The Norton Buildings, formerly Norton’s Bakery and The Excelsior Hall. Social hub of Lyttelton and home of Norton’s famous Egg Preserver.
Originally Christ’s College, Canterbury, owned Town Section 1, until 1885, when it was subdivided into lots; lot 3 went to Mr Henry Nalder, Lyttelton’s solicitor.
Holliss and Brown built J.T. Norton’s new brick premises in 1913. The earlier shop was a separate grocer’s store and a cake shop/tearooms called the Excelsior Tearooms otherwise known as J.T. Norton’s Refreshment Rooms. (See 1906 photo.)
The 1913 brick building originally had a grocery and a cake shop with tearooms in the front shops and at the rear was a bake house; on the first floor was the Excelsior dance hall and at the rear was the Norton’s Egg Preserver factory. A 1925 advertisement for 15 Oxford St premises shows a central veranda with balcony and decorative lacework and brackets (The main structure of which still exists). On the right hand side of the building were tracks on which the trolleys rolled sacks of flour and trays of freshly baked bread.
James Talbot Norton came to New Zealand on the Waitangi in 1873. He became a successful businessman and established Norton’s Bakery in 1878, when he took over a bakery from a Mr Lanyon. Mr Norton, originally a pastry cook, was the first baker in the South Island to use specially developed bread making machinery and drawplate ovens. His firm became known as the Lyttelton Bread Company in 1896; famed also for his egg preserver patented in 1899. Ernest Shackleton’s men during their Antarctic expedition on the Nimrod, used another of his products, Dorase; compressed yeast and Dorex; a bread improver.
The egg preserver was used for many years before fresh eggs became available ‘all-year-round’. The preserver came in a small tin, which was tipped into a kerosene tin of water into which the eggs were carefully placed after being lightly tapped to ensure that none were cracked. ‘Putting down the eggs’ took place in the autumn time so they could be stored for use in wintertime when domestic hens were ‘off the lay’. The substance in the Norton’s tin was a chemical called waterglass that sealed the shells from invasion by the bacteria that caused eggs to go off.
In the businesses heyday, in 1913, Mr. Norton had built the Norton Buildings at 15 Oxford Street, consisting of the bakery, shops, offices and above these was the famous Excelsior Hall the social centre of Lyttelton for many generations; with its great dance floor which saw many dances, bands and even roller-skating competitions; these events are much spoken of in oral histories; many a future husband and wife first met within these walls. The band that played at Norton's ‘Excelsior Hall’ was the ‘Herdman Fisk Orchestra’ who played for weekly dances between 1917-39.
During oral history interviews Mrs Helen McKelvey lent this attached photo(c1932) of her father playing in the band. In that era they were called the 'Flannel Dances', as Oxford Bags (flannel trousers) were then in fashion. Formal white gloves were 'a must'. Ladies of course wore ‘gowns’. As well as the Saturday night dances the 'Excelsior Hall' was used for special functions: weddings; 21st birthday dances; Engagement parties etc.
The Canterbury Yacht and Motorboat Club would open their season with a ‘Carnival Flannel Dance’'here. In 1938 a ticket for this would have set you back 4/-(four shillings) for a couple, gentlemen 2/6 (two and six) and ladies 2/-(two shillings). Then of course there was the new ball gown to be made, quite a financial outlay in 1938! Dances were usually 8pm to midnight.
After the war other bands played there; in the 1940's there was ‘The Rhythmic Trio’,;so the Excelsior continued to be one of the main social centres of Lyttelton. The other dance halls were the old Lyttelton Club, below Coleridge Terrace; this had a sprung dance floor (that imposing building was demolished in the 1980's). There was a dance hall in what is now one of the galleries of the Lyttelton Museum. The Lyttelton Museum has just created a new display case about ‘Norton's’ in their new extension.
Mr H. Evison remembers J.T. Norton well, saying, "He became one of Lyttelton’s most well to do citizens and proprietor of its most fashionable tea rooms and dining room". The first floor balcony was converted to a cloakroom during the dances. The bakery catered for all the social functions held here. The original front shops have embossed ceilings, the grocery department closed in 1936 and was taken over by Pentecost the chemist as a dispensary and film developers.
James Norton died in 1947 aged 85. He was a devout Methodist and was on the Borough Council for 17 years, including 2 years as deputy Mayor and acting Mayor for 6 months. His son Ray followed him as manager of Norton’s and president of the Master Bakers Federation.
The Norton Building, although its exterior is now a little tatty and neglected, is an iconic building, very important to the heritage of older families and senior Lytteltonians.
Inside (the souvenir shop and the opportunity shop) the embossed ceilings still survive. The shops are very solidly built and retain quite a few original features, including the original decorative cast iron veranda posts.
This building, which was for sale by tender in October 2007, could be restored to its former glory.
Brilliant examples of revitalised historic buildings are evident all around Lyttelton: London Street Restaurant at 2 London Street, 24 Norwich Quay; The Harbourmaster’s café, and several of the historic hotels have all undergone sympathetic transformations.
Hopefully the new owners of the Norton Building will cherish this historic building, which in the Banks Peninsula District Council’s District Plan is listed as a Notable Historic Building with three special criteria for inclusion. (B.P.D.C, District Plan, Appendix V, Schedule of Notable Buildings, p 412.)
