The photograph shows the corner of Central Parade and Rectory Road at the end of the 1920s. The bypass, from what is now the London Road from Hadleigh Old Fire Station to Rectory Road, had been built in 1924.
In the far right of the photograph can be seen Norman’s Garage, owned by Frederick Henry Norman. Fred Norman was born on Christmas Eve 1873 at 143 Roman Road, Bow, the son of Frederick and Elizabeth Norman. Young Fred became a gas engineer like his father. Both father and son moved to Hadleigh.
By 1911, Fred was working as a cycle and motor agent at Hadleigh. In the 1925-26 Kelly’s Directory, the telephone number for the garage was listed as 24. As well as this business, Fred also had a shop at 5 Rectory Road in 1929 selling wireless supplies. Frederick Henry Norman died in 1963, aged 89.
Barclays Bank Ltd. had a branch next to Norman’s Garage. In 1929 it was only open on Mondays and Thursdays between 11.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. In the 1930s it moved to its present position on the London Road.
Another long established Hadleigh business was W. Norton & Sons, furniture dealers of the Broadway, London Road (the corner of what is now the London Road and Oak Road North). Norton’s depository in Rectory Road is shown in the photograph.
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It’s later than 1928 as there are Belisha beacons on the pedestrian crossing, and they were only introduced in 1934. Also the Esso ethyl grade was only introduced around 1934, too.
Hi Gary Faux, I have read your comment with great interest, I am researching Hadleigh, particularly Rectory Road [Hadleigh Corner ]..I was born on the site of ‘Normans Garage’ in 1950 and hope that you might have some information/photos of the area. I am trying to work out the timeline of buildings from the 1930’s when the garage was there to present time. When was the garage demolished, when was the house built in its place and finally when was the parade of shops built? Any help would be gratefully accepted.. Michael Souter
I am not as old as the previous comentators but I still remember those shops. I did a paper round from Rugins and seem to remember he had an American connection. If my memory serves me right, the garage lent itself to car upholstery toward the end of it’s days .On the actual corner was a shop called Delaware stores that sold china etc and over the road where Choice now stands was a snooker hall albeit looking more like a bungalow in it’s own grounds. Opposite when I was young there was another cobblers called Wallies if I remember along with Ross the butchers and the wet fish shop. Keddies which became part of the Co-op used to clear the window coming up to Christmas and filled it up with toys.
I remember the Ruggins shop. They would have a magnificent decorated tree set up in the corner of the shop at Christmas time.
Further to Ian’s Information regarding the buildings on the corner of Rectory road, the shop next to Barclays was at that time a newsagent and sweet shop owned by Mr & Mrs Ruggins. I did a paper round for them for a number of years including part of ww2 . I also sold spare paper for them to soldiers stationed in Salvation Army buildings at the entrance to Hadleigh Castle this building was cookhouse and mess. There was a searchlight positioned on the right hand corner of this building.
I believe H.J.Faux had a builders yard to the left of Miss Howships school No.15. Arcadian Gardens.
This is a very interesting photo. Frederick Norman would have been my great-grandfather (his daughter Ethel Lillian married Hector Faux – who were my grandparents). My Father has told me that Frederick would have lived above the shop until they moved into a bungalow in Church Road (which is now the block of flats next to the Iceland car-park.) I have memories of going to the golden wedding celebration of Frederick and his 2nd wife Louise, held at the Hollywood restaurant, and coming out later that evening to find a snowstorm raging. This was the beginning of the big freeze of 1963. I believe Frederick passed away later that year, aged 89. Just around the corner in Church Road was a line of lock-up garages, (you can see the roof-line in the picture) and it was from some of these that my Grandad ran his building & decorating firm, Faux & Blackler (later to become H.J.Faux & Son.)
In the early 1930s, I remember taking our radio accumulator up to Norman’s Garage for re-charging.
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