Registration number:

Company name: Carlton's Ltd
Dates in business: 1918-1968

Type of business: Drapers

Type of company: Private limited liability company 1918

Locations:

• 11,13,15,17,19 King Street, Bridlington, Yorkshire, England
• 6,8,10,12 Chapel Street , Bridlington, Yorkshire, England
• 45 Promenade, Bridlington, Yorkshire, England

Company history

On the death of Mr. Jones in 1911, Norman Jones & Co was offered for sale and was bought by Mr. R.H. Carlton who was then the Managing Director of Maw, Till Kirke & Co., of Hull. Mr. Carlton's son John, who had been undergoing training in London, left Hitchcock, William's, (retail shop) of St. Paul's Churchyard, London and took over the management of the business. The shop while still known as Norman Jones & Co., became a partnership between Mr.R.H. Carlton and Mr.J.Carlton.

During the first World War Mr. John Carlton joined the Army and Miss Miriam Carlton, his sister, came into the business, and with the help of Mr. Fred Ellis and under Mr.R.H. Carlton's supervision the business was carried on successfully until Mr. John Carlton's return in 1919. Meanwhile the company was turned into a private Limited Company in 1918 and its name was changed to Carlton's Limited with Mr.R.H. Carlton as Chairman, Mr. John Carlton as Managing Director and Miss M. Carlton as Secretary.

In 1911 the frontage of the shop was extended over four doorways in King Street and two in Chapel Street. The main body of the shop was entered by Nos. 13 and 15 in King Street and there was access to Chapel Street through a door at No. 6 and No. 8 which was by the dress material counters. There were also two small shops which had to be entered by going out of the main shop in King Street and in again at their respective doors. These were No. 17 known as the Busy Bee and No. 19 which was a Men's Shop. Both these were reent acquisitions in the time of Mr. Norman Jones.

In 1911 archways were quickly opened from the main shop into the two subsidiary shops and shortly afterwards a large double fronted shop was acquired in Chapel Street backing on to Nos. 15 and 17 King Street and occupied by Mr. Bowness selling cycles and this also was opened up. In 1914 Mr. Gibbins closed down his Sweet shop at No.11 and this too was offered to the partners who incorporated it into the building. In 1921 the lease owned my Messrs. Lipton's the Grocers of No. 12 Chapel Street through to No. 21 King Street expired and this too was added to the existing premises and was rebuilt for Furniture and Furnishings.

Constant small changes were made during the 1920's but it was soon found that the collection of small shops was wasteful of space and unsuited to the type of expansion that the Company had in mind and in 1933 big internal structural alterations took place and a large number of internal walls were removed.

A major re-building was envisaged in 1939 when the war broke out and the plans had to be scrapped. In 1941 in 2 Air Raids almost every one of the windows was smashed when bombs fell in the Station Yard and on Allerstons in Manor Street.. After the war Carltons lost no time in replacing the large sheets of plate glass but as little structural damage had been done to the shop it was impossible to go ahead with the pre-war plans to re-build until the supply of building materials was de-restricted. Later the work had to be postponed owing to Mr. John Carlton's osteoarthritis.

Mr. R.H. Carlton the original purchaser and partner and later Chairman of the Company died at the age of 93 in December 1945.

In 1951 Mr. Phillip Carlton joined the Company after several years training in Nottingham, Richmond, Surrey and London.

Carlton's was bought in 1968 by Hammonds Ltd of Hull and the store was demolished in 1969 to make way for a new four storey building.

Access points: Drapers