Burrows Bros Norton Dealer Peterborough

Someone on another forum not a million miles from this one is asking about this prewar Dealer,
at 55-57 Westgate (Rd ?) ,Peterborough.

Now, old dealer details is a a part interest of mine, having had varied success in tracking down details/pics of various older dealers. Its amazing how many come and go, and shift about, when you look into any of them over time. And they are something that it seems are either never photographed, or seemed to bathe in the limelight, and had gazillions taken...

Couldn't actually find any for this Dealer, but the Westgate area is part of a major reconstruction, and whole webpages are devoted to the whole area. This old Austin/Hillman car Dealer - Lovells Garage on Westgate seems to be in about the right area and even street number, but no-where does it actually quote the street number.
"Just about opposite the Wortley Almshouses"

http://www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/blo ... Garage.jpg

Lovells either still exists or someone is building a history of it.
http://www.lovellsautobody.com/ancestry1.html
Could they know of a Norton Dealer close by ?
Streetview shows that this site is now a carpark ?
Anyone near there ?

55 would be beside the old The Royal Hotel ?

I see that someone has written and published several pictorial books on Peterborough,
including some views from their collection of 3500 postcards over the years.
They might be the folks to ask ?

This pic shows a 1914 view of it, just on the right - with the large bay window on the 2nd floor,
In behind there where the bicycle is parked.
At this stage it was Harry Keechs Hairdressers and Tobacoonists.

http://www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/blo ... te1914.jpg

The then Royal Hotel became The Banyan Tree these days, an Indian curry house.
Can't find a mention of what 55 became, but its had rather a makeover,
although the large glass window survives, somewhat altered.
As are most/all of the buildings in that street...

Rohan said:

Couldn't actually find any for this Dealer, but the Westgate area is part of a major reconstruction, and whole webpages are devoted to the whole area. This old Austin/Hillman car Dealer - Lovells Garage on Westgate seems to be in about the right area and even street number, but no-where does it actually quote the street number.
"Just about opposite the Wortley Almshouses"

Click to expand...

Lovells Garage would have been where Frobisher House is, which is 72 Westgate (you can see the church next to it in the Lovells photo) about a hundred yards/metres away on the opposite side of the road to 55.


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Fro ... 22!6m1!1e1

55-57 Westgate appears to have been completely demolished and is now a Jaeger/John Lewis store.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.57503 ... 56!6m1!1e1

How did you get that number for Lovells Garage ?

You could be right about the complete demolition - wonder when that was done.
(And if they recorded what was inside before ?).
But that large protruding glass window seems to bear some relationship to the previous
large bay window design that was there ... ? Wonder if the planning laws required that (?).

The roof/satellite view isn't very helpful, but sometimes remodeling is little more than superficial on the outside.
But such a variety of previous stuff wouldn't lend itself to any sensible interior/modern layout.
And the modern roof does seem to cover a large area.

So, still no pics of it as a motorcycle shop.
Or mention of from when to when.
We know it was a hairdresser/tobacco shop in 1914, and a modern store in 2017.
And a motorcycle shop in 1935....

Rohan said:

How did you get that number for Lovells Garage ?

Click to expand...

http://www.lovellsautobody.com/ancestry1.html
If you look closely, the number '72' is on the original building extreme left in the first Lovells photo, the house set back could've been No.70 Edit: although it seems the church is 70.
Frobisher House (72) is inside the area of the Lovells site plan.

Rohan said:

You could be right about the complete demolition - wonder when that was done.

Click to expand...

The store apparently opened in 1982: http://www.johnlewismemorystore.org.uk/ ... _2149.aspx

https://www.johnlewis.com/our-shops/peterborough

John Lewis being only part of the Queensgate Shopping Centre
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Que ... d-0.245172

Are the UK's newspapers scanned and online anyplace yet ?
These are a very good source of period advertising,
for countries that have done this already.

https://www.vivacity-peterborough.com/l ... ollection/

mid 1960's

The Elephant and Castle public house stands on Westgate, almost opposite North Street. A metal security shutter protects its frontage. Next door is Burrows Bros (motor cycle agents and dealers) offering 'Easy Terms, Repairs, Service and Exchanges'. To the right is the Crowm[Crown?] Hotel - a Flowers [Breweries] establishment. To the left is a cigarette vending machine on the wall of the Royal Hotel

Click to expand...

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Lotta pubs nearby, isn't there ?!
Thanks LAB, well found....

Much later than the 1930s though, so they went for a fair while ?