The Bungalow
Approaching Norton along the A38 from Gloucester, the first property on the left is known, appropriately, as The Bungalow.
At the time the Inclosures came to Norton in 1807 the site where The Bungalow and its neighbouring bungalows now stand was Plot No 131 and was open farmland in the possession of John Phillpotts.
The plot remained as farmland for many more years and although I haven’t been able to determine the exact year of construction all things point to 1926 when The Bungalow was the first property to appear here. In 1926 Percival and Emily Herbert were in residence. It is not known if the Herberts were responsible for building The Bungalow or if they were simply its first occupants after construction. I have not searched for a connection but the 1807 plan, reproduced above, shows that Plot No 5, almost opposite The Bungalow, had previously been in the possession of a Jeremiah Herbert; most likely just a coincidence.
Percival was born in 1892, son of Samuel, an engineer, and Sarah, a shop keeper, of Upton Street, Gloucester. (In later records Sarah Ann, nee Tovey, gives her place of birth as Norton which may have been the connection to bring the Herberts here. Although I’m not sure that’s correct, she was born in the Deerhurst district). Percival James Herbert married Emily Gatehouse at St John the Baptist, Gloucester, in 1920 at which time they both lived in the city. Emily was born in 1897, daughter of William and Harriet, innkeepers of Church Street, Newent. After marriage Percival and Emily lived at 27 Oxford Street, Gloucester, with Percival employed as a labourer and their only child, Roy, was born here in 1922.
The above photograph is undated but was most likely taken in the early 1930s. The photo shows the land between Norton Garage and The Bungalow, top right, empty of buildings and still being farmed. The large white sign besides the road to the left is unreadable but the smaller dark sign next to it appears to say ‘Teas’.
In October 1934 Percival was reported by The Citizen newspaper as being involved in an accident in Great Western Road, Gloucester, that saw 15 year old Sidney Earby injured. The following week Percival wrote to the editor denying that he had any part in the accident; “Mr Percival James Herbert, coal merchant and haulier, of The Bungalow, Norton, has sent us a letter in which he states that he was driving back from the GWR station in his lorry when he noticed Earby being lifted off the pavement by two men. He stopped his vehicle, as he had a knowledge of first aid, and helped them. He then took the boy in his lorry to the Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary”.
On 27 July 1935 the Herberts submitted plans drawn up by Mr L Stamp, architect of Stanley House, Arthur Street, Gloucester, to the Rural District Council; “Application is hereby made for permission to build a combined café, shop and garage constructed on 4x3 frame walls covered with weather board, lean-to roof boarded and felted. The garage floor to be cemented, all other floors boarded. It is intended to use the buildings, when erected, as a café, shop and garage”. The building was to be constructed on land adjoining their bungalow in the direction of Norton Garage.
On the same day, 27 July, the Building Inspector informed Mr Herbert that they would need a complete set of plans as “drawings deposited are hardly suitable in their present form”. Sure enough, on 8 August the Building Inspector wrote to Mr Herbert to inform him that “your plans for the above were placed before my committee at its meeting today and disapproved on the grounds of insufficient information”.
This may have caused a pause for thought but the Herberts didn’t give up. The following year, on 5 March 1936, they submitted more detailed plans drawn up by Mr Harry A Dancey, architect of King Street, Gloucester, to the Rural District Council. This time the plans were approved just the following day.
The plans submitted were still fairly basic and the following are my reproductions.
The above sketch of the front elevation shows the 40” wide x 20” deep, timber framed building, covered in weatherboard. It was also to have an Elsan chemical toilet using a public water supply.
The gentlemen’s WC (‘chemical closets’) was to be in a separate building to the rear.
On 4 June 1937 Percival submitted plans to the Rural Distirct Council to widen the existing garage adjoining The Bungalow by an 8ft timber framed extension with a corrugated iron roof. The plans were approved the same day.
The following are my reproductions of the plans.
The Herberts left Norton in the mid-1940s, most likely around the time that Percival gave up his business to retire. The following notice was widely published; “We hereby give you notice that the business of a coal merchant and haulage contractor carried on by Percival James Herbert at Norton in the County of Gloucester was sold on the 1st November 1945 by him to Lionel Thomas Wilkins of the Docks, Gloucester, who will in future carry on the said business under the name or style of ‘Wilkins & Rowles’”.
The Herberts initially went to live at The Choyce, Longford Lane. Percival died in 1963 and Emily in 1970, both whilst living at 10 Argyll Road, Gloucester.
I have never heard of or seen reference to the café building here and it is possible that it was never constructed. Other bungalows began to appear between The Bungalow and Norton Garage in the mid-1930s although the piece of land directly next door, where the cafe was proposed to be built, wasn’t developed until much later.
My mother, Sheila nee Mullens, remembered the Herberts but never mentioned them having a café to me; “In 1937 my brothers and I, along with other village children, were confirmed after we attended classes at Norton Vicarage with Canon Evans Prosser. We were confirmed in Gloucester Cathedral on March 18th 1937 by the visiting Bishop of Shanghai. Canon Evans Prosser gave us all a Hymn and Prayer Book to commemorate the occasion; I still have mine. Amongst the other children was Roy Herbert who was our coalman’s son and they lived in a bungalow on Tewkesbury Road on the same side as Norton garage. Later, on, under the tuition of Canon Evans Prosser, I believe he took Holy Orders and after his ordination became a priest at Gloucester Cathedral attached to the Bishop of Gloucester”.
Sheila's memory of Roy Herbert were correct and the following account appeared in The Citizen newspaper of 3 June 1950; “Among the ordinations to take place in the Cathedral tomorrow is one, I was interested to learn, of an Old Cryptian. He is Mr Roy Herbert, son of Mr and Mrs P J Herbert, of The Choyce, Longford Lane, Gloucester. Mr Roy Herbert, choosing the Church as his career, entered St David’s College, Lampeter, from the Crypt School. He was senior scholar of the College when he was called up in 1941. Joining a Light AA unit in England, he later went to India with the RA. When he was demobbed in 1945, he had attained the rank of battery sergeant major. Mr Herbert then returned to St David’s, gaining his BA degree with honours, and, at Jesus College, Oxford, he sat for his MA and passed with second class honours in December 1949. He has recently taken a further course at Wells Theological College. Tomorrow Mr Herbert is being ordained deacon and will be appointed to the parish of St John the Baptist, Cirencester”. Roy later held leading roles on the Church of England Youth Council, published several books, and died in 1983 at Winchester, Hants.
In 1947-48 George E and Annie Mills were in residence.
Thomas and Evelyn Mayo first appear at Norton in 1949, perhaps moving here when Thomas retired.
The following photo appeared in the Gloucester Journal newspaper of 1 July 1950 with the caption; "Mr T C Mayo of The Bungalow, Norton, with specimens of his ironwork with which he has won many prizes in the last 28 years, including a first at this year’s Three Counties Show at Leominster. In 1931 he was awarded the medal of the Company of Blacksmiths. Mr Mayo has now retired, but he still pursues his craft as a hobby”.
Thomas Charles was born in Bellgrove Terrace, St James, Gloucester, in October 1874, son of Albert and Jane Mayo. Before Thomas was 2 years old the family moved to the Road Forge Cottage, Flaxley, in the Forest of Dean, where his father was a master blacksmith. Thomas initially followed his father’s trade and married Evelyn May Gripton at Kidderminster, Worcs, in 1899.
Evelyn was born at Cookley, Worcs, in 1877, daughter of John, a grocer, and Selina Gripton, and by the age of 14 was working in a carpet factory in Kidderminster.
Thomas and Evelyn settled at Newnham, Glos, where they had 5 children, 2 dying in infancy. By this time Thomas had taken employment as a motor and cycle engineer with his own premises. The couple were still living at Flaxley in 1939 when Thomas was a master blacksmith and general architectural smith.
The Mayos remained at The Bungalow until 1955. Thomas was living at the School House, Tredington, when he died in 1958 and his wife Evelyn died in 1967 at Derby.
By 1956 the residents of The Bungalow had become Walter and Alice Johnson. The Johnsons had been running Norton Garage for many years but on 16 May 1955 they sold to Clive Rowlands and Harold Watkins and this would have been about the time they moved along Tewkesbury Road with daughter Sally. The couple remained here for the rest of their lives with Walter dying in 1982 and his wife Alice in 1991.
