Norton’s Wood Street has a rich history and even played a role in protecting the town during the Second World War. Howard Campion looks back.
KNOWN locally by some as Back Lane, it does have that sort of relationship with Commercial Street alongside which it runs parallel and shares the distinction of being the wider of Norton’s roads.
Its eastern end used to be called Hall Walk, no doubt in view of it being adjacent to what was probably the original Manor House.
Now Hall Walk is called Little Wood Street and is no longer a through road as it once was.
It is interesting that all three (known) Norton manor houses were on this piece of land bounded by Wood Street and Commercial Street.
Beverley Road is accessed through Wood Street and the short road joining Wood Street and Beverley Road was once known as Hope Street.
Now, Bright Steels operates at this end of Wood Street and their premises have taken over some of the former residential properties.
One house that has been replaced is number 66.
Before being demolished and replaced entirely by workshops, it occupied a key place in the days of civil defence during the Second World War.
According to the late Des Reed, its position on the Beverley Road/Wood Street Junction gave it strategic importance as a look out post in the event of an enemy invasion – assuming the invaders would enter Norton from Beverley Road…
An upstairs room was commandeered and concerted whilst bricks were removed and replaced by a wooden structure which could readily be removed in case the room was needed for action.
Fortunately, it was never used as such but the commanding officer (Mr Dent of the fishmongers in Wheelgate) did apparently have a few rehearsals.
Read more articles by Howard Campion:
- A look back at Norton’s old mill area dating back to the 11th century
- A look back at Welham Road in Norton
- Looking back at the original road out of Norton to York
In addition to these measures, large concrete cylindrical blocks were available nearby in order that the road could be blocked at short notice.
In the post war years, these were often used by children to supplement their play areas, as was recalled recently by Pearl Cook (nee Stone).
In the late 1980s, a sink hole appeared in Church Street outside of the petrol station.
Whereas it might have been caused by excessive river water ingress and resultant degradation of the road structure, there were suggestions that it could have been a wartime potential ‘tank trap’ – part of the Wood Street/Beverley Road defences.
- Howard Campion is a trustee at the Malton and Norton Heritage Centre
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