Bounce Magazine January 2019

JANUARY JANUARY 2019 | ISSUE 2019 | #75 ISSUE | #75 HISTORY
Curl
Brothers...
Henley, Edward and Jacob
Curl came from East Winch
and in 1860 travelled to
Norwich to become partners
with Arthur Bunting’s
drapery business Buntings
which stood where Marks and
Spencer’s stands today on St
Stephens and Rampant Horse
Street.
It was not long before they
left Buntings and along with
brothers Ernest, Harry and
Percy purchased The Rampant
Horse Inn opposite which at the
time was one of the oldest inns
in Norwich and turned it into
the Curl Brothers department
store and over the years more
properties were added and
by the start of the 1920s the
company owned 51,000 square
feet along with an exclusive
restaurant where for the sum
of two shillings and sixpence
you could dine on six courses.
The roof would have been
made from glass and the shop
front would have been lit up by
eleven Ediswan lamps with 200
candlepower housed in wrought
iron brackets.
Curl Brothers Pottergate Street
factory manufactured men and
boys clothing with deliveries on
a daily basis to over 16 counties
within the UK.
It soon became known as the
largest department store in
Norfolk. An escalator and air
conditioning system which at
the time was something out of
the ordinary were installed along
with lifts and accommodation
for over 400 staff and welfare
officers. This was at the time a
glimpse into the future.
Staff were trained to be able
to show the customer how to
use the abundance of products,
something that was very unusual
in England and this would have
been the start of what we know
as do-it-yourself.
The staff would have been
expected to live on the premises
and if you were an apprentice
you would have been expected
to have served at least two years
before you were permitted to
speak to the customers.
April 1942 during the Baedeker
raids of World War II Curl
Brothers department store along
with Buntings, Woolworth and
R G Pitch sports shop were
bombed by two 250kg bombs.
Fellow department store Jarrold
had talks with the brothers and
offered them the use of their
first floor before Norwich Union
offered them a property on
Westlegate.
Long after the war ended and
with the original Curl Brothers
building being known as the
giant hole in Norwich developers
moved in to start rebuilding in
1953 and three years later a new
building with 97,000 square
feet opened with entrances in
Rampant Horse Street, Red Lion
Street, Orford Place and Brigg
Street.
During the 1960s the
department store was
purchased by Debenhams who
continued to use the name Curl
Brothers until the 1970s when it
became known as Debenhams
even though for years it was still
known as Curl Brothers which
revokes memories of when John
Lewis took over Bonds and
today people in Norwich still call
it Bonds.
Henley Curl became Sheriff of
Norwich, Justice of the Peace
for the City and a Trustee for
many charitable trusts.
By Michael Chandler - Author, Historian, Broadcaster & Features Writer, Restaurant &
Food critic. Researcher of old buildings and creator of historical and Corporate DVDs.
Contact me @EastAngliaMedia - Mention BOUNCE and receive a 15% discount.
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