Normanby Local History Logo And Banner
Normanby Local History Logo And Banner for printing

The Normanby Local History Group

  The Normanby Local History Group is a non-profit making collection of people who are interested in keeping the rich history of this small area in the North East of England alive for future generations to enjoy.

What We Do

  We research and uncover: archive records, photographs, artefacts and living memories of everything that has created the community of Normanby that we live or have lived in.

  We produce publications  including calendars, postcards, prints and booklets on some fascinating subjects about Normanby including Spencer Hardwick's brilliant booklets on life growing up in Normanby gained from his 90 years of living here along with Eric Armstrong's booklet on The Poverina Pub, the Old Mill and Richardson's Brewery.

  We hold monthly meetings  as well as other events   including exhibitions of our work and collections usually at the Normanby Methodist Church.  Coach trips for our members are organised to visit museums, etc within a 90 minute drive from Normanby.
  You are very welcome to come along to any of our monthly meetings and see what we do.

Our Website

  This website is to act as an online magazine where new and interesting Articles  on Normanby can be published and new material discovered with your help.

  You can add your memories of Normanby to our moderated Message Board  and we welcome any photographs that you may have and are willing to share with us. These Messages can form the basis for Articles.

  Do you have any questions about the past of Normanby village and people? Please Contact  us and we’ll try to help and may put your query on our List of Appeals for Help .

  Our group’s archives contain many images and some of these are displayed in our Galleries of Photos . These galleries also include some of our earlier calendars and photos from our Group outings, exhibitions, memorial services, etc. For recordings of some of our Group’s events do view our Videos

  You can view other parts of our website by ’clicking’ on any underlined italics text  which provide links to other pages.   These links turn pale-yellow when you move the cursor over them - then you can ’click’.   Start your exploration via the links in the main Menu bar at the top of each page.




Where We Are

  Normanby began as a small village in the North Riding of the county of Yorkshire. This county was succeeded (for Normanby) in 1968 by the county borough of Teesside which only lasted six years until 1974 when absorbed into the new county of Cleveland - itself abolished in 1996.
  So Normanby is now in the borough of Redcar & Cleveland     (within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire).
  Nevertheless traditionalists consider Normanby still lies within the North Riding of Yorkshire.

Area We Cover

  The Normanby Local History Group covers the geographical area from the top of the Eston hills northwards to the river Tees foreshore at South Bank.   Spencer Beck forms the Western boundary, with Crossbeck forming the ancient Eastern boundary.   However we have extended our area of research eastwards to include Woodgarth and Old Eston.
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Normanby Primitive Methodist Chapel Early 1900s
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Window)

Last Update of Message Board: 30 Jul 2023

Most Recent Page Updates: - -

30 January 2024 - Latest News  & Article
Sad News: Kenny Surtees passed away 29th Dec 2023.
The proprietor of Jubilees was respected and liked by all.
As shown by the turn-out as his cortege paused at his shop.
New Article:
"Normanby’s Farewell to Kenny Surtees"

10 December 2023 - Past Events
Our Normanby Local History Group organised a
Remembrance Day Service at the Normanby Great War
Memorial at 11am on Saturday 11th November 2023.

20 October 2023 - Publications
Publication of our new 2024 Calendar of pictures of
- "Normanby - Past & Present".

20 September 2023 - Appeals for Help
BACON Family of Church Lane - Any Information ?

17 June 2023 - Events 
Important Announcement !! ** CANCELLATION **
of our Group’s 21st Anniversary Exhibition that was
  to be held at our local Normanby Methodist Church
  on Saturday 15th July 2023.

26 March 2023 - Message Board - follow-up
to message "Railway Bridge Damage and Graffiti"
- sent from Sylvia Fairbrass on 1 August 2016
- but misfiled by WebMaster - sorry!
- interesting information and photos.

20 March 2023 - Appeals for Help - Update
Eston Railway Crossing ?
- replies from our Group Members
- maps and images provide answers.

See all the Previous Page Updates.

  Map of GB showing North East of England       Map of NE England showing Normanby location Normanby Shops - Buxton’s Stores 1953
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Window)

Planned Events for 2023

Normanby Local History Group is pleased that it continues to hold its monthly meetings and some other events.

Regular meetings will be held on 4th Wednesday of each month.
For more information see our Events  page.

Other planned events will be announced as they are organised.

  For details of all previous events
- see Index of Past Events  page.

Latest News and Articles

Kenny Surtees:
Sad News from Normanby - 30 January 2024  

   One of our village’s long-term residents, Kenny Surtees, sadly passed away on 29th December 2023 aged 74.
   Kenny was well known locally as the proprietor of the card shop Jubilees on our High Street and made many friends in Normanby.
   Kenny mentioned many of these in a poem he wrote and kindly allowed us to publish on our website.

For more details and photos see the Article
Normanbys Farewell to Kenny Surtees

Publication of Our Group’s 2024 Calendar of
      "Normanby & Old Eston - Past & Present" - 20 October 2023  

  Our group’s calendars have always been popular and we have just published our new 2024 calendar.
  This depicts pictures of Normanby scenes "Past & Present" taken from nearly the same viewpoints.
  So you can check whether our village has changed - or hasn’t!

See our Publications  page for more details & availability.

Publication of Our Group’s 2023 Calendar of
      "Normanby & Old Eston - Past & Present" - 19 October 2022  

  Our group’s calendars have always been popular and we published our new 2023 calendar (after a two year gap).
  This depicted pictures of Normanby & Old Eston scenes "Past & Present" taken from nearly the same viewpoints.
  So you could check whether our village has changed - or hasn’t!

Harry Mead:
Sad News from Normanby Local History Group - 11 August 2022  

  Born in Normanby and author of one our group’s books Harry Mead has died on 28th July 2022 at the age of 84.
  Many tributes have been paid in the press to this veteran journalist who worked for more than 50 years for a regional daily newspaper the Northern Echo.
  Harry was a passionate jounalist who loved poetry, the countryside and his family.  In his last column he wrote:

"My two most recurring concerns have been social justice, not enough of it, and care of the countryside which, outside my family, is my chief source of pleasure."

  Harry son of William Randall & Dorothy Mead was born 1938 in 40 West Street, Normanby.  His father William was a fitter/turner at the Normanby Brickworks.
  We were fortunate that Harry wrote the sixth of our group’s booklets recounting his interesting recollections which cover many aspects of Normanby that have changed including school, WW2, living at the brickyard, cricket & football, the hills, changing Normanby & the Forum cinema.  Published in 2012 as:
"Canadian Apples, Owls... and Cricket in West St - - - - A Normanby Boyhood"
  We all have memories of our past - but too few of us make the effort to record these - thankfully Harry did so in this booklet.

Rest in Peace Harry.

Harry’s funeral was a private family service held on
Thursday 18th August at Kirkleatham Crematorium.
A memorial service is to take place next summer.
If so desired donations in Harry’s memory may be made to Cleveland Mountain Rescue

      (Click on the photos opposite to display larger images.)

Lt. Richard Douglas Sandford V.C. R.N.
      Remembrance Service in Eston Cemetery
            on Sunday 24th July 2022 - 2 August 2022  

   At 26 years old, Richard Douglas Sandford was a Lieutenant commanding a submarine, HMS C3 in the Royal Navy during the First World War when he took part in the Zeebrugge Raid on the Belgium coast on 22/23 April 1918 and won the Victoria Cross.
   With a specially selected skeleton crew he destroyed the viaduct when he drove his submarine, which had been prepared with explosives, into the viaduct before setting the fuse and abandoning the submarine.

   The Fourth Supplement to "The London Gazette" of 23rd July 1918 records the citation :-
   "For most conspicuous gallantry. This officer was in command of Submarine C.3. and most skilfully placed that vessel in between the piles of the viaduct before lighting his fuse and abandoning her. He eagerly undertook this hazardous enterprise, although well aware (as were all his crew) that if the means of rescue failed and he or any of his crew were in the water at the moment of the explosion, they would be killed outright by the force of such explosion. Yet Lieutenant Sandford disdained to use the gyro steering, which would have enabled him and his crew to abandon the submarine at a safe distance, and preferred to make sure, as far as was humanly possible, of the accomplishment of his duty."

   Richard was seriously wounded during the operation and was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Deal with wounds to his left thigh and right hand. After recovering he took up various naval appointments but soon after his final appointment Richard was diagnosed with typhoid fever and died at the age of 27 at Eston Hospital, North Yorkshire on the 23rd November 1918, just 12 days after the signing of the Armistice.

Family Grave of Lt. R.D.Sandford VC RN
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Tab)    Richard Douglas Sandford V.C. is buried in our local Eston Cemetery in Yorkshire in Grave No.JU709. His Victoria Cross and other medals are on display at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

   The citation for his V.C. was gazetted on 23rd July 1918 and so we believe the local branch of the Submarine Old Comrades Association organised a remenbrance service on the nearest appropriate date Sunday 24th July in Eston cemetery.
   Their service sheet can be viewed by clicking on each of the thumnails below to display a larger readable image.

2022 Lt. Sandford VC Remembrance Service Sheet Page 1
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Tab) 2022 Lt. Sandford VC Remembrance Service Sheet Page 2
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Tab) 2022 Lt. Sandford VC Remembrance Service Sheet Page 3
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Tab) 2022 Lt. Sandford VC Remembrance Service Sheet Page 4
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Tab)


   The photo of the grave above is one of several views of the Sandford family grave in the "Fallen Heroes" Photo Gallery

   Photos provided by Barbara and Harry Greenmon.
      (Click on the photos to display larger images.)

  If you can tell us more about
the organisation and participants in this service
then please contact us  with Message Subject
"Sandford Memorial Service" !

Walter Severs:
Sad News from Normanby Local History Group - 11 May 2022  

   It is with great sadness that we announce that Walter Severs, one of our group’s long-standing members, passed away on 7th April 2022 in his 90th year.  Walter was one of the seven founder members and the Secretary of our History Group when it was formed in 2002.
  Walter’s funeral took place on Tuesday 26th April at St.Bede’s Chapel, Teesside Crematorium.   It was so well attended that many had to stand outside the chapel to pay their respects.
               Rest in Peace Walter.

   A Tribute from our group has been added on Walter’s tremendous contribution to our group and community.
   See this new Article - Walter Severs
   There is also a section for any Personal Memories & Tributes that you may wish to submit.







Walter Severs with pet Milly

"Vehicle Licencing & Registration
      in Normanby Area: A Brief History"
- 22 Mar 2022   

   This article is based on the work done by Kester Marsh, one of our group’s longstanding and valued members, for a display at the 2017 exhibition held by our group.
George Scoby Smith in DC 1 Locomobile by the Bay Horse
- Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Window)    As Kester said in his display it was a work-in-progress with further research intended to provide yet more information.


   So publication of this Article on our website was delayed in anticipation of further additions.
   Sadly Kester passsed away recently (February 2022) so it was decided to publish the Article now as a record of Kester’s work on this subject.

    Please see Kester’s research in his Article .

"Normanby Shops & Businesses in 2020"
- 20 Feb 2022   

  This Article enables the display of a large set of photographs taken by group members Barbara & Harry Greenmon of shops & businesses in Normanby in mid-2020 during the covid pandemic.
D&E Lloyd Locksmiths, Normanby 2020
  - Click On This for Larger Image (Opens in New Window)

  This group of photos provide a snap-shot of one moment in the story of our village of Normanby.


    Please enjoy having a look at these photos - see our local shops and businesses in this Article .


Previous News & Articles

  All those prior to 2022 have been moved to separate pages so as to keep this home page more timely.

See Previous News & Articles from 2011 to 2021.