Lenton Times
The Magazine of Lenton Local History Society
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Issue 6 - October 1991 Contents Letters - Lenton Gregory F.C. & Robinson's Charabanc A Little Horse Play - Recollections of the Nottingham & Notts Historical Pageant 1935 At Home with the Bennet-Clarks The Boat Inn - Our Sponsor's Story The Boat Inn - More about The Boat Inn How to get your own copy click here Editorial for this Issue We have long wanted to produce something on the chocolate
factory once to be found on Sherwin Road but initially we weren't too sure how
to set about the task. Leonard Mitson, its owner, had died back in the late
1960s but we supposed some of his family might still be resident in Once our accounts of Birch House and its various occupants were written up and a general history of Sherwin Road set alongside it, we found virtually the whole of the magazine was taken up with it. So in order to squeeze in a couple of other items, by way of light relief, it has been necessary to increase the size of this issue. The extra pages have cost in the region of £100 but there is no additional advertising or increase in cover price to help defray this expense. All we can do is trust that sales remain buoyant. And this is where you, dear reader, come in. If this issue does prove of interest do please recommend it to others! OUR FRONT COVER Long Row 1953 with the flags flying for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Visible are the business founded by Henry Farmer and Leonard Mitson's retail outlet; two of the people featured in the issue. Photo courtesy of Nottinghamshire County Library Services. |
the area. We therefore contacted each 'Mitson' included in the Nottingham telephone
directory but no family connection came to light. A more positive response occurred
after a letter requesting information was printed in the pages of the Evening
Post. As a result we were able to get in touch with Mr. Mitson's son along with
a number of former employees. They provided plenty of information but no one
seemed to possess any photographs of Birch House, the building that provided
the base for the chocolate factory. We decided to try an earlier era. Through
a circuitous route we got in touch with Henry Bennet-Clark who had spent part
of his childhood living at Birch House. Not only aid he send us shots of the
building but also an excellent account of his recollections of Birch House and
life there during the second world war. As we delved further into the history
of the building we discovered one of its previous occupants had gained mention
in a recent text on the history of Victorian clothing. Naturally we had to include
the story of this gentleman.
