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Normacot
Normacot maps
Historic maps of Normacot and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Normacot maps
Normacot area books
Displaying 1 of 4 books about Normacot and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Normacot
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Normacot.
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My Mom's Side Was From Normacot
My grandparents and great grandparents lived on Lower Spring Road from the late 1800s until the houses were torn down. I spent a couple of years there in the 1960s when I lived with them. I have to say I had a lot of fun there. Seems like every time I went to the store I got candy or ice cream from the owners. And the home made bread Grandma got was the best ever. Not to mention the meat pies that the chip shop cooked. Kathy
A Place in History! 1944 - 1963
I hope this memory of Normacot is the first of many to be placed by me and then hopefully by others.
I was born in 1944 in Lower Spring Road, (opposite Garbutts Toffee Factory), one of a family of 5 children ... Len, me! (Jeff), Dave, Rob and little sister Dorothy (Dotty). We had a very active young life, school at Uttoxeter Primary and then Queensberry Secondary Modern, nd played games (now hardly ever played by current generations) on the Alhambra Banks for hours with an army of friends no matter what the weather! We were a handful as I remember, and I'm sure that our neighbours will confirm that we were never nasty or bad, just young people enjoying safe, memorable and helpful young lives. We also formed a group that practised in the chapel at the top of Chaplin Road and had fans that followed the group over the Potteries for many years. I remember the majority of our friends as we grew up and formed our... Read more
Staffordshire memories
BELCHER'S
Running parallel at the back of this church [St James] runs High street, where I was born as generations of my family were.
The two pot banks on the right represent a fraction of the "Belcher's"
that existed in Longton in the 30s/4os, they dominated everyone who lived amongst them with their endless stream of black smoke belching six days a week and covering all the buildings with soot and dirt. Night time brought short relief, until the next firing. Wash days were a nightmare, clothes went on to the line clean only to be covered later on with black spots that poured down relentlessly from the heavy smoky skies. White washing was unheard of in the Potteries until the eventual closure of the pot banks.
Perhaps on reflection in the late evenings when the kilns stood like silent sentries, silhuette outlines in the night skies, we should remember the generations of potters who worked endlessly in all this grime who gave us once an industry 2nd... Read more
My Early Years in Longton - 1870s to 1940s
I was born in Longton in 1933 at 151 High Street Post Office, Longton.
All my childhood was spent there with my grandmother Sarah Wright and my great aunt Matilda Ward (my grandmother's sister). Between them they ran the Post Office until the middle years of the Second World War.
Before it was a Post Office, my great grandfather William Ward had a tailoring business there, from 1871 until it changed to the Post Office around about the early 1900s.
This is when his two daughters took over and carried on with the family business.
Next door at 153, my great grandfather's son William Ward junior ran a mens' hairdressing shop and a newsagent ...approx c1900.
It really was the happiest time of my life with so many friends around me. The High Street was one great big family with many shops that stretched on either side of the street. It was a great place to live, and I feel privileged to have lived there at this time.
High Street Longton in The '40s And '50s
Barbara Johnson's memories brought back some of my own from the High Street days. Those rows of shops Barbara describes provided all the locals with everything they needed. I remember going over the road from the off-licence we ran for a meat and potato pie from 'aunt' Sarah's, going for haircuts at Billy Goodwin's barbers (right up till the middle '50s), fish and chips from MacLaughlin's (Graham Walkers grandparents), sweets and biscuits from Crooks', cooked meats, Aspros and rabbits from 'Rabbit Joes', Arkinstalls repaired watches and clocks, 'clogger' Quale for clogs, Ross' for fruit and veg., Harry Slater was the butcher, Nightingales would do all the tailoring needs, Sargeants was the furniture and pawn shop, Gothams for seeds, hardware, and almost everything else! The two pubs were the 'Sailor Boy' and the 'Royal Oak'. All these on both sides of around 100 yards of High Street. Our off-licence had once been a bakery and retail bread shop. The ovens were still in situ behind the house when we lived there.... Read more
George Edward Ramsden, Coopers And Crate-Makers
I have been told that my grandfather and great-grandfather had a business at Longton as coopers and crate-makers for the potteries. This business ceased I believe in the 1950s but would have been running from the late 1800s to that date.
I cannot find any details of this business and have only been told that it was run from Longton.
Any information would be appreciated as I am in the process of starting my family tree. My relatives from my father's side of the family originated from Congleton, Cheshire.
Seems Like Yesterday
Hi! I was born in Meir 1934,and all my mother's family lived in Longton (Worsdale). My Uncle Frank had "The Studio" pub in Commerce Street, and, later, "The Studio Snackery". I've lots of great memories of Smith's Crisps,and Vimto the soft drink. I recall that myself and my friend, William Tranter (Billy) once carried a full sized pub skittle from Commerce Street to Catchem's Corner, where we lived. We could not get the pole off, at the time! I recall seeing "Robin Hood" at "The Empire Cinema" when my Auntie Kathleen worked as an usherette. And, of course, all the cinemas around The Alexandra, The Criterion, and two cinemas that were not in Longton, "The Alhambra" and my favourite, "The Broadway. I attended Longton High School at both the Trentham Road premises, and the Sandon Road location. My first job was at "The Sentinel" and I also worked at Palfreymans furniture in Hanley, and Blundells in Longton. All still very fresh in my memory. I have to mention The Longton... Read more
