinder-man and the jail being “housed” here until the mid 1800 – where would the Village Law Officer and jail have been moved to after this period – was it still in Norton or into the town? I ask because I believe my g.grandfather was a Police Officer in Norton in the late 1800″s and would like to find out more about this.
To Bob Harbron – regarding this picture, you made reference to Norton House “hidden between the trees” – would Norton House have stood directly to the left side of “Friends Meeting House” and if so, would it”s garden walls have extended as far down as Finchley Road as there is a section of a very old brick wall in a garden in this road?
No, the Girls Guides, at least in the 1950s, used the big room round the other side of the buildings, spilling out onto the Green on fine nights. I”ve mentioned before that Ivy Smithson, the elocution teacher used a room in the top level at the inner courtyard for a time. Someone did ask if I knew anything more about Ivy Smithson, and I can”t locate the original query. My reply is that I don”t know much except that she was born in Hartburn and she had an older sister called Laura who appeared in a couple of films according to the International Movie DataBase
Centre buildings The Green, Norton From left to right Newsagents from 1935, when “The Hambeltonian Inn” closed having been on this site from the late 1700s The gates are on the once “right of way” to the Public Bake-House, which was a side-line of the Blacksmith, having fire for his forge In this yard was a stable-block, which became the “Toc-H” an ex-serviceman’s club and I believe Girl-Guides had use of these premises Till the mid 1800 this was also the “Pinder- Man” (Village law-Officer) Jail (Kitty) and Pinfold for stray animals on the Green The gates were added by the tramway-company to prevent both folk and wagons getting involved in accidents The Tramway clock building is next One of the earliest shops was Gaskills the Baker, a Quaker, he was known to give or sell at a give-away price to folk in need, especially during the Iron workers Strikes of 1880/1890 Hawes was another shopkeeper in the 1930s; he sold groceries and product from their farm near Norton-Junction (Hawes-Wood) Now Westminster Bank, the Tramway clock is still working All the big trees in the background fell to Dutch Elm Disease in the mid 1980s, but have been replaced and show a healthy growth for future Nortonians and visitors One of the hidden secrets of Norton is between the trees In 1934 Kendrew the Builder built an estate to the east of the Green, this included the magnificent three floor mid 1700 Norton House, home of the Hogg family for over 150 years. During demolition, a steam road roller was brought to pull down the walls, this was abruptly ended when the machine tipped into a cavity, and another machine was brought to pull it out The cavity was checked by workmen who were amazed to find 6 coffin and artefacts, which contained a skeleton. and weapons A Mr Roland Watkins, an apprentice brick-layer at the time, took a skull and dagger, but his mother made him take them straight back, he kept the dagger till 1959 “I contacted a Miss Brown of Cleveland County in 1974 when I heard of a Dig near Norton Church” She said “An exciting discovery indeed and possible from his description of the Bronze-Age And the Secret To prevent delays in building Mr Kendrew had the site back-filled and concreted over to form the base of the house row seen in this picture The final words from Mr Watkins and Miss Brown 1974 Mr Watkins ” There was a lot of talk in Norton of the finds, but nothing in the papers or nobody told the Museum service ” Miss Brown “We have taken a very detailed record of this find and its location, so that when the life-time of these buildings ceases future archaeologists will move onto the site” So its amazing what can be seen in a picture
Thanks Frank P Mee for your comments about my earlier query regarding the wall and Norton House. This bit of wall in my relative”s garden in Finchley Road could very well be a bit of Norton House wall and it”s nice to think that this is a piece of “Old Norton”. My belated thanks also to Bob Harbron for your information about the wall. In particular, thanks to you Bob Harbron, I have been able to trace part of my family tree back a few generations when you mentioned that there was a Police Station at No.28 High Street, Norton in the late 1890″s. I finally managed to track down my Great Grandfather at this address in the 1901 Census – many thanks for this! Greatly appreciated!
The comment about Norton House made me remember a query about the wall. I saw the house pulled down and the rubble was a playground to adventurous lads, although forbidden. The wall did go round the Friends Meeting House and down what was then a cart track to Beaconsfield Street before the road was built. It also had gates to the cart track to keep cattle off the Green. Behind the wall was a large orchard and Dad had Kendrews permission to pick the fruit which mainly went to our pigs. That is the same wall and as far as I know repaired but never replaced over all these years.
The building to the right which was known as Hawes Shop had a lightening conductor high on the chimney. From this conductor was a wide, thick copper band that went down nearly to the ground. Probably at the first row of bricks it then travelled parallel to the ground along the wall. Because of the heat transmitted through the copper band it was then used as a damp proof course. An idea used generally in building work in the early days.
It is interesting that the shop with the clock has a “For Sale” notice attached to it. Compare this photograph with picture ref. t8075 on this website taken two years later when the National Westminster Bank had bought the property. It seems a pity that the attractive light coloured brickwork was covered with render. The other shop in this photograph is the newsagent then owned by Mr and Mrs Patterson, they ran this business for many years.
Re the old walls in the Finchley road area When Sir John Wrightson purchased land for NORTON-HALL, in late 1880s he had a section of 1760-70 NORTON HOUSE boundary-wall in the purchase , this he re-erected as his boundaries for his large garden of lakes, wood-land and “follies”
Miss Ivey Smithson taught me elocution at her house in Bishopton Lane Stockton in 1938, so it was of interest to read your comments. I had forgotten about her until I read your interesting piece which was unknown to me. Thank you. Nellie Muschamp who was a teacher in Stockton lived near Miss Smithson in Bishopton Lane. Nellie was a well travelled and read lady, born in Weardale of the Muschamps of Brotherlea. She had been invited and attended a Garden Pary at Buckingham Palace before the second world war. The dear lady attempted to teach me extramural maths to help me on at Holy Trinity with schooling. I was never much good at maths and still hopeless today. However I did become a Senior Instructor in Prosthetic Dentistry at Leeds in 1956. Perhaps more to the point I enjoyed my job. Nellie Muschamp was a character, and a relation of the Barons of Wooler. They were of Norman stock and granted the Barony of Wooler for assisting William the Conqueror in 1066. Because of this connection Nellie preferred to be addressed as Madame de Muschamp with a French accent. I have to say her knowledge, after nearly 30 years of my research, bears out her claims to her roots. Do any of her ex-pupils remember her? I would be most interested to hear any comments.
A police station and accommodation for 4 unmarried officers was in place in the late 1890s under a Sergeant Alexander Brown at No 28 High street Norton The building had a Charge-Room, Two cells, a Duty room and a mortuary in the rear yard. The Officer accommodation was in the attic, they dined in the building. This Police office was demolished in the early 1980s, to make a road entrance to “Safeway’s” Car Park next to Pickersgill the plumbers. One of the white-wash walls of the police yard still visible from the road. One of the earliest officers was a Sergeant Ward, who on retirement became a Norton Board “School Bobby” in the early 1900s and the scourge of truants and mischief-makers. Comment: – “We’d scatter if we knew the “school bobby” was about”
Bob Harbron – re: The Pinder-man and the jail being “housed” here until the mid 1800 – where would the Village Law Officer and jail have been moved to after this period – was it still in Norton or into the town? I ask because I believe my g.grandfather was a Police Officer in Norton in the late 1800″s and would like to find out more about this.
To Bob Harbron – regarding this picture, you made reference to Norton House “hidden between the trees” – would Norton House have stood directly to the left side of “Friends Meeting House” and if so, would it”s garden walls have extended as far down as Finchley Road as there is a section of a very old brick wall in a garden in this road?
No, the Girls Guides, at least in the 1950s, used the big room round the other side of the buildings, spilling out onto the Green on fine nights. I”ve mentioned before that Ivy Smithson, the elocution teacher used a room in the top level at the inner courtyard for a time. Someone did ask if I knew anything more about Ivy Smithson, and I can”t locate the original query. My reply is that I don”t know much except that she was born in Hartburn and she had an older sister called Laura who appeared in a couple of films according to the International Movie DataBase
Centre buildings The Green, Norton From left to right Newsagents from 1935, when “The Hambeltonian Inn” closed having been on this site from the late 1700s The gates are on the once “right of way” to the Public Bake-House, which was a side-line of the Blacksmith, having fire for his forge In this yard was a stable-block, which became the “Toc-H” an ex-serviceman’s club and I believe Girl-Guides had use of these premises Till the mid 1800 this was also the “Pinder- Man” (Village law-Officer) Jail (Kitty) and Pinfold for stray animals on the Green The gates were added by the tramway-company to prevent both folk and wagons getting involved in accidents The Tramway clock building is next One of the earliest shops was Gaskills the Baker, a Quaker, he was known to give or sell at a give-away price to folk in need, especially during the Iron workers Strikes of 1880/1890 Hawes was another shopkeeper in the 1930s; he sold groceries and product from their farm near Norton-Junction (Hawes-Wood) Now Westminster Bank, the Tramway clock is still working All the big trees in the background fell to Dutch Elm Disease in the mid 1980s, but have been replaced and show a healthy growth for future Nortonians and visitors One of the hidden secrets of Norton is between the trees In 1934 Kendrew the Builder built an estate to the east of the Green, this included the magnificent three floor mid 1700 Norton House, home of the Hogg family for over 150 years. During demolition, a steam road roller was brought to pull down the walls, this was abruptly ended when the machine tipped into a cavity, and another machine was brought to pull it out The cavity was checked by workmen who were amazed to find 6 coffin and artefacts, which contained a skeleton. and weapons A Mr Roland Watkins, an apprentice brick-layer at the time, took a skull and dagger, but his mother made him take them straight back, he kept the dagger till 1959 “I contacted a Miss Brown of Cleveland County in 1974 when I heard of a Dig near Norton Church” She said “An exciting discovery indeed and possible from his description of the Bronze-Age And the Secret To prevent delays in building Mr Kendrew had the site back-filled and concreted over to form the base of the house row seen in this picture The final words from Mr Watkins and Miss Brown 1974 Mr Watkins ” There was a lot of talk in Norton of the finds, but nothing in the papers or nobody told the Museum service ” Miss Brown “We have taken a very detailed record of this find and its location, so that when the life-time of these buildings ceases future archaeologists will move onto the site” So its amazing what can be seen in a picture