A true gentleman who built up a world-renowned business based in Penrith has died at the age of 70.
John Norris created the John Norris of Penrith business in 1970 and it went on to become a country sports and clothing specialist with customers across the globe.
The only child of the late Stan and Florrie Norris, he was born in Preston and educated in the city until the family moved to Penrith in the early 1960s. He continued his education at Ullswater School, where he was a leading member of the cricket team.
His parents owned a shop in Corn Market, Penrith, which sold gifts, toys, prams, darts and fireworks. The young John learned to put prams and cots together and spent many an hour helping in the shop, sparking his love of retailing.
Stan took his son fishing from an early age and this pastime took over John’s free time. He spent many summers fishing the River Lune, which was filled with salmon in those days. John’s catch would be put on the train to the famous Billingsgate Fish Market to be sold.
He also fished many other rivers, including the Spey, Tweed, Hitchin and Border Esk, but his favourite was the Eden.
Some of the fish he caught were delivered to Sharrow Bay, Ullswater — famous as the world’s first country house hotel. Proprietors Francis Coulson and Brian Sack closed the hotel during the winter but were always pleased to see John with some fresh spring salmon for their
freezers.
Stan and John were very involved with Penrith Angling Association, liaising with riparian owners to gain access to more riverbank, organising and selling permits and creating a junior club.
When not fishing, John’s teenage years were spent in Penrith with his friends. They did the rounds of the nightclubs in northern England and heard many leading musicians and bands.
Over the years he was lucky to see David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. On one night he never forgot he saw Freddie and the Dreamers, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
It was in 1971 that 21 Victoria Road, Penrith, came up for sale. John was keen to acquire the premises, family money was found and the shop duly bought.
John put his own name above the door, adding “of Penrith” so everyone knew where the shop was — and to show his great pride in the town. He took equal pride in the shop, ensuring it was painted every year and that the window displays looked good.
When he bought the shop, its annual turnover was £5,000, of which £3,000 came from the sale at cost price of cricket balls to Cumbrian teams. However, John believed there was a great future in country sports and wanted to be the best retailer in the country in this sector.
He succeeded in this and customers come to the shop from far and wide, with visitors from India, America, New Zealand, Ireland and many other places calling on a regular basis.
John’s parents sold their Corn Market shop and joined him at 21 Victoria Road. Julian Shaw and Joan Melvin soon joined the team and John’s mother ran the first real fishing tackle mail order department. The shop has employed many other people and John always appreciated their skills and devotion.
The shop grew larger as extra properties were added to it and turnover increased. One day John had a call from Malcolm Sutherland, from country clothing firm Barbour, who said they were not going to be doing mail order, so would John like to be their recommended mail order partner? John agreed and this was
the start of a relationship that continues to this day.
The business was one of the first in the country to have a website, in the mid-1990s, and this now gets thousands of visits every day. It also draws many customers to Penrith.
John believed that harnessing the power of the internet to improve his database gave a great platform to promote not only his business but also Penrith and the Lake District.
As well as being a great angler who fished with the great and the good, John was one of the top 50 shots in the country. He also took a keen interest in cars, particularly in his younger days.
At the same time he was a quiet man of very few words and not one to boast of his achievements. He was deeply loved by his family.
John had two children, James and Laura, who loved the time they spent with their dad and formed a very close bond with him. They lived for a long period at Cumberland Close, Clifton.
James and Laura both joined the business on leaving school and John passed on his knowledge to them. Annette joined the business in 1997 and brought with her a knowledge of accounts and HR and ability to deal with paperwork.
John moved to Lowther House in 1996 with Annette and her children where they spent many happy hours in the summerhouse and a lot of time visiting garden centres, where John would buy yet more plants. John and Annette were married in 2000.
John’s love of shooting meant he had great friends in and many links with the country sports community. He did “walked up” shooting around the Eden Valley and then shared Greystoke Castle shoot with his great pal Allan. They subsequently shared the shoot at Whinfell Park and also shot further afield.
John is survived by his wife Annette and children, James, Laura, Matthew and Laura, who all live in the Penrith area.
The funeral service was held at Eden Valley Crematorium. Walkers Funeral Directors, Penrith, had charge of the arrangements.
